John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (31-23-7) return home on Saturday to take on Jacques Martin's Ottawa Senators (25-30-3) in the Marvel Super Hero game at Wells Fargo Center. Game time is 7:00 p.m. ET.
This is the third and final meeting of the season between the teams and the second in Philadelphia. The Senators have handed the Flyers a pair of losses in the first two meetings. On the afternoon of Oct. 14 at the Canadian Tire Centre, the Senators struck three times on the power play as they defeated the Flyers by a 5-2 score. On the afternoon of Jan. 21, the Flyers squandered leads of 2-0 and 3-1 on the way to a 5-3 loss.
Friday night's 5-2 loss in Washington had some similarities to the last time the Flyers played Ottawa. Philly took a 2-0 lead to the first intermission, and then struggled the rest of the way. The Capitals scored three unanswered goals in the second period and two more in the third. In a losing cause, Owen Tippett had a power play goal and an assist. Bobby Brink (benched from late in the second period until the end of the game) scored the game's first goal. Morgan Frost collected two assists. Samuel Ersson saw just 21 shots, stopping 16.
Meanwhile, the Senators are coming off a pretty forgettable Friday night of their own in a 5-3 home loss to an Arizona Coyotes team that entered winless over its previous 14 games. A poor first period could have proven fatal for Ottawa, as they went to intermission trailing 3-1. The Sens rallied to the tie game at 3-3 in the second stanza, but Arizona scored two unanswered goals in the third period.
Here are five things to watch in Saturday's match:
1. Have a Short Memory
The Flyers can't afford to dwell on the ways that their hold on Friday's tilt in Washington slipped away. What's done is done, and the Flyers need to take care of business to win their final game of the season against a Senators team that has given Philly problems in recent years.
The Senators bring a four-game winning streak in head-to-head meetings with the Flyers, dating back to last season. In fact, dating back to March 18, 2022, the Senators have won six of the last seven games against the Flyers. Philly needs to put an immediate end to that spell by cranking out a more complete effort against the Senators on both sides of the puck.
Likewise, if Brink and/or Olle Lycksell are back in the Flyers' starting lineup on Saturday, they need to put their respective benchings on Friday night in the rearview mirror.
However, Brink has also scored goals in back-to-back games since his recall from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. With multiple Flyers forwards struggling offensively, Brink's offensive gifts -- while continuing to work on his checking game -- are why he was recalled in the first place.
Whether it's Brink, Lycksell, and/or veteran Cam Atkinson in the lineup, Saturday's game is a chance for a reset. The same goes for Joel Farabee, Sean Couturier, and other Flyers whom the team needs to get back on track immediately.
2. Getting Pucks on Net
The Flyers, as expected, had possession of the puck and put more rubber at the net on Friday than Washington (a club that has struggled in those areas much of the season). However, getting pucks through to the opposing goalie proved to be rather elusive for the Fyers after the first period.
On Friday, Philly put 26 shots on net , of which 11 came in the first period. Overall, the Flyers attempted 54 shots. However, the Flyers missed the net on 18 shot attempts and got blocked on another 22 shot attempts.
For the Flyers to achieve a better result on Saturday, they'll have to execute much better in forcing projected Ottawa starting goalie Joonas Korpisalo (13-19-3, 3.41 GAA, ..887 SV%) to make saves. The Flyers' second goal against Washington -- Tippett's power play shot from the left circle with Farabee screening the goalie -- is a good example of the types of plays Philly needs to generate down the stretch.
3. Sandström May Start
With the Flyers playing the second game of a back-to-back and the middle segment of a three-in-four. goaltender Felix Sandström may get his first NHL start of the 2023-24 season. He started the season on the NHL roster with the Flyers carrying three goaltenders. However, Sandström has not appeared in an NHL regular season game since the final game of the 2022-23 season.
At the American Hockey League level this season, neither Sandström (11-6-2, 3.23 GAA, .882 SV%) nor Cal Petersen (5-9-2, 3.15 GAA, .890 SV%) have delivered the hoped-for level of consistency.. Both goalies have had several really strong games, but have also been prone to "one bad goal allowed per game" syndrome.
The left-catching Sandström (Petersen catches right) has always had the tools to be a viable NHL goaltender but the consistency level has just never emerged as projected. In terms of pure talent level, however, Sandström has the tools.
Sandström turned 27 on January 12 of this year. He's been in the Flyers' organization since 2015 (third-round pick, 70th overall). His current callup is a fresh -- and crucial --opportunity to prove that he step up at the NHL level.
4. Flyes Special Teams vs. Senators Special Teams
The Flyers power play ranks 31st in the NHL (13.3 percent) but has modestly trended in a better direction since early January. Over the Flyers' last 23 games, the power play has produced a goal on 19.2 percent of their opportunities (14-for-73).
If the Flyers are to score on the power play, the likeliest candidates to set up or finish a chance are Morgan Frost (one PPG, eight power play points in the last 23 games), Owen Tippet (three power play goals, two power play assists in that span), Tyson Foerster (one PPG, one power play assist) or defenseman Egor Zamula. It's worth noting that the most recent goal scored by Farabee -- which came on a power play -- came against Ottawa on Jan. 21. Likewise, Zamula scored two goals in that game, including one on the power play.
The Flyers penalty kill has been a little inconsistent with Travis Konecny (upper body injury) out of the lineup this past week. The Flyers have yielded three opposing power play goals -- two to Pittsburgh, one to Washington --- over the last three games. Overall, though, the Flyers rank second leaguewide at 85.9 percent -- dropping from the top spot entering Friday's game -- and still lead the NHL with 14 shorthanded goals.
Back in October, Ottawa had power play success against the Flyers in the first game of the season series. On the whole, though, the Senators' power play has been a disappointment this season (16.8 percent, ranked 26th). The Ottawa penalty kill, meanwhile, ranks 31st in the NHL at 73.1 percent (four shorthanded goals scored).
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Ottawa Senators
The last time the Flyers played the Senators, two familiar faces did damage. Rugged winger Zack MacEwen took advantage of a Zamula miscue and scored on a breakaway. Later, longtime Flyers captain Claude Giroux scored what proved to be the game-winning goal for Ottawa.
Ever since being traded by the Flyers near the 2022 trade deadline, Giroux has recorded at least one point in each of the five games he's played (3g, 5a, eight points) against the Flyers. It will be up to the Flyers to end that streak. There is zero doubt that Giroux himself will be up to the challenge of trying to extend the streak.
Since coming off an NHL suspension, Shane Pinto has posted six goals and 15 points in 17 games. His season debut came against the Flyers, where he recorded an assist.
The Senators do not lack for weapons up front (Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Giroux, Pinto, Vladimir Tarasenko, Josh Norris) or on the blueline (Jakob Chychrun, Thomas Chabot). The team's biggest issue has been a struggle to get on the same page consistently. Ottawa gives up too many goals, and is prone to some awful breakdowns in coverage and/or puck management.
