Alex Ovechkin scores the overtime winner to hand the Flyers a 3-2 loss, their eighth straight

WASHINGTON — The Flyers maintained a one-goal lead over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night at CapitalOne Arena with three minutes remaining in the third period and were on the cusp of snapping their seven-game losing streak.

However, Capitals winger Sonny Milano had other plans.

He notched a goal backdoor off the rush to tie the game, paving the way to overtime. Ultimately, longtime Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored 1 minute, 4 seconds into overtime, handing the Flyers a 3-2 loss with his 790th career goal.

“The frustrating part for me is the second goal,” coach John Tortorella said. “It’s a coverage that we have gone over time and time again. And we just do not do it correctly. It cost us the second goal.”

The Flyers capitalized on bounces on both of their goals, by centers Morgan Frost and Patrick Brown. But for stretches throughout the night, the Flyers struggled to generate offense. They had two overlapping power plays early in the third period and could not muster a single shot on goal.

Regardless, Tortorella was pleased with the Flyers’ decision-making with the puck and their positioning in the third period until the rush that led to the Milano tally. That goal, he said, upset him more than the one scored in overtime.

“I think at this point, we’re finding ways to lose,” defenseman Ivan Provorov said. “So we’ve got to stop that.”

Felix Sandström got the starting nod over Carter Hart, who had played the Flyers’ last four games. Sandström struggled to control some rebounds in the first period, one of which led to the Capitals’ goal that tied the game at 1-1.

On the power play, Sandström failed to swallow up Capitals winger T.J. Oshie’s shot from the slot. Ovechkin collected the puck and slipped it beneath Sandström’s right pad. Capitals winger Marcus Johansson, who saw a power-play goal wiped off the board 22 seconds earlier when officials determined he kicked the puck in, deflected the shot over the goal line.

“It was kind of messy there in the first PK,” Sandström said. “I was almost a bit too much aggressive. It slid under my pads. So it’s a tough one. But I think I grew into the game and got better and better.””

He settled down and came up big in the second period, denying all 15 Capitals shots on goal, including a save on an Ovechkin power-play shot from his doorstep. Through three periods and overtime, Sandström finished the night with 29 saves on 32 shots.

After scoring twice in the Flyers’ season opener against the New Jersey Devils, Frost has struggled to produce. However, Tortorella moved him up to the top line alongside wingers Owen Tippett and Joel Farabee against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday and was pleased with their playmaking despite the 5-4 shootout loss.

» READ MORE: Flyers coach John Tortorella is still seeking more from Kevin Hayes

Frost was rewarded for his recent efforts with an early goal on a generous bounce in the first period against the Capitals. He entered the offensive zone and shot the puck on Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper. The puck took a bounce off his blocker, shot up into the air, then bounced over the goal line to put the Flyers up, 1-0.

“For me, personally, I think I’m sometimes tentative to shoot,” Frost said. “So, just trying to get pucks to the net and got a fortunate bounce there.”

For the majority of the second period, the Flyers played on their heels at the mercy of the Capitals’ offensive attack. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Capitals mustered 24 shot attempts in the middle frame, keeping Sandström on alert for an eventful 20 minutes.

But when the Flyers managed to cross the offensive blue line nearly 15 minutes into the period, they made it count. Provorov received a chip pass from winger Nick Deslauriers and put a spin move on Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. He carried the puck to the bottom of the right faceoff circle, then fired a backhanded shot toward the crease. The puck deflected off Brown and past Kuemper to give the Flyers the 2-1 lead. The Flyers finished the second period with just five shots on goal.

“I think we’ve been passing up some shots and haven’t been able to create much,” Provorov said. “Good things happen when you’re putting the puck to the net and you have a presence there.”

The Flyers return to the Wells Fargo Center on Friday for their lone home game of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 5:30 p.m. (TNT).