Flyers begin a Giroux-less era with a stop in Ottawa
While Claude Giroux remains on the Flyers roster at the time of this article, he is not currently with the team in Ottawa. It was reported last night that he would be staying back in Philadelphia while the team works on his next destination. It’s all about asset management as the team, or any possible suitors, don’t want to worry about an injury.
They certainly held their breath when Giroux was slow to get up at a certain point during the Flyers’ thrilling 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators night. He was also held out of the final minute of player, also a management decision. But he later admitted he wasn’t in the right mental space to be out there.
The Flyers held on and sent him off on the highest note that they could after all of this time. So it’ll be a strange one this evening as they head not too far from Giroux’s hometown for a matchup with the Senators.
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 19-30-11 (49 points, 7th in Metro)
There is bound to be plenty of emotion left over from last night. It’s the first game in which the team will play knowing that their captain won’t be back. With that hanging over their heads, the focus and energy level of the team will be something to keep an eye on.
There was certainly a boost of adrenaline during last night’s game as they were no doubt playing for their captain. This will also be an opportunity for everyone to show what they can do. There will be a big hole in the lineup, one that cannot be filled by just one person. Morgan Frost will be one that will see an increased role as he will move to center Oskar Lindblom and Travis Konecny.
Frost will also see power play time in Giroux’s absence. It will probably be the biggest opportunity for him so far this year to really show the team what he can do. But he won’t be the only one that will have to step up. It will need to be a collective effort against a Senators team that has struggled.
Cam Atkinson will also have a new role this evening. While the team does not plan to replace the captaincy, Atkinson will have an ‘A’ on his jersey, something he takes immense pride in having. It shows how much he means to this team in the short amount of time that he has been here.
This could be a showcase game for Martin Jones as there are rumors that he could be on the move before the deadline. He’s posted a .900 SV% and a 3.42 GAA. The former is his best since the 2017-18 season but the latter is the worst of his career.
Projected Lineup
van Riemsdyk – Brassard – Atkinson
Mayhew – Frost – Konecny
Lindblom – Hayes – Farabee
Willman – Brown – MacEwen
Provorov – York
Sanheim – Ristolainen
Yandle – Braun
Jones
Ottawa Senators
Record: 21-34-5 (47 points, 7th in Atlantic)
The Senators are a team that isn’t in a good place right now. Despite some of their youth taking steps forward, the team has lost eight of their last 10 games coming in. That doesn’t mean the Flyers shouldn’t take Ottawa lightly, however.
Josh Norris has had an outstanding season and figures to be an important player down the line for the Senators. He has a career-high 24 goals and his 34 points are two away from setting a new high there as well. New captain Brady Tkachuk has hit the 20-goal plateau for the third time in his four year career. He is also poised to set a new high in points as well.
The Senators will be without Thomas Chabot for the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured hand on Wednesday night. Tim Stutzle will be a game-time decision as he was also injured in the game on Wednesday. He did come back to finish it, though. He has 13 goals and 35 assists in his second season in the NHL.
Anton Forsberg, having appeared in 30 games thus far, has put up decent numbers. He has a 2.84 GAA to go along with a .916 SV%.
Projected Lineup
Tkachuk – Norris – Brown
Formenton – Stutzle – Ennis
Paul – White – Sanford
Gaudette – Tierney – Watson
Brannstrom – Zub
Holden – Zaitsev
Mete – Brown
Forsberg
When, Where & How to Watch
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Canadian Tire Centre
TV Broadcast: NBCSP+
Radio Broadcast: 97.5 FM
Live Stream: Fubo TV
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