Well the Senators are right back at it tonight for the second night of a back-to-back, the challenge ahead: the Philadelphia Flyers. This is the third and final meeting between these two with the Senators emerging victorious in each of the first two meetings.
The Senators are coming off a loss to the Coyotes last night and are currently on a three-game losing streak. That's tough in and of itself however on top of that they have been dealt some injury woes along the way. Josh Norris and Travis Hamonic are both out for considerable periods of time following injuries sustained against the Nashville Predators. Joonas Korpisalo wass held out last night after suffering an illness, resulting in Anton Forsberg starting between the pipes on short notice. With all of that the Senators have recalled Zack MacEwen, Max Guenette, Mads Sogaard, and Leevi Merilainen.
Prior to this recent skid the Senators were playing strong hockey and seemed to have found their identity, boasting a 10-3-3 record. Amongst those wins was of course a come from behind victory over the Philadephia Flyers at the mid point of the moms' trip. That game saw MacEwen act as the catalyst potting the Sens first goal of the game before Tim Stützle scored his first of the game and Claude Giroux tied it up in his old stomping grounds. Tarasenko provided the game-winning goal off a feed from Mathieu Joseph in transition, before Stützle struck again on the empty net to seal the deal.
The Senators will look to recoup some of that momentum here today as they try to stay alive in the playoff race. With 24 games remaining and 17 points to make up, every point matters from here on out.
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The Flyers also come into this one on the backend of a back-to-back after falling to the Capitals 5-2 in Washington last night. Overall this has been a season of exceeding expectations for the Flyers who currently sit in the third playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division.
This Flyers group has been a tough nut to crack, boasting the second worst power play in the league yet the second best penalty kill. That may well explain why Travis Konecny leads the team with five short handed goals while the team lead for power play goals is only four, held by Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster.
Speaking of Konecny, he has been lights out this season with 27 goals, 27 assists for 54 points, on pace to smash his current career high of 61 points. However, being held out with injury since Feb. 21 the Senators may catch a break as the Flyers forward is questionable to play today.
As both sides fight to either stay in the playoffs or make a push for the playoffs and each without key pieces, expect an emotional sixty minute battle here in the City of Brotherly Love.
