Flyers Come out of Olympic Break With Disappointing Performance in Loss to Capitals
Feb 25, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (55) collides with Washington Capitals right wing Ryan Leonard (9) during the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Foslien-Imagn Images
The Flyers came out of the Olympic break with a huge matchup against the Capitals on Wednesday night, and with both teams desperate for two points, the Flyers were looking to go into this game with a chance at a run for the postseason in the final 26 games of the season. However, it was a missed opportunity; the offense stalled again in the Flyers’ 3-1 loss in D.C. The Flyers are now eight points out of a playoff spot, with time running out in the season.
Daniel Vladar once again kept the Flyers in the game, saving 25 out of 27 shots. It doesn’t help when the Flyers also can’t score. They missed plenty of chances to finish tonight, and a late desperation did not save them. Capitals goalkeeper Logan Thompson saved 23 out of 24 shots.
Most of the Flyers looked good on the ice to start, even with the fact that they haven’t played in a game for almost three weeks. That quickly changed once the game went on. The players who looked good the entire night were the three Olympians: Vladar, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Travis Sanheim. They added pressure early on, having a 7-1 shot advantage over the Capitals, making Thompson work and make great saves. The Flyers couldn’t score, even though they controlled most of the puck in the first half of the period.
Both teams exchanged chances to start the second period. Matvei Michkov struggled to clear out a shot from Hendrix Lapierre, which led to a backdoor pass from him, which Rasmus Sandin scored to give the Capitals the first goal of the game. The Capitals continued to add more pressure, as Vladar made more and more key saves, and the Flyers could not create a counterattack. Once they got that opportunity late in the period, they still hit a stalemate when it came to scoring.
Right from the third-period puck drop, the Flyers were level after 29 seconds, after Noah Cates tipped in a shot from Sanheim. For a good chunk of the period, both teams remained exchanging changes, with the Flyers putting more pressure on again. Michkov was robbed by Thompson on a beautiful pass from Bobby Brink. The Flyers most likely have the lead if he scores that. Unfortunately, the Capitals would end up breaking the tie with a goal from the brother of former Flyer Trevor van Reimsdyk off a pass from Declan Chisholm with 5:52 to go.
The Flyers had one more chance left, with Jamie Drysdale saving three shots from the empty net late into the game, with the Flyers even receiving a power play with under a minute. Somehow, the Flyers gave it away on a 6-to-4 man advantage, which is just way too unacceptable, allowing Aliaksei Protas to score a shorthanded empty net, which was the final blow to tonight’s game.
It’s now 13 out of 16 games the Flyers have lost. They’ll be in New York tomorrow to face the Rangers at 8:00 P.M. Another crucial game which could be the deciding factor in their season come the March 6th trade deadline.
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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