Flyers try to hold off surging Caps in East race

By Bud L. Ellis

It isn’t the best time of the year for the Philadelphia Flyers to be struggling, especially with the red-hot Washington Capitals coming to town Tuesday night.

The Flyers hold a very slim two-point lead over the surging Caps in the Eastern Conference standings as the two teams square off. Should the Flyers lose in regulation, they would wake up Wednesday morning tied with the Caps.

Philadelphia is 4-4-2 in its past 10 games, while the Capitals are 9-1-0 since March 1.

One good thing for the Flyers is the fact they have 11 games left, counting Tuesday’s showdown. Washington only has nine games to go, including Tuesday’s meeting. Another positive for Philadelphia: Starting Tuesday, four of the next six games are in Philadelphia, with two short road trips to face the Islanders in New York and Pittsburgh.

The Flyers beat Dallas 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday in Dallas, capping a 2-1 road trip that also included a victory at Florida and a shootout loss at Atlanta.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 7:00 pm by bud

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