The Philadelphia Flyers continue to climb the division standings after a 5-3 win over the lowly Ottawa Senators.
By Dan Heaning, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
In their last game before the NHL Trade Deadline at 3 p.m. on Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers put themselves in position to be atop the division, depending on the outcome of tonight's games, with a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.
With a 2-1 lead going into the third period, Claude Giroux gave the Flyers the breathing room they needed when Brandon Manning intercepted a cross ice pass by Mark Stone and found Giroux wide open in the neutral zone. Giroux faked a backhander than quickly brought the puck across the crease and to the forehand and slipped it by the left pad of Craig Anderson.
Nolan Patrick iced the game after a tremendous effort by Oskar Lindblom. Lindblom started the play in the defensive zone by fishing the puck away from Erik Karlsson and feeding Jake Voracek, who was rushing through the neutral zone. Voracek then performed a no-look pass to Manning, whose shot was deflected by Patrick with Lindblom also in front of the Ottawa goal which gave the Flyers a 4-1 lead.
The Flyers made a close game look like a laugher afterward when Manning fired the puck into the Ottawa zone. After a crazy bounce off the boards, the puck careened into the net after Anderson left the net early to play the puck. The wacky tally put Philadelphia up 5-1 not even halfway through the final frame.
Ryan Dzingel put Ottawa on the board in the third period when Smith set him up for a blast from the left circle that beat Mrazek to the short side. Petr Mrazek was visibly upset with himself after the goal as he had clear vision of the shot.
Things got sloppy defensively at the end, as Matt Duchene scored to make it 5-3. Duchene scored off a rebound left by Mrazek after a Stone shot.
It appeared as if the Senators had tied the game in the second stanza when a Mike Hoffman blast could not be controlled by Mrazek. The loose puck was found by Zack Smith and deposited for a goal. However, prior to the play Smith went offside while Bobby Ryan carried the puck into the zone. Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol challenged the call and it was overturned.
The Flyers' master plan of not allowing power play goals came to an end after committing two early penalties in the first. Philadelphia killed off the first shorthanded situation, but Hoffman made them pay on the second.
After Shayne Gostisbehere was called for hooking, Thomas Chabot set up Hoffman for a howitzer from just above the right circle that beat Mrazek low and to his left pad side.
Robert Hagg gave Philadelphia an early 2-0 lead after making an excellent move at the Ottawa blueliner. Hagg faked out Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki at the line and from there raced to the circle and snapped the puck past Anderson.
Ivan Provorov got the scoring started just 28 seconds in as Giroux found the sophomore defenseman in the high slot off the rush. From there, the Russian blueliner let a wrist shot go that beat Anderson high and to the blocker side.
With the victory, the Flyers, for now, are tied point-wise with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the top spot in the division. However, both the Penguins and the Washington Capitals are in action tonight and can pass the Flyers with wins over the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres respectively.
The Flyers finish up this Canadian road swing with another contest against a non-playoff team as they face off against the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m. from the Bell Center. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Philly with the radio coverage on 97.5 The Fanatic.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Flyers | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Senators | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- PHI - Ivan Provorov (11, :28) from Claude Giroux (52) and Shayne Gostisbehere (40)
- PHI - Robert Hagg (2, 7:14) unassisted
- OTT – Mike Hoffman (17, 12:14) from Thomas Chabot (11) and Bobby Ryan (15)
2nd Period
- No scoring
3rd Period
- PHI - Claude Giroux (22, 4:15) from Brandon Manning (8)
- PHI - Nolan Patrick (9, 7:05) from Brandon Manning (9) and Jake Voracek (56)
- PHI - Brandon Manning (2, 8:56) from Radko Gudas (8)
- OTT – Ryan Dzingel (17, 16:47) from Zack Smith (13) and Mark Stone (36)
- OTT – Matt Duchene (17, 19:03) from Mark Stone (37) and Mike Hoffman (24)
Game Statistics
| Flyers | Senators | |
| Shots | 39 | 28 |
| Power Plays | 0/2 | 1/3 |
| Hits | 22 | 30 |
| Faceoff % | 60% | 40% |
| Giveaways | 12 | 13 |
| Takeaways | 3 | 12 |
| Blocked Shots | 19 | 12 |
| Penalty Minutes | 8 | 6 |
