Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers at Sens: Lineups, Notes, Starting Goalies, How to Watch

Published

1 year ago

March 30, 2023

Sam Carchidi

Ivan Provorov, Tim Stutzle, Philadelphia Flyers

Ivan Provorov (left) and Ottawa's high-scoring Tim Stutzle battle for the puck in a Nov. 12 game. Photo: AP.

The Ottawa Senators are a longshot to reach the playoffs, but still have hope.

They just can’t afford many losses in their final eight games, including Thursday’s against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.

Ottawa (36-33-5) is five points behind Pittsburgh for the Eastern Conference’s final wildcard spot.

The Flyers (29-32-12) are on their best roll of the season, putting together a six-game point streak (5-0-1). They also have equaled a season-high four-game winning streak.

Philly scored at least three goals in each game of their recently completed 5-1-1 homestand. The Flyers averaged four goals per game.

This is the final of the team’s three-game season series. Each team has won on its opponent’s ice. The Flyers edged the Sens, 2-1, on Nov. 5. Ottawa returned the favor Nov. 12, beating the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center, 4-1. In the latter game, former Flyer Claude Giroux had three assists.

Giroux, now 35, played for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2007 to 2022, and was the team’s captain during his last 10 seasons before he was dealt to Florida.

He has averaged almost a point per game this season (71 points in 74 games), making another statement that he belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame after his career ends.

As for the Flyers, they have been led lately by 23-year-old center Morgan Frost, who has seven points (3-4) and a plus-5 rating over his last five games.

With Carter Hart still nursing an undisclosed injury, Felix Sandstrom will make his second straight start for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Flyers’ expected lineup

Farabee-Frost-Tippett

Laughton-Cates-Allison

JVR-Hayes-Lemieux

Deslauriers-Laczynski-Bellows

Defense

Provorov-York

Sanheim-Ristolainen

Seeler-DeAngelo

Goalie

Sandstrom (2-10-2, 3.38 GAA, .887 SP)

Ottawa’s expected lineup

Tkachuk-Stutzle-Giroux

DeBrincat-Pinto-Batherson

Brassard-Gambrell-Joseph

Brown-Kastelic-Watson

Defense

Sanderson-Zub

Brannstrom-Hamonic

Kleven-Holden

Goalie

Talbot (15-14-1, 2.85, .905)

Breakaways

Giroux was ill Wednesday but is expected to play. … James van Riemsdyk has 17 goals in 41 career games against the Senators. … Brady Tkachuk has 13 points, including six goals, in 11 career games vs. Philly. Tkachuk has 34 goals and 77 points, and he has four goals over his last three games. … Sandstrom will face Ottawa for the first time in his career. … The Flyers’ six-game point streak (5-0-1) is their longest since a seven-gamer in December of 2021.

The Flyers will play six of their final nine games on the road. … Tim Stutzle, 21, leads the Sens in goals (36) and points (82). … Noah Cates leads NHL rookies with five game-winning goals, and he is seventh in scoring with 33 points. … Wade Allison is third in the NHL among rookies with 159 hits. … Ottawa is sixth on the PP (24.6%) and eighth on the PK (82.3%); the Flyers are last (32nd) on the PP (15.4%) and 26th on the PK (74.9%). … In franchise history, the Flyers are 51-37-16 against the Sens, including a 21-21-10 record in Ottawa.