So 97 3 ESPN dot com at Kevin underscored there.

So and he joins us now on the sports bash live on 97 3 ESPN.

All right, Kevin Flyers and Caps Now, a lot of people think this is like a battle for first place, but the Flyers will win.

If they win tonight, they will still not be in first place.

They sit three points back, but I do want to get your take on the possibility of them being over overtake the capital's with 17 games left.

Yes, it's true.

It is not going to be a battle for first place.

Specifically, they would have needed a Washington lost to Minnesota on Sunday for that to happen, and it didn't.

But that's quite all right at this point.

They're still 17 games left in the regular season, and as a result, this game takes on so much more meaning than it did about a month ago and the two teams met a month ago.

The Flyers were kind of hovering around that bubble on the play off line and needed really a lot of points to go in there and when they took care of Washington the way they did.

It was kind of a surprise to see them win by such a convincing margin in this case out there right there with Washington, and this turns into a battle for more than just close to closing on first place in the division.

What it turns into is it went from being a match up a month ago.

That was.

Here's a possibility that these two teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs.

This turns into a possible even second round match up between the top.

What could be the top two teams in the division if things hold the way they are.

So that's why it's such a big matchup.

Home ice is going to be critical in any series of Flyers play.

They know that because of how well they played at home, and their goal is to try to keep racking up the points as much as they can, so they can try to turn this into a situation where there on home ice as much as possible in the playoffs.

Let's get your thought on how they match up with the Capitals because they did beat them and you know, that was a while back.

But the Flyers air a much different team from that time that they was it.

Seven to that game.

Yeah, that was a seven to win, and that was just a really strange game for Washington.

They came out with a pretty solid start that first period, and they looked really good.

They look like the better team.

And Brian Elliott kept the Flyers in that game.

For most of the first period.

Flyers got a late power play goal.

It was answered by an even later power play goal by Washington, and they came out of the first period side 11 which is perfectly reasonable first period result with the rest of the game to go.

Then, in a second period, the Flyers dominated from their three really early goals.

That kind of got Washington on their heels, and Washington was never able to recover even down to getting some power play time with Flyers penalty kill stepped up and was really strong.

Those situations made them take control of that game, and that's what really makes the matchup so intriguing.

Its effect that's three times over on over the course of the entire regular season that the Flyers have actually played really well against this team.

And Washington has pretty much been at the top of the division almost from start to finish in the regular season.

And the Flyers have held their own against him.

They lost one game early in the year in a shoot out, then post All Star break on post.

Also, River post holiday road trip Flyers have won two games against them.

One was a one goal win on home ice and the 7 to 2 results.

So they've matched up really well against this team.

It's a team I would really like to see them play in a playoff series, quite honestly, because magic is just so good.

And I think the games have been entertaining and they play.

They're just always are entertaining games.

And the Flyers continue to get better in areas that they weren't as good in when they played in a playoff series.

Many feels like many years ago, now was about four years ago and, you know, with the depth of center and the defensive structure that they have and the coaching, too, those are all areas that I think the Flyers are much stronger and now than they were back then.

And it makes for an intriguing matchup.

Kevin Durant shows with us.

Give us some insight on Why Brian Elliott tonight?

It's his first start since February 20th 43 overtime win in Columbus, So it seems like a heart struggles on the road a little bit.

Let's get Elliot out there, but this is a pretty big game.

So would you rather see heart in this game and Elliot tomorrow, even though that games at home where Hart excels?

Yeah, I certainly understand the thinking that's going into this.

I was a little surprised that Carter Heart did you get this game more or less for the sense that at some point in time, I feel like you have to designate Carter heart is the guy who you're gonna strap a lot of your hopes, too, and you're gonna put a lot of his shoulders, especially when the playoffs roll around.

That said, you do need to get Brian Elliott into some games here.

Down the stretch is a few back to backs that come into play.

This one included Well, I would have thought that they probably would have tried to get Elliot into the game against Carolina.

Is that what this does?

Also, though, Is it kind of helps set you up for next week pretty well.

I think.

You know, next week you're gonna have some really critical games and tough ones against Boston and Tampa Bay, and what this could do is they could kind of spell him for a couple of games.

It could spell Carter heart a chance to get a break in here, play one game over the course of the next three.

You could use Eliot tonight.

You could use him on Saturday against Buffalo, and it leaves Carter heart fresh and ready to go for a busy week.

That's going to include Boston, Tampa Bay and probably with the back.

With another back to back the following weekend.

I would say probably against Edmonton as well, which is another high power offense team, so I think it sets them up for that in that situation.

And that's that's why I think they went with Brian Elliott tonight.

How many more starts do you think Carter heart is going to get like is it?

Just arrest tonight and they're going to give him up not only for those games that you mentioned, but the entire way.

Or how do you see Elliott and his role even into the postseason?

Yeah, see Elliot's rol being what it basically is tonight, in a sense, which is to just be a guy who's able to jump in for a start is needed to make sure you're not overworking this goalie who you're going to use in the playoffs.

And I don't think there's any doubt about it at this point that Carter Heart's gonna be the guy you ride during the playoffs, but you do need to make sure that he is as fresh as possible on you.

Don't wanna overworking because he did come off an injury fairly recently, too.

