Senators, Flyers to resume hostilities
The last time the Senators and Flyers met on Dec. 7 in Philadelphia, there was no shortage of bad blood.
So upset was Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk with Philadelphia’s Scott Laughton chirping the bench after scoring that the Senators winger got into a tussle with him in the final minute of the game. The result: Tkachuk was fined US$2,400 for cross-checking Laughton.
This time, the f ocus should be on shutting down the Flyers — and stopping their top gun, Claude Giroux, will be key.
Here are 5 Things to Watch for when the Flyers ( 19-11- 5) line up against the Senators ( 15-18- 3) in Ottawa on Saturday:
1
Keep Winning at Home
With their 5- 4 overtime victory over Nashville on Thursday, the Senators have moved their record to 10- 5- 0 at Canadian Tire Centre. The club will play twice at home heading into the Christmas break and has a chance to get some confidence with a couple of wins. For the most part, the Senators were solid against Nashville.
2
Keep the PP Going
The Senators had two power play goals — including the winner from Anthony Duclair — against the Predators and that’s a huge step in the right direction. The Senators have struggled with the man advantage this year and need to show consistency. Another big night on the power play would certainly help matters.
3
Consistency From Colin White
Lost in the dramatic win was the fact White scored his third goal of the season by going upstairs on Juuse Saros in the second period to end an 18-game slump. White has the ability to be a consistent scorer in the NHL; we’ve seen it before.
4
Thomas Chabot Sure Does Play a Lot
Coming off a night in which he logged 37: 50 of ice time against the Lightning, Chabot saw 33: 49 against the Predators. That’s the way it’s going to be for a while. The Sens are without veteran blueliner Ron Hainsey ( knee) for the next 7-10 days, as well as Dylan Demelo ( broken finger), Nikita Zaitsev ( foot) and prospect Christian Wolanin (shoulder).
5
Next Up In Net
Craig Anderson is ready to return from a knee injury, so the expectation is he’ll likely make the start. While Marcus Hogberg was good against the Predators and got his first NHL win, the Senators need to lean on their top goalie. Anderson may play both of these games before the break.