For the first time since 2017, the Washington Capitals traveled up the interstate to compete in a preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

In front of a sellout crowd of Flyers and Capitals fans alike, the Hershey Bears’ NHL affiliate dominated from start to finish, taking down the Flyers 5-1. 

Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery made sure to give the fan favorites plenty of time on the ice, focusing his lineup on current and former Hershey Bears. Matt Strome, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Hendrix Lapierre and Clay Stevenson were all a part of the 2024 Calder Cup champion Bears squad and were used on the starting lineup for the Capitals. 

Matt Strome’s brother Dylan Strome also joined the starting lineup, the first time in over 20 years that brothers have played together on the same team. Brothers and fellow Capitals teammates Aliaksei and Ilya Protas also share this achievement. 

While there was not much action in the first period, Capitals forward Andrew Cristall was able to get one on goal to put the first point on the board in the ninth minute. Cristall was assisted by Lapierre and Declan Chisholm. 

The momentum for the hometown favorites didn’t slow down in the second period. The Capitals scored two more goals before the Flyers could get a point on the board. Miroshnichenko scored the second goal with assists from Dylan Strome and Rasmus Sandin. Milano would score the other goal in the period with former Bear Vincent Iorio and Lapierre assisting. 

The Flyers got their first goal in the 16th minute thanks to forward Jacob Gaucher. This would be the only goal the Flyers would see in their 60 minutes of play. 

In the third period, Connor McMichael scored yet another goal for the Capitals with no assists. Milano continued his hot streak throughout the game with the fifth and final goal for the team with assists from Lapierre and Frank. 

Feeman, a staff writer and photographer for Offside News Co. and native to the Hershey area was able to see the game unfold in real time. 

“I loved watching an NHL game in my home barn,” he said. “It was great to see players for the Bears shine on NHL lines with former Bears like McIlrath and not have to go all the way to DC or Philly.”

As a Flyers and Bears fan, Feeman was able to cheer for both teams throughout the game. While it was easier to cheer for the Capitals, he was also able to see potential for certain Flyers players. 

“Nikita Grebenkin and Alex Bump have really stood out this preseason as guys that have a shot at making an impact within the organization,” Feeman said. “Cam York is also looking a lot more like himself this preseason which is exciting.”

Even with the potential of Grebenkin, Bump and York, the Flyers have continued struggling through the preseason as seen in previous years. 

“The Flyers continue to trudge through a relatively sloppy power play, and while Dan Vladar had a good start in the first for his debut in net after being acquired from the Calgary Flames, the second and third left crease protection to be desired by the lackluster performance from Aleksei Kolosov,” Feeman said. “The Flyers’ power play is bad. It’s been bad.”

The Flyers have not seen the NHL playoffs since 2019, where they lost the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the New York Islanders. 

The three stars of the preseason game were Stevenson, Lapierre and Milano. Stevenson saw 15 saves in the game, Lapierre had three assists, and Milano had two goals. 

One key person missing from the ice was Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin, who has the NHL record all-time record for goals, sustained a lower body injury during training camp. However, Feeman doesn’t believe that a missing Ovechkin impacted the team. 

“I would say congratulations to Ovechkin on his accomplishments in usurping Wayne Gretzky’s record, however it isn’t something I was super locked in for,” Feeman said. “I also just don’t really care for Ovechkin as a player both for his style and for him playing for a team I don’t follow closely. I recognize his feats during his career but that’s about as far as it goes.”

The Capitals open their 2025-2026 regular season on Oct. 8 versus the Boston Bruins.