You’ve got two teams. One is 5-2-0 in their last seven games, defeating teams like Florida, Colorado, Tampa Bay, and Carolina. The other is 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. Those teams are set to collide Saturday evening as the Ottawa Senators come to town and take on the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Senators are riding a hot streak of sorts, defeating some of the best teams the league has to offer over the last two weeks. The Flyers are currently riding a four-game point streak against the likes of Vegas, Arizona, New Jersey, and Montreal. Ottawa’s resume looks much better as of late, but their 9-17-1 record puts them at 30th in the NHL and seventh in the Atlantic Division. The Flyers recent 10-game skid puts them at 24th in the league and sixth in the Metropolitan Division.
Both teams look to continue their winning-ish ways as of late. The Flyers and Senators could both use a pick-me-up after dropping their most recent titls, Ottawa to Tampa Bay and Philadelphia to Montreal. As both teams look to get back on track against one another, it’s time to take a look at the matchup and what to look forward to Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Recent Success
Both the Flyers and the Senators have had a pretty decent stretch of games leading into Saturday night. The Senators have defeated some of the best teams in the league recently, and look to improve upon an otherwise dismal record to this point. The Flyers have won three of their last four, dropping their last game to Montreal in a shootout.
Ottawa has won three of their last five contests and five of their last seven. After dropping 1o straight contests, the Flyers have won three of their last four, and have at least one point in each of those showings. Things seemed to have been turning around before Philly dropped a game to one of the worst teams in the league. The Senators on the other hand appear to be on the uptick. With victories over the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers, Ottawa is building a head of steam as they arrive on Broad Street.
Stats Don’t Lie
Ottawa comes into Saturday night’s contest allowing the second-most goals per game in the NHL (3.59). Philadelphia is allowing 3.18 goals per game, good for 22nd in the league. Ottawa is scoring 2.78 goals per game, the 19th best mark in the NHL. Philadelphia is seven spots behind, scoring 2.61 goals per game.
The special teams contest is sure to be a doozie as well. Ottawa’s powerplay is scoring at a 20% clip, good for 12th in the NHL. The Flyers penalty kill is killing off penalties with an 81.3% efficiency rating, good for 12th in the NHL as well. On the flip side of things, the Flyers powerplay is now up to 26th in the league, scoring on 16.3% of their chances. The Ottawa penalty kill is killing off 77.3% of their penalties, good for 31st in the NHL.
The Flyers clearly have the opportunity to capitalize on a dismal Ottawa penalty kill. Add in the fact that the Flyers have five powerplay goals in their last 16 opportunities, you have a recipe for a potential breakout game when it comes to the man advantage. On the opposite side of the coin, the Ottawa powerplay is 12th in the NHL for a reason. The Flyers are a perfect eight-for-eight in their last three games and 15/17 in their last five games. It will be a test for Philly, but it should show just how good their penalty kill really is.
Dueling Goalies
Saturday night’s matchup features two of the hottest netminders in the NHL right now. Anton Forsberg will likely be in net for Ottawa and is riding quite the hot streak. Three of his last four wins have come against Colorado, Tampa Bay, and Florida. In his last four starts, Forsberg is 3-1-0 with a .946 save percentage and 1.48 goals against average. Forsberg has all-but assumed the starters role for Ottawa as of late, and it appears that he’s making the absolute most of that opportunity
For the Flyers, Carter Hart has been equally impressive as of late. In his last four starts, Hart has stopped 129 of 137 shots. His stat line is fairly similar to Forsberg’s with a .942 save percentage and 1.99 goals against average. He’s also 2-1-1 in those games as well.
While there have been no lack of goals coming from either teams offense, the goalies have certainly been up to the task as of late. A goaltender matchup between Hart and Forsberg should be fantastic, and quite possibly could steal the show. While it may not be a true goaltender battle, we’re sure to see some spectacular backstopping Saturday night in Philadelphia.
What to Expect
Expect anything and everything. This Flyers team has failed us and surprised us so far this season. The lows of a ten-game losing streak still linger, but a four game point streak was a solid pick-me-up. Historically, the Flyers have a knack for playing up and down to their competition. The proofs lies in the game against Montreal Thursday night. A winnable game turned into a shootout loss after the team came out completely flat to begin the contest.
Ottawa has been pretty good as of late. Four of their last five wins have come against the best teams in the NHL right now. However, those four wins make up almost half of their win total on the season. Don’t let Ottawa’s present success fool you: this team is absolutely beatable and the Flyers can handle their business against them.
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