So, ah, in terms of a number of starts for him, I would say with 17 games left will be 16.

After tonight, he probably will get, I'd say 10 of those starts safely, you know, and you could really factor and maybe one or two more, even at that point, just depending on the back to backs and the decisions, and maybe where the Flyers under blanking, too, as well.

I think that they get down the stretch.

You're not going over, work him over a game or two here and there.

That doesn't hold as much meaning for your standing position if it comes to that.

But if there's some meaning to the standings and there's a reason to play him up until the final game of the season, I think he'll be a fairly regular starter down the stretch.

I talked with Kevin Deer.

So the game tonight?

Of course you can.

Here on 97 3 ESPN.

It's Flyers and caps and, of course, Flyers.

Three points back.

Let me ask you this right now.

If the Flyers played the Penguins in a serious because that's what you would have currently two Verse three.

How do you view that matchup?

I do that match up pretty well as well.

Just because of the You know, again, I think the big thing for the Flyers this point is the fact that that where they currently sit, they would be the home ice team in that series, and I think that goes a long way.

Pittsburgh reminds me a lot of the Flyers with the home and road struggles.

It's, you know, there are a great home team and then they get on the road and things go wrong.

The Pittsburgh just had a a six game losing streak that they snapped out of last night, but most of that was road games, especially a similar spot where the Flyer struggled a West Coast road trip.

So though you know that similarity to me makes home ice such a crucial part of that series, I do think that for most of these games now, if you go back to even the last game they played against Pittsburgh on the road, they held with him the entire way and I felt it was unfortunate, actually, because early turnover in overtime really cost him the chance to see what they could do in that overtime.

I think they might have actually come out of that game with the wind.

Had they been able to gain control and have some possession time.

They barely even saw possession time before the game was over.

So I do think that that's also a matchup that could favor them.

I might be intrigued just as much by that last match up against the Penguins in the regular season that comes up later this month.

Just like I am with tonight's game against Washington, neither measuring sticks from where this team will back up against playoff teams that they will almost definitely meet in the postseason.

And you got You are to be in there and they got two of them next week, one of them Tampa Um, they play.

They lost the one nothing game in Philly.

The game in Tampa.

It seemed like that was almost like You just got kind of beat by a better team.

Like, you know, Do you think they've closed?

The gaps will find out.

Boston Tampa next week.

What do you think?

They've closed the gaps on those team.

And do you think, not only closed the gap enough that they can go toe to toe, right?

Yeah.

I mean, it's tough to say with that division.

I think that those two teams in particular are so much better than a lot.

I think most of the teams in Eastern Compass I would probably take them.

It's my top two.

At this point on, they compete in the same division.

I think that Boston and Tampa Bay are the two really are the two teams that people identify as the most difficult play against both both great offenses and pretty strong structure.

Defense, of course, is well so that when they have that all around ability, that makes a huge difference in terms of closing the gap on those two teams.

For the most part, the Flyers have skated well with just about every team that's been ahead of them in the standings.

In some point, they've gotten two wins against Boston.

Now there's one game against Boston.

They did end up living in a shoot out, that they were also trailing at 1.52 and it certainly looked like Boston was handing everything to them.

And it was that better team feel.

Um, I, you know the way they were able to compete with those teams makes a huge difference to me.

The fact they don't give up one games makes a huge difference to me on DDE.

Those are the factors in the qualities that I would want to see from the Flyers and they go into the playoffs and as they work on a playoff run those two teams.

As much as it would be great to see them try to measure up against those two teens next week.

It's not something that comes into the playoff picture until you would get to the conference finals.

So in that sense, as long as you finish in the top three in your division, your focus is gonna be on matching up with the teams within your division first and foremost.

And I think flyers match up with pretty much every team in their division pretty well.

If there's something that's still a weakness that concerns you that we're not talking about because they've had so much success, what is it lately?

It hasn't been much, to be honest.

I mean, they've done just about everything pretty wealthy.

About the only thing that I can say that is a sign of weakness in my mind is that I did not like the way the penalty kill looked at all in Sunday's game.

It was the first time in a long time, but that's a trend that you have to avoid.

Washington's a great power play team and you're going to get several more down the stretch with you know the Boston's and Tampa Bay that those teams, if you give them too many opportunities on the power play, they will hurt you.

And that was That's what I would like to see them improve upon.

It thought Sunday's game in particular against the Rangers.

They were just too many penalties taken that are avoidable penalties, stick extractions and as a result of taking the penalties.

They also allowed three power play goals in that game, which is the first time in a long time for them.

So those are the things I would like to see them cut down on, starting with this game tonight and show that that was a one off and you came away with the two points regardless, and move on from that.

Get back to the basics and get back to the things that have been making such a big success story over the last few weeks.

All rights.

Flyers and caps.

Tonight 97 3 ESPN Flyers eight and two in their last 10 6 straight capture, 45 and one in their last 10.

They won one straight games in Washington tonight and you can hear it right here on 97 3 e, ESPN and, of course, Kevin Door.

So, like all gas appeared to the Boardwalk Honda Hotline, follow him at Kevin.

Underscore.

Dir.

So for tonight's Flyers game and post game and Maur Kevin underscored her.

So Thanks, pal.

Thanks, guys.

Appreciate it.