East Division Update - February 7th

(Photo from Getty Images)

Hello everyone, here's an update on the action for February 7th. The lone game in the east division today, was between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals. It was a good one, with a lot of scoring and little defense.

PHILIDELPHIA @ WASHINGTON

This game featured two of the division's premiere teams. The flyers had lost a couple close ones in Boston, and needed to right their ship. This game, however, was very important to both teams, especially because Washington came in also losing two straight. Another thing to note is the Caps hadn't lost in regulation in their first 9 games. The Capitals started well, with captain Alex Ovechkin scoring early in the first period from his signature spot on the powerplay. He would add another goal, getting into the heads of the Flyers a little bit. Although, it wasn't enough to keep Philadelphia out of it. The two teams would trade goals throughout the game, with goals from big names like Washington's Tom Wilson, and Philly's Joel Farabee/Scott Laughton. Laughton would record a hattrick late in the game, and his third goal would turn out to be the winner for the Flyers. Philly also got a boost before the game, with the return of center Sean Couturier after a three week stint on the injured list. One more note, is the loss by Washington marked their third straight, as their defense/goaltending goes through a rough patch. Rookie goaltender Vitec Vanacek was pulled in the third after allowing 5 goals on 18 shots, and replaced by veteran Craig Anderson.