VOORHEES, N.J. -- They've lost their last two games to the Washington Capitals while being outscored 9-1.
Yet it's the 5-0 road humiliation back in mid-February that sticks in the Flyers' craw as they face the Caps again on Saturday night in D.C.
Channeling their anger, while also trying to acquire "must" points is the dilemma Dave Hakstol's team faces, not to mention they need a statement game.
Barry Trotz's Caps downright own the Flyers. Beat them last year in the playoffs, and have beaten them twice in three games this season.
"We played them well here, but again, lost," Jakub Voracek said. "Two games ago, we played a good game for two periods and then got blown out of the building. We're fighting for our lives and everybody knows that.
"We go there, it's not because we got beat 5-0, but we have to win this game because we have no choice. Doesn't matter who. We are pissed when it really counts. When we're hitting, standing up for each other, having those little scrums on the ice ... it seems like it helps us. Which is weird because we don't have any big guys or tough guys.
"Simmer [Wayne Simmonds] can fight. Brandon [Manning] can fight. But they can't fight on a regular basis because they're playing 17 to 20 minutes a night. Since I've been here in Philly, that's what gets us going."
You can expect the Caps' Tom Wilson to do something -- a bad hit, a reckless penalty, even a fight -- against the Flyers, especially since the game is at Verizon Center where the Caps have won 14 in a row and are showing opponents their moxie.
"Wilson does it more in their building and he's an effective player," Nick Cousins said. "He knows his role. He's a good player when he plays on the edge and hopefully, we can get him to cross that edge and take some penalties."
Manning will return to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension.
"I've worked hard ... started to develop a reputation as a hard-nosed, physical guy," Manning said. "I'm gonna stick to that. That is what keeps me in the lineup and got me here.
"As far as guys on their team, they have some offensive weapons and yeah, Tom stirs it up. That's the way he plays. Hopefully, we can benefit from that and draw some penalties."
Manning said the Flyers need to show the Caps something other than their jerseys.
"When a team beats you up like that, it doesn't matter who it is, it's in the back of your mind," Manning said. "It even goes back to last year in the playoffs."
This game is somewhat personal for Flyers captain Claude Giroux. He was minus-3 with no shots in the blowout loss last month. He wants to redeem himself, as well.
"I never get pissed, do I?" Giroux smiled. "When the game is intense, when it's bigger, our guys play their best. The motivation right now is there. We know we have a chance to make the playoffs and guys are excited. You can feel it in the room."
Hakstol doesn't want his team seeking any pound of flesh given the stakes. The Flyers are three points behind the Islanders in the wild-card race.
"To be honest, I don't think there will be any fallback," Hakstol said. "We played that team a week ago and that was a real competitive hockey game. That's the one we have to look at and figure out the areas we have to be better in.
"We've got to go out and get two points. We don't have to prove anything to them. We need two points ... it has nothing to do with that."
