Postgame 5: Big Mac nets 2-1 Winner in Ottawa

In the final game of their three-game road trip, the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Ottawa Senators, 2-1, at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday evening. The Flyers turned in a workmanlike effort. Philadelphia received another outstanding goaltending performance from Carter Hart, blocked 29 shot attempts, and got just enough timeline offense to win.

For the ninth time in the first 11 games of the season, the Flyers gave up the game's first goal. Philly battled back to get the game tied, went ahead in an excellent second period and then found ways to nurse a one-goal lead to the final buzzer in the third period.
Playing his first-ever game against the Flyers, Claude Giroux (6th goal of the season, 300th of his career) gave the Senators a 1-0 lead at 2:14 of the first period. Kevin Hayes (PPG, 2nd) notched a deflection goal to knot the game at 1-1 at the 5:17 mark.
Late in the second period, Zack MacEwen (3rd) gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead at 18:24. After being outplayed in the first period, this frame belonged to Philadelphia. The Flyers spent much of the third period in their own zone but Hart and the team in front of him kept the Senators at bay.
Hart improved his record to 6-0-2 on the season. He was rock solid in turning aside 31 of 32 shots. Cam Talbot took the loss, saving 26 of 28 shots.
The Flyers went 1-for-3 on the power play. Ottawa was 0-for-5.
Morgan Frost and Justin Braun returned to the Flyers' lineup for this game after being scratched in Toronto on Wednesday. KIeffer Bellows and Rasmus Ristolainen were coach's decision scratches this time.
FLYERS STARTING LINEUP
74 Owen Tippett - 13 Kevin Hayes - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 21 Scott Laughton - 57 Wade Allison
49 Noah Cates - 23 Lukas Sedlak - 17 Zack MacEwen
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 48 Morgan Frost - 58 Tanner Laczynski
9 Ivan Provorov - 77 Tony DeAngelo
6 Travis Sanheim - 54 Egor Zamula
24 Nick Seeler - 61 Justin Braun
79 Carter Hart
[32 Felix Sandström]
TURNING POINT
The MacEwen game-winning goal capped a very hard-working shift by the five-man unit on the ice; a fitting reward for a strongly played second period by the entire team. However, the selection here for the game's turning point was the penalty drawn by Nicolas Deslauriers in the first period and Hayes' ensuing power play tally. Until then, the Flyers did not have a shot on goal yet in the game and the ice had been tilted in Ottawa's favor.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1. The Senators came out attacking immediately. Giroux had a scoring chance at the 29-second mark. At 2:44, Giroux tallied his milestone goal. The Flyers turned the puck over at the offensive blueline and Ottawa countered. On a tic-tac-toe passing sequence, Brady Tkachuk passed to Tim Stutzle who forwarded the puck to Giroux driving the net.
Shots were 6-0 in Ottawa's favor when the first period hit its first turning point as Thomas Chabot was called for high-stick Nicolas Deslauriers behind the Ottawa net at 5:12. The Flyers made very quick work of the ensuing power play.
Hayes won the first left circle draw, with assistance from Travis Konecny to get to Tony DeAngelo at the left point. DeAngelo then moved to center point and his shot was deflected home from the slot by Hayes at 5:17.
Shots were still 6-1 at the 9-minute mark. Deslauriers started a strong forechecking shift with linemates Laczynski and Frost (including an uncredited takeaway for Frost along the boards).
DeAngelo broke up a developing 2-on-1 for Ottawa with a nice sweepcheck. The play was over.
Shane Pinto had a breakaway on Hart after getting behind Egor Zamula. After the whistle, Justin Braun replaced Zamula on the defense pairing with Travis Sanheim.
Ottawa put on a very heavy push as time ticked to and then below the final minute. Hart was forced to make several scrambling saves. At 19:18, Travis Sanheim was penalized for holding Tkachuk. The Senators took 1:18 of carryover power play time into the second period.
2. First period shots on goal were 11-5 in the Senators' favor. Shot attempts were 28-16 Ottawa. Scoring chances overall were 12-9 Ottawa per Natural Stat Trick (6-5 high-danger edge to Ottawa). Faceoffs were 13-8 Ottawa, hits 16-15 Ottawa, and blocked shots were 9-8 Ottawa.
3. During the Ottawa carryover power play, Hart had to be sharp to stop a Pinto deflection on net in front.
Seeler called for hooking at 2:19 to impede Parker Kelly from getting to the slot. The Flyers once again killed off the penalty.
The went to their second power play at 6:07 of the second period. Mark Kastelic high-sticked Braun. With 14 seconds left, Zack MacEwen was called for interference on contact at the offensive blueline.
Zamula made a bad read and the Senators pressured in close.Hart denied a Derick Brassard jam-in attempt along the goal line near the left post.
With 7:20 left, the Hayes line had a good line rush off a clean breakout pass from DeAngelo. A Hayes rebound eluded Owen Tippett. On the next shift, Laczynski battled through a check up the wall and fired off a shot on net. Frost won the next faceoff in the right circle. The Flyers worked the puck down low and Frost nearly scored on backhanded wraparound at 13:05. On the same shift, Deslauiers landed a hit on Erik Brännström and came away seemingly favoring his hip.
Sedlak was called for an interference penalty on Stutzle at 14:08. On the power play, Pinto fired a one-timer from the right dot and Tkachuk had a crack at the rebound in front.
The Flyers made a strong push after killing the minor. Finally, they got a payoff on a hard work shift by every player on the ice --MacEwen, Allison, Frost, Seeler and Braun -- at the 18:24 mark, Finally off a giveaway by Nick Holden, MacEwen wired a shot that found the net after he had an initial attempt blocked. The goal was officially unassisted but the various Flyers' players on the ice were outworking their Ottawa counterparts. Allison, at least, probably should have been given an assist for getting the puck out MacEwen.
Philly had one final wave of attack before the second period expired.
4. The Flyers were the better team in the second period after Ottawa was superior in the opening stanza. Philly was first to pucks and provided good puck support. Hart took care of business when tested at the other end. Shots on goal were 16-10 Flyers. Shot attempts were 29-19 Flyers. Scoring chances were 15-11 Flyers, with a 7-4 high-danger edge.
5. The Flyers were guilty of back-to-back turnovers about two minutes into the third period with a Braun giveaway to Alex DeBrincat in the slot requiring an excellent save by Hart.
Allison made a strong backchecking play to end an Ottawa threat.
The Flyers went to the power play again at 5:02 as Zaitsev was sent to the box for crosschecking. The first unit had some turnover issues. The second unit got entry (courtesy of Farabee) but no scoring chances.
Tippett turned over a puck behind his own net. Hart denied Mathieu Joseph on the doorstep. At 9:39, Hart denied a deflected shot on the net.
Sedlak collected a Senators' turnovers and had a lane to the slot at 10:24. Talbot made the stop.
With 7:01 left in regulation and the Flyers about to break out on a counterattack, Travis Sanheim was called for interference on Giroux. The Flyers withstood the Ottawa attack.
The Flyers went into shot-blocking, bend-but-don't-break mode. The Senators pulled Talbot twice for an extra attacker in the final two minutes. Ottawa called timeout with 1:10 on the clock and a faceoff upcoming in the Flyers defensive right circle.
Philly won a battle but were called for icing with 59.3 seconds left. Debrincat had a failed clear with 14 seconds left and then an icing with 5.1 seconds on the clock, Laughton won the draw and cleared the puck to safety to end the game.
Third period shots on goal were 11-6 Ottawa. Shot attempts were 24-8 Ottawa but the Flyers blocked 11. Scoring chances were 14-5 Senators (7-1 high-danger).