With Capitals coming, Flyers look to improve home record

Having established themselves as the NHL's best road team, the Flyers are now striving to improve their good-but-not-great home record.

They will get that chance in the next four weeks, playing eight of their next 10 games at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers are coming off a grueling - but successful - stretch in which they played 9 of 10 games on the road, and, so, yes, they are happy to be home for a while.

"It's been kind of a crazy go since Christmas, so it's going to be nice to be home for a bit," goalie Brian Boucher said after a standing-room-only crowd, including many youngsters who were off because of the Martin Luther King Day holiday, watched the team's practice in Voorhees.

"It's good to be back in your own bed," winger Scott Hartnell said, adding that the Flyers "have to take advantage" of playing at home.

On Tuesday, the Eastern Conference-leading Flyers host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. The Flyers have a six-point lead over the Caps.

A year ago, the Caps finished atop the East, 33 points ahead of the seventh-seeded Flyers.

"They're still a good team," center Danny Briere said. "We're not going to take them lightly; it would be nice to get a little bigger cushion on them."

Briere, who entered Monday tied for fifth in the NHL with 24 goals, said it's easier to get ready to play against Ovechkin (15 goals) and his teammates.

"There's always going to be a little rivalry; we're not too far away from them," Briere said. "We're always going to be excited to play against guys like Crosby and Ovechkin."

Ovechkin has just five goals in his last 28 games.

Briere has five goals in his last six games.

Oddly, the Flyers' record on the road (16-5-3) is slightly better than their record at home (13-6-2).

"I think on the road you don't get as cute; it's more businesslike on the road. You go in there and know it's going to be a tough environment, and you just focus on doing what you have to do to win games," Boucher said. "Not that you don't do that at home, but sometimes at home you don't do the little things."

"Maybe our comfort level is a little too high at home," center Blair Betts said, "but our home record is still really good."

The Flyers are 1-0-1 against the Capitals this season, with both games in Washington. The Caps scored a 3-2 overtime win on Nov. 7, while the Flyers recorded a 5-4 shoot-out victory on Nov. 20.

Washington winger Alexander Semin (18 goals), who has a hip injury, will not play.

"Top teams bring out the best in you, or they should," coach Peter Laviolette said. "If you have two top teams playing well, you have a great hockey game. We've had that this year with Pittsburgh and Boston. The Washington games have been close, so I think it should be that way" Tuesday.

"I'm glad we're playing a team like Washington, coming back after all these road games. [It will] help make sure we're pointed in the right direction."

Laviolette was happy with the Flyers' play on their recent road stretch.

"We talked about that segment either pushing us further up the standings, or bringing us back to the pack," he said. "I think it showed the consistency of our club right now. Home or road, we seem to focus more about ourselves, our preparation and our play. I think that's a credit to the players."