Game 15, Preview and Open Thread: Back In The Saddle, Ottawa Senators at Philadelphia Flyers

After yet another long stretch of off days, the Flyers will look to win their fifth straight at home tonight. Standing in their way is the former team of goaltender Ray Emery, the Ottawa Senators.

Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk are set to play this evening, meaning David Laliberte and his three points in four NHL games will take a seat. JVR isn't 100 percent, so Laliberte won't be sent back to the Phantoms just yet, but barring a last minute change, he won't play tonight.

On defense, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen is still out with a mild concussion, so Oskars Bartulis will likely play with Danny Syvret. It will be Bartulis' NHL debut. With that, you can expect the top four defensemen to put in a lot more ice time this evening.

Pascal Leclaire will start opposite of Emery in the Ottawa goal. The Senators have a goals for-goals against differential of just plus-1, scoring 46 total on the year while allowing 45. They take more penalties per game, on average, then any other team in the league. It was a contentious point of the weekend, as they lost to the Devils on Saturday night while New Jersey scored all three of their goals on the man-advantage. If they are equally as undisciplined tonight, the potent Philadelphia power play should be able to take advantage. That could be the key to the game tonight.

After the jump, we ask a few questions to answer tonight.

Questions To Answer

1. How much ice time do the Flyers top four defenseman see tonight? Does Pronger top 30 minutes?
2. How will Emery perform against his old club, an organization that had a rocky relationship with?
3. Can the Senators keep their penalties under control? If not, can the Flyers capitalize?
4. How many pretzels are sold on Dollar Pretzel Night?

Tonight's game will be broadcast on CSN locally and TSN across Canada. You can listen at 610 WIP, and as always, join us here for the conversation. LET'S GO FLYERS!