WASHINGTON — With the season seemingly on the line against a tough Metropolitan Division in the Philadelphia Flyers and only so many games left, the Washington Capitals knew it was a must-win. Alex Ovechkin and the leadership group answered the call.

Ovechkin and Tom Wilson struck twice, and the Capitals core made the most of the night en rotue to a 6-4 win over the Flyers to keep their playoff push alive.

Here are the takeaways:

The Capitals needed a big game from just about everyone, and their leaders were the one to set the tone early.

As both teams exchanged chances early on, Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson injected life into their group with physicality. Then, the offense came.

First, Wilson, playing in his 900th career NHL game, scored from the slot to open the scoring. His goal ended an individual five-game drought and marked his 26th of the season, the second-most on the team.

Minutes later, Ovechkin got to the front and picked up Matt Roy's feed to make it a 2-0 game entering the second. It was his 30th goal of the season, marking the 20th time in his 21-year career that he's hit that mark. The 40-year-old has scored 30 goals in all but one season: the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.

While the Flyers pushed back and came close to tilting the ice in the third, Ovechkin stepped up again, burying a one-time feed from Connor McMichael in front to restore the two-goal lead.

Ovechkin now has 31 goals on the year and five in his last three games, and seven in the last seven games overall.

The Flyers opened the second firing on all cylinders to open the second, and back-to-back goals from Travis Sanheim and Carl Grundstrom turned D.C.'s two-goal lead into a tie in a span of 4:36.

Minutes later, Washington got back on the power play, which helped turn the game back in D.C.'s favor.

Jakob Chychrun scored on a one-timer to make it 3-2, and his 24 goals this season lead all NHL defensemen. Later in the period, Ryan Leonard notched his 16th of the season on another man advantage opportunity. Pierre-Luc Dubois helped set up both goals, and finished the game with three helpers.

D.C. went 2-for-3 on the power play and now has PPGs in three straight outings and four of the last five overall.

Though the Flyers pulled things to 5-4 in the third after goals from Christian Dvorak and Denver Barkey, Logan Thompson stepped up and came up big to help D.C. secure two big points.

Dylan Strome took a late penalty, but the Capitals fended things off and Thompson stepped up to shut down the rally. Thompson has 20 saves on 24 shots, and Wilson iced the game late with an empty-netter.