Flyers-Senators: Game 30 Preview

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The Flyers five-game winning streak came to an end on Thursday night in a 3-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Following the loss, the message was about a solid game played on the ice and maintaining the level of gameplay for the next game to start a new streak.

This is the new sense of accountability the Flyers have. They feel like there is a need to stop the bleeding before this snowballs into a losing streak. The Flyers get the chance to get back in the win column when they face the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center.

Game time is at 1 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers GP G A P Ottawa Senators GP G A P
Travis Konecny 29 10 17 27 Jean-Gabriel Pageau 29 15 6 21
Sean Couturier 29 8 14 22 Anthony Duclair 29 11 6 17
Jake Voracek 29 6 15 21 Connor Brown 29 3 14 17
Claude Giroux 29 9 11 20 Thomas Chabot 29 3 14 17
Oskar Lindblom  29 11 7 18 Brady Tkachuk 29 9 7 16
 
Player to Watch
28 Claude Giroux 10 Anthony Duclair
Last 5 Games: 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, +1 Last 5 Games: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, -2
 
Claude Giroux was silenced in Thursday's game like most of his teammates, but his two early penalties also cut his ice time down a bit. Against Toronto two games ago, Giroux was one of the best players on the ice for the Flyers, scored the game-winning goal and had five shots.
 
Anthony Duclair has found a home in the Senators top six. He may have just two points in the last five games, but he's a player who is striving to find his place in an NHL lineup and establishing his career.   
 
Projected Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart 41 Craig Anderson
18 GP, 9-5-3, 2.35 GAA, .910 SV% 15 GP, 5-8-0, 2.89 GAA, .905 SV%

Carter Hart continued his great play of late in his last start, stopped 27 of 28 shots by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 6-1 win that was a lot closer than the score indicates. Hart allowed two goals on just 19 shots in a loss to the Senators. 

Craig Anderson returned to the Senators lineup after a week on the injured list and played excellent in Edmonton, making 24 saves in a win. That was Anderson's first start since Nov. 25. 

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Michael Raffl, Nolan Patrick

Scratches: Chris Stewart, Robert Hagg

Left Wing Center Right Wing
23 Oskar Lindblom 14 Sean Couturier 93 Jake Voracek
28 Claude Giroux 48 Morgan Frost 11 Travis Konecny
49 Joel Farabee 13 Kevin Hayes 21 Scott Laughton
25 James van Riemsdyk 24 Mikhail Vorobyev 18 Tyler Pitlick
Defense    
9 Ivan Provorov 15 Matt Niskanen  
6 Travis Sanheim 61 Justin Braun  
53 Shayne Gostisbehere 5 Phil Myers  
Goalie    
79 Carter Hart 37 Brian Elliott  

Lineup Notes

Alain Vigneault said after Friday's practice that the Flyers would likely go back to the usual 12-forward, six defensemen lineup. That would mean Mikhail Vorobyev comes back into the lineup. Robert Hagg played the fewest minutes in the seven-defensemen rotation on Thursday, so he could be the one who exits the lineup.

Senators Projected Lineup

Injuries: Cody Goloubef, Scott Sabourin

Scratches: Mikkel Boedker, Nick Paul, Bobby Ryan, Cody Goloubef

Left Wing Center Right Wing
7 Brady Tkachuk 44 Jean-Gabriel Pageau 28 Connor Brown
90 Vladislav Namestnikov 71 Chris Tierney 63 Tyler Ennis
10 Anthony Duclair 51 Artem Anisimov 36 Colin White
64 J.C. Beaudin 21 Logan Brown 17 Jonathan Davidsson
Defense    
72 Thomas Chabot 81 Ron Hainsey  
74 Mark Borowiecki 22 Nikita Zaitsev  
58 Maxime Lajoie 2 Dylan DeMelo  
Goalie    
41 Craig Anderson 31 Anders Nilsson  

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (17th), Senators (31st)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (10th), Senators (14th)
  • Recent History vs. Senators
    • Oct. 10, 2018 – Flyers 7, Senators 4 (at OTT)
    • Nov. 27, 2018 – Senators 4, Flyers 3 (at PHI)
    • March 11, 2019 – Flyers 3, Senators 2 (at PHI)
    • Nov. 15, 2019 – Senators 2, Flyers 1 (at OTT
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Senators
    • Jake Voracek – 28 GP, 12 G, 15 A, 27 P
    • James van Riemsdyk – 36 GP, 14 G, 14 A, 28 P
    • Sean Couturier – 25 GP, 9 G, 9 A, 18 P
    • Shayne Gostisbehere – 13 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 P
    • Claude Giroux – 37 GP, 8 G, 17 A, 25 P
    • Carter Hart – 1 GP, 0-1-0, 2.11 GAA, .895 SV%

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Go to top button