Game Day 5: OTT at PHI

1. The set up:

Kicking off the second day of a back-to-back for the Senators are set to take on the Philadelphia Flyers on their turf. After putting up a strong effort against the Jets yesterday, taking the Central Division leader to overtime and only allowing two goals, the Sens will look to build on that against another savvy defensive team.

The Senators welcome back a familiar face today as Shane Pinto makes his return to the line up for the first time this season and will surely pack a punch to an already stellar Senators offence averaging 3.34 goals per game. While we're not sure where Pinto will slot in yet, the Senators centre depth just got notably better, and the Flyers will be put to the task of figuring out how to play against this new look Sens group.

The Flyers find themselves just two points out of the Metropolitan Division lead just past the midway point of the season. Led by Travis Konecny (41), Joel Farabee (36), Sean Couturier (30), and Owen Tippett (30) all with 30+ points on the season, the Senators will have their hands full. The true strength of this Flyers team however is their structured defensive system allowing only 2.74 goals on 28.5 shots per game. If the Senators want a chance today they will have to test Carter Hart early and often.

2. Roster report:

Being an early game on the back end of a back-to-back there will be no morning skate. The big roster news is that Shane Pinto is officially available starting today. Since Joonas Korpisalo got the nod yesterday it's likely that Mads Sogaard will get the start this afternoon. Below is how the Senators lined up yesterday against Winnipeg:

3. Who to watch:

After being held out 41 games, Shane Pinto makes his return to the ice for the Senators today. Pinto had a break out season last year scoring 20 goals and adding 15 assists while playing in all 82 games for the Sens.

His return means that the Senators are finally at full strength amongst their skaters and Jacques Martin has flexibility to shake the lines up. He mentioned in his media availability recently that with Norris and Pinto returning that he might move a centre to the wing. With Pinto's face-off percentage skyrocketing last season to 52.1% it's unlikely that Pinto will be making that move but perhaps either Kastelic or Greig will.

Beyond the on-ice addition, Pinto's return has sparked a new vibe in the Senators locker room. His personality is infectious and both on and off the ice he could be the little bump the Senators need to get back to their old form we saw when they were contending for a playoff spot late last season.

4. Giroux vs Philly:

Chalk it up to being a 17-year NHL vet or maybe knowing the tips and tricks to best the team you played for for the better part of 15 seasons, but Claude Giroux has the Philadelphia Flyers figured out. In his four career games against the Flyers Giroux has tallied two goals and added five assists, averaging 1.75 points per game against his former team. Additionally, since joining the Senators he has beaten his old club in three of the four match ups.

While the nostalgia of returning home likely won't be as strong this year after getting his first game back out of the way, there will surely still be a lot of Claude Giroux jerseys in the stands at Wells Fargo Center. As Giroux is proned to do in the heat of the battle, be on the look out for him to have a big game here today as the Senators look to start this "moms' road-trip off" right.

5. Where to watch:

Today's game will be carried live on TSN5 and RDS2 in English and French respectively. Additionally, TSN1200 and Unique FM 94,5 have you covered on the radio with the English and French calls.