Flyers drop third straight to Washington

The Philadelphia Flyers have lost 12 of their first 15 games this season.

The team fell 5-2 to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night in Washington, D.C. The result marks a third consecutive defeat for the Flyers. They also dropped 4-3 in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Washington took an early lead in the first period. Alex Tuch scored less than two minutes into the game. The goal came off a rebound after Tuch drifted down the middle of the ice.

Joseph Woll made several key saves to keep the deficit small in the opening frame. He stopped Alex Ovechkin twice during the first period. Woll also blocked shots from Justin Sourdif and Timothy Liljegren near the end of the period.

The Flyers tied the game at 1-1 early in the second period. Sean Couturier scored his first goal of the season on a redirect. A shot by Nick Seeler was blocked by Ryan Leonard, but Couturier put the puck behind Logan Thompson.

Jordan Kyrou restored the Capitals' lead shortly after the tie. Kyrou scored his second goal of the night on a rebound from a point shot by Jack St. Ivany. The puck hit Dylan Strome and Seeler before Kyrou finished the play.

Aliaksei Protas extended Washington's lead to 3-1 during five-on-five play. Protas tipped in a shot by Matt Roy near the right post. Woll touched the puck with his glove but could not prevent the goal.

Matvei Michkov scored for the Flyers during a third-period power play. The goal cut the deficit to 3-1. Michkov now has nine goals, tying him for the fourth-most in the NHL.

Kyrou scored his third goal of the game just over a minute later. The score settled at 4-2 in favor of Washington. Alex Tuch added an empty-net goal with 29 seconds remaining in the game.

The Flyers had a chance to narrow the gap further. They pulled Woll for an extra attacker with just over four minutes left. Hunter McDonald drew a roughing penalty on Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Flyers had seven shot attempts during that man advantage, but none resulted in a goal.

Woll faced 29 shots and allowed four goals. He stopped two of three high-danger chances in the first period. The Flyers' power play is currently ranked 24th in the NHL with a 16.3% efficiency rate.

Jack St. Ivany recorded two assists in his debut for the Capitals. He was acquired on waivers on October 24. Noel Acciari played in his 600th NHL game before leaving with an upper-body injury midway through the first period.