Flyers vs Senators, Game 62: Notes, Lineups, and How to Watch
The Philadelphia Flyers could use an immediate response after a disaster of a finish against the Capitals last night. They will get that as the Senators head to the Wells Fargo Center for the second half of a back-to-back.
Despite the Senators being near the bottom of the standings, they have beaten the Flyers in both games played between the two teams. They scored five goals in each game, scoring four unanswered in the second matchup. Jakob Chychrun and Brady Thachuk scored twice in a 5-2 win on Oct. 14. Tim Stutzle scored twice in the come-from-behind 5-3 victory on Jan. 21.
Philadelphia Flyers
It is going to be important to put Friday's game out of their heads. They can learn from their mistakes, but dwelling on the past will not help them break a losing streak. Ottawa has won the last four matchups and six of the last seven games. Beating the team you are currently playing is all that matters. It is also a chance for players to put bad outings behind them, such as Bobby Brink. He was benched in the third period but will be back in the lineup against the Senators.
The same may not be said for Olle Lycksell. It appears he will be out of the lineup and replaced by Cam Atkinson, who was a healthy scratch in two straight games. Atkinson should be coming back with fresh legs and hopefully can break out of the slump he has been in. There is no word if Ronnie Attard, up from Lehigh Valley, will make his season debut. The odd man out would be Marc Staal or Egor Zamula unless John Tortorella elects to go with an 11/7 lineup. That wouldn't be ideal on the second half of a back-to-back, though.
Felix Sandstrom is expected to make his season debut. With a potential to play three or four games after this one, the game against the Senators will go a long way into how much confidence the team may have in him down the line. Play well and you could earn yourself an extra start or two. Play poorly and there may be hesitation to put you back in the net. Regardless, this is an especially important time for Sandstrom, who determines his fate.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Joel Farabee - Morgan Frost - Bobby Brink
Owen Tippett - Scott Laughton - Tyson Foerster
Noah Cates - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Nic Deslauriers - Sean Couturier - Cam Atkinson
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler - Sean Walker
Egor Zamula - Marc Staal
Felix Sandstrom
Ottawa Senators
It's an understatement to say this season has been a struggle for the Senators. They are in the bottom six of the league. They are 30th in goals-against-per-game (3.59). They have the second-worst penalty kill (73%). The only stat they are middle of the pack in is goals-scored-per-game (3.29). That mark puts them nine teams ahead of the Flyers. All this means nothing since the Flyers have not beaten this team this season.
Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk are two of their top weapons. Both have scored twice against the Flyers this season. Stutzle leads the Senators in points (56) while Thackuk leads in goals (26). Old friend Claude Giroux is second on the team with 52 points and is third with 18 goals, well below the 35 he scored in his first season with Ottawa. He does have a five-game point streak against Philadelphia (3G, 5A).
Goaltending has taken a hit for the Senators in the last few days. Anton Forsberg, the original starting goaltender against the Flyers, was forced into action on Friday. Joonas Korpisalo was sidelined due to illness. Forsberg suffered an injury during last night's game. That forced the Senators to call up Mads Sogaard and Leevi Merilainen. Sogaard will be in net against Philadelphia, appearing in his first game since Jan. 29. In four games this season, Sogaard has a 5.09 GAA and a .825 SV%.
Senators Projected Lineup
Drake Batherson - Tim Stutzle - Claude Giroux
Brady Tkachuk - Shane Pinto - Vladimir Tarasenko
Mathieu Joseph - Ridly Greig - Dominik Kubalik
Parker Kelly - Mark Kastelic - Zack MacEwen
Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot - Jacob Bernard-Docker
Jakob Chychrun - Erik Brannstrom
Mads Sogaard
When, Where, and How to Watch/Listen
Time: 7:00 PM
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Watch: NBCSP
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Live Stream: FuboTV
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