5 THINGS: Flyers @ Senators

GAME NOTES
Twenty-four hours after one of the most emotional nights in recent franchise history, Mike Yeo's Philadelphia Flyers (19-30-11) are in Canada's capital city to take on D.J. Smith's Ottawa Senators (21-34-5). Game time at the Canadian Tire Centre is 7:00 p.m. ET (NBCSP+, 97.5 The Fanatic).

This is the second of three meetings this season between the teams, and the only game in Ottawa. On Dec. 18 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers saw a 2-0 lead slip away then had to rally in the third period to force overtime before Travis Sanheim notched the game-winner. The season series will conclude back in Philadelphia on April 29 (final night of the 2021-22 season).
The Flyers enter this game coming off an electric night at the Wells Fargo Center that saw the organization -- and an energized crowd of Flyers' fans -- pay tribute to Claude Giroux on the 1,000th game of his NHL career. In a seesaw game, the Flyers led by scores of 1-0 at the first intermission and 3-1 within the second period. In the third period, the Flyers trailed by a 4-3 count before digging deep to shake off a disallowed would-be tying goal and go on to pull out a 5-4 victory.
Sanheim (5th goal of the season), Cam York (power play, 2nd), James van Riemsdyk (14th), Kevin Hayes (5th) and, with 1:19 left in regulation, Joel Farabee (12th) tallied for the Flyers. Carter Hart turned aside 30 of 34 shots.
Giroux is not slated to make the trip with the team to Ottawa. With the NHL trade deadline set for March 21, the Flyers will hold impending unrestricted free agent Giroux out until his destination for the remainder of the season is determined.
With the Flyers out of contention for a playoff spot, there could be other upcoming unrestricted agents dealt by Monday's deadline including defenseman Justin Braun, center Derick Brassard and goaltender Martin Jones. All of these players are on the trip to Ottawa. Jones will get the start in goal.
The Senators enter this game coming off a 4-1 home loss on Wednesday to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Tyler Ennis (7th) opened the scoring midway through the first period but Ottawa would not score again.Columbus scored once in the first period and twice in the second to open a 3-1 lead. An empty netter with 1:37 left in the third period sealed the final margin. Anton Forsberg made 35 saves on 38 shots in a losing cause for the Senators.
Here are five things to watch in Friday's game:
1. Reality Check
In recent days, all of the Flyers' energy was directed toward making Giroux's 1,000th game a special night for the player. That mission was a success, although it came under bittersweet circumstances. If the 2021-22 season had not got so far off the rails for the team, Thursday's win might have meant something in the standings for the Flyers and Giroux would still be suiting up in the only team's uniform that he's worn so far in his career.
The reality of Giroux's absence -- and likely impending departure -- will hit the team when they suit up for the game and, for the first time since the early part of the 2008-09 season, he will not be on the game roster for reasons other than an injury or an illness. Giroux missed few games over the years,
There's also a potential fatigue factor at work in Friday's game. The Senators were idle on the schedule onThursday's evening and have been home since March 10. The Flyers packed up after the win against the Predators and heading directly to Ottawa.
Thus, one of the biggest challenges for the Flyers heading into this game is to find a way to stay focused throughout, make the Senators earn their puck possession and space on the ice, and for Philly to build something offensively after scoring five goals against Nashville.
2. Increased Roles for York and Frost
Over the remainder of the 2021-22 season, young players such as rookie defenseman Cam York and center/winger Morgan Frost could see extended playing time. The Flyers need to get a better sense of what they actually have with the two naturally gifted but (thus far) inconsistent players.
Recently, York has had the opportunity to move up from the third pairing to play alongside Ivan Provorov on the top pairing. York, a left-handed shooter who has played left defense throughout most of his hockey career to date at various levels, has been playing the right side at the NHL level with the Flyers.
On Thursday, York chipped in a power play goal and blocked a pair of shots in 17:39 of ice time across 24 shifts. Later in the game, Justin Braun and York switched places with Braun going back up to the top pair with Provorov and York playing with Keith Yandle.
Frost, meanwhile, was recently given a chance to move up from the third line to play with Giroux and Travis Konecny. Frost played a very strong overall game -- minus an overtime turnover -- against Montreal on Sunday. He stood out less noticeably in the Nashville game but his line had several shifts where they generated extended puck possession in the offensive zone.
Additionally, Frost was entrusted with penalty killing time on the second half of a Konecny double high-sticking minor. He had a blocked shot and a zone clear. Frost has been a regular AHL penalty killer but this was his first meaningful PK opportunity in the NHL this season.
Frost has been a power play staple in the AHL and saw power play time -- mostly on the second unit -- earlier this season for the Flyers. He spent one game on the first unit against St. Louis (Feb. 22) but has not been part of the power play since his most recent recall for the March 12 game.
With Giroux out of the lineup, there will be lineup adjustments. Specific to Frost, the player may return to center after playing the last two games primarily on left wing. He may also be back on the power play.
3. Inside the Numbers
The Flyers and Senators have markedly similar team stats in a variety of different eras. This includes 5-on-5 play. The Flyers are -21 (109 GF - 130 GA), while the Senators are -19 (111 GF - 130 GA).
In terms of shot creation and opposing shot suppression, the teams are also similar. The Flyers average 30.5 shots per game, while the Senators average 30.2 per game. Philadelphia yields an average 34.0 opposing shots on goal per game, while Ottawa yields 33.5.

4. Behind Enemy Lines: Ottawa Senators
The Senators are 2-3-0 in their last five games but are only 2-8-0 over their last 10 games. They are in seventh place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Buffalo Sabres.
The Senators suffered a very costly injury in the Columbus game, losing workhorse defenseman Thomas Chabot to a broken hand. He will likely miss the remainder of the season. The 25-year-old Chabot dressed in 55 games this season, posting six goals and 34 points. His 26:23 of average ice time leads the entire NHL.
Entering Friday's game, agitating power forward Brady Tkachuk leads the Senators with 44 points (20g, 24a) and 98 penalty minutes. He is followed by fast-rising 20-year-old left wing Tim Stützle (13g, 22a), team-leading goal scorer Josh Norris (24g, 10a) and Drake Batherson (13g, 34 points in 31 games). Batherson has been on Injured Reserve since late January.
In net, Forsberg has posted a 13-12-2 record, 2.84 GAA, .916 save percentage and one shutout in 30 games played. Fellow goalie Matt Murray (20 GP, 5-12-2, 3.05 GAA, .906 SV%,one shutout) was placed on IR on March 8 with an undisclosed injury. Filip Gustavsson has played in 14 games this season (3-10-1, 3.68 GAA, .890 save percentage).
5. Players to Watch: Hayes and Norris
Since returning to the Flyers lineup, center Kevin Hayes has been skating much better than at any time over the last calendar year. His hip no longer giving him serious problems, Hayes has been noticeably better not only getting around the ice but also protecting the puck. He has posted four points (2g, 2a) in the last three games.
Josh Norris has been on a roll offensively of late for the Senators. Over the last five games, he has racked up seven points (5g, 2a), posted a pair of multi-goal games and three multi-point outings.