Role reversal for Flyers and Senators in late-season matchup
Kate Frese/Flyerdelphia
Separation in the standings was only temporary. As the schedule turns to Saturday, the Philadelphia Flyers (38-25-13) are in need of more points to restore any cushion in the standings.
The opponent on Saturday is an interesting one for the Flyers. Last season, it was the Ottawa Senators (36-33-9) who were riding the wave of incredible late-season success into the playoffs.
This time, the Flyers are trying to be that team and get a tough test in the Senators, one of those teams already eliminated with nothing else to play for but pride.
Faceoff between the Flyers and Senators is set for 1 p.m.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Senators Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Claude Giroux | 73 | 22 | 43 | 65 | Erik Karlsson | 78 | 15 | 63 | 78 |
| Brayden Schenn | 74 | 25 | 29 | 54 | Mark Stone | 75 | 23 | 38 | 61 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 76 | 26 | 27 | 53 | Bobby Ryan | 77 | 22 | 33 | 55 |
| Jakub Voracek | 67 | 10 | 40 | 50 | Mike Hoffman | 74 | 27 | 27 | 54 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 58 | 16 | 26 | 42 | Mika Zibanejad | 77 | 18 | 29 | 47 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 68 Mike Hoffman |
| Last 5 Games: 1 G, 4 A, 5 P, +1 | Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, E |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 35 Steve Mason | 30 Andrew Hammond |
| 21-17-9, 2.52 GAA, .918 SV% | 6-9-4, 2.64 GAA, .913 SV% |
Steve Mason stood tall again on Wednesday night and this time that success carried into the shootout for a crucial two points. Mason makes his 12th start in the last 13 games and the Flyers are again looking for a crucial two points.
Andrew Hammond makes just his 22nd appearance of the season. The hotshot goalie from a season ago, so important to the Senators stretch run, has struggled this season. Hammond got a win in the season finale against the Flyers last season, but has not faced the Flyers yet this season. Hammond has just three wins in his last 10 starts.
Scratches: Scott Laughton, Evgeny Medvedev, R.J. Umberger, Jordan Weal, Michael Del Zotto
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 28 Claude Giroux | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 14 Sean Couturier | 89 Sam Gagner |
| 93 Jake Voracek | 52 Nick Cousins | 24 Matt Read |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 25 Ryan White |
| Defense | ||
| 47 Andrew MacDonald | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 55 Nick Schultz | 32 Mark Streit | |
| 23 Brandon Manning | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Steve Mason |
There are no lineup changes again for the Flyers, who will use the same lineup as in the last two games.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-18th, T-24th at home), Senators (T-28th, 10th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (19th, 21st at home), Senators (29th, T-27th on road)
- Recent History vs. Senators
- Nov. 21, 2015 – The Flyers fell to the Senators, 4-0, in Ottawa. The Flyers were shut out for the second straight game as Craig Anderson made 36 saves. Mika Zibanejad, Mike Hoffman, Milan Michalek and Kyle Turris scored for Ottawa. Steve Mason made 27 saves in the loss.
- Dec. 1, 2015 – The Flyers avenged the shutout loss from less than two weeks earlier to score a 4-2 win over the Senators in Ottawa. The Flyers took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Shayne Gostisbehere, but the Senators tied the game late in the first on a goal by Zack Smith. Evgeny Medvedev's first NHL goal gave the Flyers the lead early in the second, but Mike Hoffman answered just 66 seconds later to tie things up again. Wayne Simmonds scored with 3:25 remaining in the second to give the Flyers the lead and Sean Couturier iced the game with an empty-net goal in the final two minutes. Steve Mason made 23 saves in the win while Craig Anderson made 28 saves in the loss.
- Flyers leaders vs. Senators
- Claude Giroux – 26 games, 4 goals, 13 assists, 17 points
- Jake Voracek – 18 games, 8 goals, 5 assists, 13 points
- Wayne Simmonds – 17 games, 7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points
- Steve Mason – 12 games, 7-4-1, 2.14 GAA, .930 Sv%
- Milestone Watch
- Sean Couturier needs 1 assist to reach 100 in his career.
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
