Five players with NHL experience. Five goals from five different scorers. Lindgren stops 32 of 33 in 40 minutes as a roster of AHL-bound prospects beats Philadelphia’s opening night lineup. September 26, 2026.

Washington Capitals 5, Philadelphia Flyers 1 Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Charlie Lindgren has 170 NHL games. He was the most experienced player in white on Saturday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. That tells you everything you need to know about what the Washington Capitals sent into Philadelphia for their preseason finale — a roster of prospects, AHL-bound players, and junior talent that had never taken the ice together for a game at any level, hadn’t practiced special teams, and had no certainty they’d ever play together again. They beat the Flyers 5-1 anyway. Philadelphia’s was essentially their opening night roster. Washington scored five unanswered goals from five different players after falling behind 1-0 in the first minute of the second period. Lindgren described the silence in the locker room before puck drop as similar to a famous underdog sports movie. His team then went out and earned the comparison.

How It Happened

First Period: Philadelphia earned three power plays in the first period and converted none of them. Alex Bump rang a shot off the crossbar on one of the man-advantage looks. Matvei Michkov had a chance from the high slot on the third power play, a double minor for high-sticking. Washington was called for three penalties in the opening frame, and Lindgren made five of his 13 first-period saves on the penalty kill. The Flyers outshot the Capitals 13-5, generated repeated looks, and left the first period tied 0-0. The veteran goaltender was the reason.

Second Period: Philadelphia broke through 31 seconds in — the forechecking pressure of Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny created a Washington turnover, and Drysdale pinched through the middle to beat Lindgren with a clean wrist shot. Washington didn’t flinch. A Kolosov turnover behind his own net led to Spencer Smallman finding Andrew Cristall at the left post, who showcased slick hands pulling the puck forehand to backhand and tucking it home at 4:32 to tie it. Then David Jiricek turned the puck over on the next sequence and Maxim Schafer made him pay — firing past Kolosov unassisted at 7:36 to put Washington ahead. Jiricek then drew a high-sticking penalty on Cristall at 12:16, giving the Capitals a power play that Frank converted at 12:24 — Washington suddenly led 3-1 despite being outshot 20-8 in the period. Lindgren made the lead stand up with two big saves — stopping Michkov on a fine Cates setup and then robbing Martone after a Zegras feed — all 20 of his second-period saves coming at even strength. The Flyers grew visibly frustrated, and post-whistle skirmishes dotted the final minutes of the frame.

Third Period: Cal Petersen — himself a former Flyer — took over the crease to begin the third. Theodor Niederbach collected an errant Philadelphia pass, curled off the left half wall, and fired it home short side at 1:07 to make it 4-1. The Flyers, who had generated 33 shots in the first two periods, managed just 4 in the final frame. Michkov attempted a Michigan lacrosse-style shot in a late sequence — one of the few Philadelphia creative moments in the third — but it came to nothing. With 3:54 remaining, 19-year-old Lynden Lakovic capped the scoring at 5-1 off a setup from Alexander Suzdalev and Petr Sikora. Petersen was perfect in relief — 4 shots, 4 saves.

Goaltending

Charlie Lindgren was the First Star and the night’s defining figure. He played 40 minutes, faced 33 shots, stopped 32, and posted a .970 save percentage — five of those saves coming on the penalty kill in the first period alone, and all 20 of his second-period stops at even strength. His performance against Philadelphia’s first-line roster in a hostile building was the foundation of everything Washington did Saturday night. Cal Petersen was perfect in the third (4/4, 1.000 SV%). For Philadelphia, Aleksei Kolosov played the full 60 minutes and stopped 19 of 24 shots (.792 SV%) — Washington’s efficiency against him told the story of the game.

Special Teams

Washington: 1-for-4 PP | Philadelphia: 0-for-4 PP Penalties: WSH 12 min (5 infractions), PHI 12 min (6 infractions) Washington was called for 3 penalties in the first period and killed them all. Philadelphia went 0-for-4 on the power play overall despite having some of the NHL’s best forwards available.

Three Stars

⭐ Charlie Lindgren (WSH) — 32 saves, .970 SV% on 37 shots; 40 minutes, most experienced player on the Washington roster

⭐⭐ Andrew Cristall (WSH) — 1 goal, 1 assist; tied the game, then added the second assist on Frank’s PP goal

⭐⭐⭐ Jamie Drysdale (PHI) — 1 goal; Philadelphia’s lone scorer, Third Star on a difficult night for the home team

Shots by Period

Team Statistics

Scoring Summary

First Period

• No Goals Scored

Second Period

• 0:31 PHI — Jamie Drysdale (1) — Assists: Travis Konecny (1), Tyson Foerster (1)
• 4:32 WSH — Andrew Cristall (1) — Assists: Spencer Smallman (1)
• 7:36 WSH — Maxim Schafer (1) (unassisted — off Nick Seeler turnover)
• 12:24 WSH — Ethen Frank (1) (PP) — Assists: Louie Belpedio (1), Andrew Cristall (1)

Third Period

• 1:07 WSH — Theodor Niederbach (1) (unassisted) — off errant Flyers pass
• 16:06 WSH — Lynden Lakovic (1) — Assists: Alexander Suzdalev (1), Petr Sikora (1)

Key Notes

• Washington’s roster had only 5 players with previous NHL experience — the rest were AHL-bound or junior players who had never played together before Saturday, with no shared special teams practice; Spencer Carbery called it a game none of them will forget
• Charlie Lindgren’s 170 NHL games were the most of any Capital dressed Saturday — he described the pregame locker room silence as feeling like a famous underdog sports moment before his team went out and delivered one
• Five goals, five different scorers — Cristall, Schafer, Frank, Niederbach, and Lakovic all scored for Washington
• Philadelphia outshot Washington 37-24 and lost by 4 goals — the Flyers dressed their opening night roster and were outperformed by a team built almost entirely of non-NHL players
• Lindgren stopped all 20 shots he faced in the second period, all at even strength, as Washington pulled away; the Flyers grew visibly frustrated and post-whistle skirmishes began
• Washington was called for 3 first-period penalties and killed them all — Lindgren made 5 saves on the PK in the first twenty minutes
• David Jiricek had two costly second-period mistakes — a turnover that directly led to Schafer’s go-ahead goal at 7:36, then a high-sticking penalty on Cristall at 12:16 that created the power play Frank converted at 12:24; two consecutive Washington goals directly tied to Jiricek errors
• Alex Bump rang a shot off the crossbar during one of Philadelphia’s first-period power play opportunities — the Flyers generated genuine looks but couldn’t beat Lindgren
• Lindgren stopped Michkov on a fine Cates setup and Martone on a Zegras feed in the second period — two of the biggest stops in a game-defining middle frame
• Matvei Michkov attempted a Michigan lacrosse-style shot in the third period — one of the few late PHI creative moments
• Philadelphia opens the regular season September 30 at home vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins — the Flyers finished the preseason 1-3-0
• Cal Petersen is a former Philadelphia Flyer — he came on in the third period for Washington and stopped all 4 shots he faced
• Lynden Lakovic is 19 years old — the youngest player on the ice for either team scored Washington’s fifth goal
• Philadelphia went 0-for-4 on the power play — the Flyers had multiple extended advantages and could not solve Lindgren
• Washington is now 2-0 against Philadelphia in the 2026-27 preseason — 5-2 in Hershey on September 21, 5-1 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 26
• This was Washington’s preseason finale — their 4-game exhibition slate closed in Philadelphia