Flyers vs. Senators preview: Flyers look to get back on track

The Flyers are back on the road following a five-game home stand with a visit to Ottawa to face the Senators. Puck drop is set for 7:30pm from the Canadian Tire Centre, with the game streaming locally on NBCSP and on the airwaves at 97.5 The Fanatic.

Coming off a lackluster showing in a 6-2 loss to the Ducks in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the Flyers will look to turn things around against a Senators team that the Flyers took two of three meetings against a season ago.

It should be a fun matchup between a couple teams in the top 10 in goals scored with

the Senators averaging 3.44 per game and the Flyers not far behind at 3.33.

Ottawa is off to a 4-1-4 start through nine games, but have lost three of their past four games. The Sens are lead offensively by Derick Brassard with 10 points (6G, 4A) while the always dangerous Erik Karlsson lurks with six assists in four games since returning from the injury list to start the season.

The Flyers were largely shut down in their last outing against the Ducks, but did continue to see success from their top line of Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek. Couturier had both Flyers goals and the line combined for five points in the rout. Coach Dave Hakstol will continue to lean on the trio to produce offensively while the rest of the line combinations find chemistry with bodies in and out of the lineup.

Hakstol has had to juggle his lines in recent games after leaving his forward and defensive corps largely together to start the year. Jordan Weal missed a pair of games, Taylor Leier missed the last game and Andrew MacDonald is out for four-to-six weeks with a lower body injury. To make matters worse, rookie Nolan Patrick left Tuesday’s game early with an upper-body injury.

One way to help the offense would be an effective power play, which the Flyers didn’t have in going 0-for-6 on the man-advantage against the Ducks. That number also included a failed two-man advantage in the third period for more than a minute. Things won’t get any easier against the Senators, who currently have the top penalty kill in the NHL at a 92% clip.

In goal the Flyers would be wise to turn to Michal Neuvirth after Brian Elliott struggled on Tuesday against the Ducks. Neuvirth leads the NHL in both goals-against average (1.36) and save percentage (.957) in three games but has seen the Flyers get shutout in two of his three starts. He’s also 4-1-1 in his career against the Senators with a sparkling .939 save percentage and a 1.85 goals-against average.

For Ottawa, it’s Craig Anderson getting the call between the pipes. The veteran is 3-1-3 with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in seven games. In his career he’s 10-5-3 against the Flyers.

Flyers lineup (subject to change):

Forwards

Giroux - Couturier - Voracek

Weal - Filppula - Simmonds

Lehtera - Patrick - Konecny

Leier - Laughton - Raffl

Defense

Provorov - Gostisbehere

Sanheim - Hagg

Manning - Gudas

Goalies

Neuvirth

Elliott