Flyers prospect Cam York had his parents in attendance for his NHL debut.
Led by good production from their youngsters, the Flyers picked up a 4-2 win Friday night over the Capitals at Capital One Arena.
Cam York became the sixth Flyer to make his NHL debut this season, while Wade Allison and Joel Farabee combined for three goals.
The Flyers (24-23-7) notched just their second win over Washington this season and first since Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 7.
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The Capitals (34-15-5), who were without Alex Ovechkin (lower body), Evgeny Kuznetsov (COVID protocols) and Justin Schultz (lower body), are two points behind the first-place Penguins with two games left.
• York, the club's 2019 first-round draft pick, made his anticipated debut at 20 years old.
The native of Anaheim Hills, California, had his parents at the game.
"We're not allowed to see them at the rink unfortunately, but I'm sure at the hotel I'll be able to see them," York said postgame. "They flew out from California this morning and were in attendance tonight, so that was really special for me."
NHL
York's confidence belies his age. The catch-me-if-you-can defenseman plays with a controlled pace and impressive poise. He showed those attributes in his first taste of the NHL.
During the first period, he had a takeaway and pushed the puck into the offensive zone. On the same shift, he had a smart pinch to keep the Flyers in the offensive zone. He's also smart in the defensive zone.
York, who was a proficient power play quarterback at the USNTDP and Michigan, was on the Flyers' first man advantage in the second period. He played 2:19 minutes on the power play and 20:59 overall on the night.
"You could tell right from the beginning that the young man is a very good skater, smooth on his feet, had the ability tonight to beat the first forechecker and make a good pass," Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said. "Good for him, it's just one game there, but good for our team."
York played his natural left side as he was paired with steady veteran Justin Braun. When Braun was selected in the seventh round of the 2007 draft, York was 6 years old.
Both were good together. Real solid first impression for York.
"This is the first of a long career," Allison said of York. "This guy's going to play a lot of games because as you can tell from tonight, he's a really special player."
• With the third and fourth goals of his end-of-the-season audition, Allison handed the Flyers a 3-1 lead in the middle frame.
On the 2-1 goal, the 23-year-old winger put his big-time shot on display. On the 3-1 goal, Philippe Myers made a strong offensive play below the goal line to set up Allison in front.
Allison has three goals — two of them snipes — over his last three games.
• Farabee is flirting with 20 goals and 40 points in this shortened season.
The 21-year-old winger scored his team-leading 18th goal of the season during the first period. He has 36 points in 53 games after putting up eight goals and 21 points through 52 games as a rookie last season.
• After playing in his 500th game Tuesday, Brian Elliott was back between the pipes. He made 28 saves on 30 shots for the win. He also recorded an assist on Sean Couturier's empty-net goal.
Elliott had little chance to stop Washington's first goal. Ivan Provorov committed a turnover along the back wall, which led to Daniel Sprong burying one from the slot.
T.J. Oshie made an impressive redirection late in the second period to cut the Flyers' lead to 3-2. The Flyers had a lead at second intermission for just the 12th time this season.
Capitals netminder Vitek Vanecek recorded 25 saves on 28 shots.
• With two assists, James van Riemsdyk surpassed his point total of 40 from last season. JVR has 41 points (16 goals, 25 assists) in 54 games this season.
• For the first time since he was dealt to Washington at the April 12 trade deadline, Michael Raffl faced his former team. He delivered a big check on Couturier during the second period and played 13:11 minutes.
• The Flyers are right back at it Saturday in D.C. against the Capitals for their penultimate game of the season (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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