Young Capitals Stun Flyers 5-1 to Close Preseason
The Washington Capitals closed their 2026 preseason in impressive fashion Saturday evening, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Washington brought a prospect-heavy roster to Philadelphia against a Flyers group consisting largely of players expected to be on their opening-night roster, but the young Capitals responded with five unanswered goals after falling behind early in the second period.
Andrew Cristall, Maxim Schafer, Ethen Frank, Theodor Niederbach and Lynden Lakovic scored for Washington. Charlie Lindgren delivered the performance that allowed the young Capitals to withstand Philadelphia’s early pressure, stopping 32 of the 33 shots he faced through the first two periods. Cal Petersen took over in the third and stopped all four shots he faced.
Lindgren keeps Capitals alive early
Philadelphia controlled much of the opening period and held a 13-5 advantage in shots, but Lindgren prevented the Flyers from turning that pressure into an early lead. Philadelphia received four power-play opportunities during the first period, including a double-minor late in the frame, but Washington’s penalty kill and Lindgren kept the game scoreless.
That performance proved critical because Washington’s inexperienced lineup needed time to settle into the game. Philadelphia continued generating pressure early in the second period, but Lindgren’s work prevented the Capitals from facing a significant deficit before their offense found its rhythm.
Flyers strike first before Capitals respond
Philadelphia finally broke through just 31 seconds into the second period. Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny helped force a Washington turnover before Jamie Drysdale moved into the middle and beat Lindgren with a wrist shot, giving Philadelphia a 1-0 advantage.
Instead of allowing the game to get away from them, the Capitals responded at 4:32. Cristall capitalized on a mistake by Flyers goaltender Aleksei Kolosov behind the net and scored to tie the game at one, with Spencer Smallman earning the assist.
Washington needed just over three minutes to take the lead. Another Philadelphia turnover created an opportunity for Schafer, who scored unassisted at 7:36 to put the Capitals ahead 2-1. It was Schafer’s first goal of the preseason.
Frank extends the lead on the power play
The Capitals then took advantage of their power play after David Jiricek was called for high-sticking Cristall at 12:16. Washington needed only eight seconds to convert, with Frank firing a shot past Kolosov for a 3-1 advantage. Louie Belpedio and Cristall collected the assists, giving Cristall his second point of the game.
Philadelphia continued creating opportunities during the remainder of the second period, finishing the frame with a 21-8 advantage in shots and holding a 34-13 overall edge through 40 minutes. Lindgren remained the difference, including stops against Matvei Michkov and other Flyers during stretches of sustained pressure. Despite being heavily outshot, Washington carried a two-goal advantage into the third period.
Young Capitals take over the third
Washington quickly eliminated much of Philadelphia’s remaining hope in the third period. Niederbach scored just 1:07 into the frame, beating Kolosov short side to increase the Capitals’ lead to 4-1.
Petersen replaced Lindgren for the third period and kept Philadelphia off the scoreboard. Washington’s skaters also began controlling more of the play after spending much of the first two periods defending, eventually outshooting Philadelphia 11-4 during the final period.
Lakovic completed the scoring at 16:06. Alex Suzdalev found Lakovic on the rush, and the 2025 first-round selection finished the opportunity for Washington’s fifth unanswered goal. Petr Sikora also received an assist on the play.
Cristall and the prospects make their case
Cristall finished with a goal and an assist and was one of Washington’s most productive offensive players. Lakovic also produced an encouraging performance, finishing with a goal and four shots while repeatedly generating dangerous opportunities. Young defensemen Cam Allen and Ryan Chesley were given substantial responsibility, each skating more than 21 minutes.
The circumstances made the performance particularly noteworthy. Philadelphia dressed most of its expected NHL lineup, while Washington dressed only a handful of established NHL regulars. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery praised the effort afterward, emphasizing how difficult the assignment was for such a young group playing on the road.
Lindgren delivers the biggest performance
Washington’s five goals will attract attention, but Lindgren provided the foundation for the victory. He stopped 32 of 33 shots for a .970 save percentage, keeping Washington in the game when Philadelphia controlled possession and repeatedly generated chances during the first 40 minutes.
The Flyers ultimately finished with a 37-27 advantage in shots but scored only once. Philadelphia also failed on all four of its power-play opportunities, while Washington converted one of its chances with the man advantage.
MSB Take
Preseason results should always be viewed cautiously, but this was about as encouraging a preseason finale as the Capitals could have produced. Washington sent a lineup filled with prospects and players fighting for organizational roles against a much more NHL-heavy Flyers roster, absorbed significant pressure and then scored five consecutive goals.
Lindgren was outstanding, but the bigger organizational story was how Washington’s younger players responded once they settled into the game. Cristall continued to demonstrate his offensive creativity, while Schafer, Niederbach and Lakovic all found the net. Several of these players may spend significant time developing outside Washington this season, but performances like this give the Capitals considerably more confidence in the talent coming through their system.
Washington finished its exhibition schedule 3-0-1. More importantly, the Capitals ended the preseason with their prospects showing they could handle a difficult assignment against NHL competition and turn it into a convincing 5-1 victory.
