Travis Green thinks the Vancouver Canucks can learn a thing or two from how the Washington Capitals

VANCOUVER Adidas Ian Cole Jersey , British Columbia (AP) — Travis Green thinks the Vancouver Canucks can learn a thing or two from how the Washington Capitals played against them Monday night.Vancouver’s head coach said the Capitals came out fast and strong in the 5-2 win, showcasing highly skilled athletes who consistently make plays.“They don’t just go out there and just play summer hockey. They play the game the right way,” Green said. “These are valuable experiences and lessons for our players, our young players especially.”There’s a reason the Capitals are the NHL’s reigning champions, Green added.“They’re big, they’re strong, they’re skilled, they win puck battles, they manage the puck. They do everything that Stanley Cup winning teams do. And they’re deep,” he said.“Man, that’s a good hockey team.”Alex Ovechkin had two goals and two assists for the Capitals (4-2-2) and John Carlson Adidas Philipp Grubauer Jersey , Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie also scored.Troy Stecher and Sven Baertschi responded for the Canucks (5-4-0).Braden Holtby stopped 22-of-24 shots for the Capitals and Vancouver goalie Anders Nilsson turned away 28 of 33.Penalties played a big part in the game, with Washington netting two power-play goals and the Canucks getting one of their own.Vancouver’s second goal of the night came when the Canucks had the man advantage to start the third period.Right winger Brock Boeser fired a hard shot on Holtby seconds into the frame. The puck bounced off the goalie’s pads and on to Baertschi’s stick.Holtby didn’t have time to reset before Baertschi fired a rocket past him for his third goal of the year.The Canucks have been working on capitalizing on those kind of opportunities, said center Bo Horvat.“For us on the power play, we’ve talked about taking more shots, playing more direct and not trying to be too cute. (Boeser) made the right play, put it on net and (Baertschi) was right there for the rebound,” he said.But the team also took too many penalties and Washington was able to capitalize on them, Horvat added.“They were moving their feet, getting on the forecheck, taking the play to us at times,” he said.The Capitals lead the league in power-play goals Adidas Cale Makar Jersey , with 12 on 31 chances.Washington coach Todd Reirden said he liked the way his group played, landing hits early on and scoring just over two minutes in.“I thought we were emotionally invested right from the drop of the puck tonight and that gave us a really good advantage,” he said.Monday’s match also showed how far Ovechkin has come as a leader, the coach said.The Capitals captain got the puck late in the third period after Vancouver had pulled Nilsson from the net. Ovechkin had an opportunity to score for the hat trick, but instead of letting a shot rip, he passed to Oshie.“To me that’s a huge thing. … He could have easily scored himself but it wasn’t even a thought,” Reirden said.“It doesn’t bother him one bit and that’s where you saw maybe a different player than maybe you saw three or four years ago that’s not focused on individual stuff.”Even Oshie questioned the move, Ovechkin said with a laugh.“(He said) ‘Why you pass me the puck?’ But he was so wide open and I try to give him pass. Save mine for next time,” said the Russian superstar, who now has eight goals in eight games this season.Monday’s game was the first in a four-game Canadian tour for the Capitals. They visit the Oilers in Edmonton on Thursday.The Canucks begin a two-game road swing in Vegas Wednesday before playing the Coyotes in Phoenix on Thursday.NOTESWashington center Nicklas Backstrom recorded his 600th career assist. … Ovechkin’s second goal of the night marked his 233rd on the power play. He is now ninth in NHL history for power-play goals. … Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson joined his teammates for morning skate Monday. The Canucks rookie has missed three games with a concussion and an update on his status is expect on Tuesday.UP NEXTCapitals: Play at Edmonton on Thursday night.Canucks: Begin a two-game swing at Vegas on Wednesday night before playing the Coyotes on Thursday. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jake Voracek thought he wasn’t very good for most of the first two periods. The Flyers were plenty happy with his performance.“You guys have to watch the game a little bit more, you know what I mean Adidas Adam Clendening Jersey ,” Voracek said. “It’s not only about points.”Voracek scored the go-ahead goal and added two assists, and Philadelphia finally played some solid defense in a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.Voracek, who was demoted from the Flyers’ top line, took a loose puck at center ice and kept it himself on a 2-on-1 breakaway, beating Keith Kinkaid for his third goal of the season to put the Flyers ahead 3-2 with 3:10 remaining.“I was thinking pass all the way,” Voracek said. “But their defenseman played tight to that side, and when I decided to shoot I was too close to the goalie, so I had to do something — and it worked.”Earlier, Voracek stripped Will Butcher and made a cross-ice pass to Nolan Patrick for a tap-in goal that put the Flyers ahead 2-1 with about a minute left in the second period. Voracek added his second assist on Scott Laughton’s empty-netter.“I’m glad his expectations are high,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. “He’s playing some really good hockey right now. With his dynamics he can change the look of a hockey game. … If he wants to do more, that’s good. … Hey Adidas Riley Nash Jersey , we’re .500, so everybody has got to be a little bit better.”Travis Konecny also scored a goal and Wayne Simmonds added an empty-netter of his own for the Flyers, who limited the Devils to just 21 shots. Philadelphia had allowed four goals or more in five of its first seven games.Brian Elliott, who was pulled after giving up four goals to the Florida Panthers last Tuesday, bounced back to make 19 saves and earn his second win of the season.Damon Severson and Brian Boyle scored for the Devils, who have lost two straight games after winning their first four. Kinkaid made 16 saves.“To lose a game against a good team on the road, it was casual,” Boyle said. “Yeah, it’s disappointing, but we gotta get better. All of us could be better. Everybody who goes on that bench, for every game we got to be ready to go Adidas Anthony Duclair Jersey , need to be dialed in. It’s really disappointing.”Konecny scored the Flyers’ first goal with a wrist shot from the right circle on a power play, his second goal of the season after going without a goal in his first six games. It was the first goal this season from Philadelphia’s second power-play unit.Simmonds’ goal was his team-leading sixth of the season.Severson put the Devils ahead just over four minutes into the game.Boyle tied it for New Jersey with a power-play goal early in the third period. Hakstol challenged the goal, citing goaltender interference, and although Kyle Palmieri’s skate was in the crease and made contact with Elliott’s stick, replay officials ruled the contact was incidental and let the goal stand.“We don’t win many challenges here,” Elliott said. “So I wasn’t surprised.”NOTES: The Devils have scored at least one power-play goal in each of their six games. … This was the Devils’ first true road game of the season, although they played their season opener in Sweden against the Edmonton Oilers. … Hakstol juggled his defensive pairings in-game, breaking up his top pairing of Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere for the first time in nearly a year. The Flyers entered play Saturday with the second-most goals allowed in the league. … Patrick returned to the Flyers’ lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury, replacing Corban Knight, who played in his first NHL game last Thursday.UP NEXTDevils: Get four days off before hosting the Nashville Predators on Thursday.Flyers: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. The Flyers lost 5-2 on their lone visit to Denver earlier this month.