Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals engage in brawl

The Philadelphia Flyers were supposed to be Stanley Cup contenders this season. Instead, it looks like they’ve gone the goon route in trying to resurrect something worthwhile from a season that’s quickly spiraling out of control.

In the closing minutes of Friday’s 7-0 loss to the Alex Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals, frustrations seemingly reached a boiling point for the Flyers.

After former King Wayne Simmonds made a couple of hard body checks on Capitals players, a on-ice brawl ensued between the teams.

Not even the goalies were spared as former Ducks netminder Ray Emery -- now with the Flyers -- scrambled across the ice to fight a hesitant-looking Braden Holtby, who took quite the beating. Emery received a fight-instigator penalty and a game misconduct.

Still, it wasn’t a total loss for Emery. Incredibly, he was named the third star of the game despite the game misconduct and a .733 save percentage.

Gooning it up like this might have worked for the Charlestown Chiefs, but in the modern NHL it’s merely a sign of desperation. Unless the Flyers find a way to turn things around -- and they have the talent to do so -- this brawl could quickly fade away in the fog of a disappointing season.

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