Flyers-Senators: Game 17 Preview

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(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The Flyers rebounded from back-to-back losses to claim a much-needed and crucial win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

The long road continues, as the Flyers prepare for another eight games before the end of November, starting on Tuesday night against the upstart Ottawa Senators.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. 

Flyers Leaders GP G A P Senators Leaders GP G A P
Jake Voracek 16 7 10 17 Erik Karlsson 15 3 10 13
Claude Giroux 16 4 12 16 Kyle Turris 15 7 2 9
Wayne Simmonds 16 8 7 15 Ryan Dzingel 15 5 4 9
Travis Konecny 16 4 6 10 Mike Hoffman 15 3 4 7
Brayden Schenn 13 3 7 10 Bobby Ryan 15 3 3 6
 
Player to Watch
17 Wayne Simmonds 9 Bobby Ryan
Last 5 Games: 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, -2 Last 5 Games: 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, -3
 
After going three games without a point, Wayne Simmonds got back on the scoresheet with a pair of goals in Toronto and an assist against Minnesota. With good career numbers against the Senators, look for Simmonds to be a force on the power play.
 
It's been a rough start to the season for Bobby Ryan, but a homecoming for the Cherry Hill, NJ native may provide a spark. 
 
Goalie Matchup
35 Steve Mason 41 Craig Anderson
3-5-2, 3.41 GAA, .880 SV% 7-3-1, 2.15 GAA, .934 SV%

With Michal Neuvirth out, Steve Mason makes his first start as the primary starter. Mason was excellent in relief of the injured Neuvirth on Saturday, making a clutch pad save in the closing seconds to seal a win. 

Craig Anderson has been among the top goalies in the NHL so far this season, posting seven wins and a GAA that ranks sixth among goalies with 10 or more starts.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Roman Lyubimov, Nick Schultz, Andrew MacDonald, Boyd Gordon, Michal Neuvirth

Left Wing Center Right Wing
10 Brayden Schenn 28 Claude Giroux 17 Wayne Simmonds
11 Travis Konecny 14 Sean Couturier 93 Jake Voracek
12 Michael Raffl 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 24 Matt Read
76 Chris VandeVelde 25 Nick Cousins 22 Dale Weise
Defense    
15 Michael Del Zotto 53 Shayne Gostisbehere  
23 Brandon Manning 3 Radko Gudas  
9 Ivan Provorov 32 Mark Streit  
Goalie    
35 Steve Mason    

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (2nd, 4th at home), Senators (30th, 16th on road)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (25th, 18th at home), Senators (8th, T-6th on road) 
  • Recent History vs. Senators
    • Nov. 21, 2015 – The Senators claimed a 4-0 victory at home over the Flyers. In one of their worst games of the season, the Flyers failed to solve Craig Anderson on 36 shots while struggling defensively, allowing four goals on 31 shots all in the early and waning moments of the period.
    • Dec. 1, 2015 – The Flyers took home a 4-2 win over the Senators in Ottawa. The teams traded goals early as Shayne Gostisbehere and Evgeny Medvedev scored for the Flyers and Zach Smith and Mike Hoffman scored for the Senators. Wayne Simmonds finally broke the ice for good with the go-ahead goal with just over three minutes left in the second period. Sean Couturier added an empty-net goal late in the third to seal the win. Steve Mason stopped 23 of 25 shots for the win.
    • April 2, 2016 – The Flyers defeated the Senators, 3-2, at home. The Flyers struck for two power-play goals in the second period by Wayne Simmonds and Sean Couturier to take a 2-0 lead. Mika Zibanejad scored late in the second, but the Flyers got some insurance in the third with another goal by Simmonds. Mike Hoffman scored on the power play to cut the lead back to one, but the Flyers held off the Senators the rest of the way for the win.
  • A Look Back in Flyers History - March 5, 2004…"The Flyers have won the game and they're winning the fights too." The words from Jim Jackson to describe "The Brawl." The game ended as a 5-3 Flyers win, but it was the fisticuffs that got the attention. 21 fighting majors. 20 game misconducts. An NHL record 417 penalty minutes dished out. It's a lost art in the game. You don't see a lot of fights anymore, let alone full-on line brawls, goalie scuffles and the likes. But you can watch every glorious minute of it all thanks to YouTube.
  • Flyers leaders vs. Senators
    • Wayne Simmonds - 18 games, 9 goals, 7 assists, 16 points
    • Jake Voracek – 19 games, 8 goals, 7 assists, 15 points
    • Sean Couturier - 16 games, 6 goals, 6 assists, 12 points
    • Steve Mason - 13 games, 8-4-1, 2.12 GAA, .932 Sv%
  • Milestone Watch
    • Claude Giroux needs three points to move into 10th all-time in Flyers history, passing Simon Gagne.

Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

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