The Philadelphia Flyers (6-8-2) visit the Ottawa Senators (8-7-0) at 7pm. All-time, the Flyers are 52-39-8-9 against the Senators and 21-22-6-5 in Ottawa, including the era when you could tie against an opponent.
Philadelphia went to a shootout in their last three games (2-0-1). The shootout streak started against the Tampa Bay Lightning last Thursday. Trailing 0-1 in the first period, the Flyers did not allow another goal. Ivan Fedotov finally showed the capability to be a backup goaltender in the NHL. Owen Tippett tied the game in the third period with a ridiculous backhand shot.
In the shootout, Tippett and Travis Konecny secured the win. Fedotov did not allow the Lightning to score in the shootout either.
Last Saturday, Philadelphia went head-to-head with the Florida Panthers, the reigning Stanley Cup champions. The back-and-forth contest saw both clubs trade goals and enter a shootout. Garnet Hathaway tied the game in the third period, but Sergei Bobrovsky outlasted Sam Ersson in the shootout.
Then, on Monday, the Flyers hosted the San Jose Sharks and took a 3-0 lead. However, they allowed the Sharks back into the game, scoring three straight goals. Philadelphia survived overtime with Matvei Michkov in the penalty box to give a four-on-three advantage. Michkov and Konecny each scored to keep the points and shootout streak alive.
It’s tough. On one hand, the Flyers hung right in there with the Stanley Cup champions. On the other, they blew a three-goal lead against the 28th-ranked team in the NHL. Why is this team so polarizing?
We forget Philadelphia is in a rebuild, on the cusp of something more. The Flyers create an oxymoron of consistent inconsistencies, capable of competing at their best and following up with a disastrous few shifts in consecutive games.
Parity, especially in the NHL, is unlike other professional leagues.
“The difficulty we’re finding right now is just traction. We’re just trying to get there. The past week or so, I think we have found our identity a little bit. When you find the identity, you have something to shoot for every game, and I think that will help the consistency. We’re not there yet to be consistent, we’re just trying to find a little bit of traction to stand. There are no easy games. There’s so much parity.” – John Tortorella; 11/14/2024
The Senators won two of their last three games but in a different fashion. They responded to a 4-2 loss against the New York Islanders with a 4-3 win against the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden. Michael Amadio scored the game-tying goal late in the third period before Brady Tkachuk scored the game-winner in overtime.
Next, Ottawa shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0. Linus Ullmark made 27 saves. After such a strong road performance, they will have confidence at home. Philadelphia needs to be ready to answer the bell.
When: 11/14/2024; 7:00pm ET
Where: Canadien Tire Centre; Ottawa, Ontario
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Last Game PHI: 11/11; 4-3 W (SO); vs. San Jose Sharks
Last Game OTT: 11/12; 3-0 W; at Toronto Maple Leafs
Philadelphia Flyers
Fedotov will start. Ersson left practice yesterday. Standing in as the backup goaltender for Fedotov will be Alexei Kolosov.
Even if Ersson was healthy, starting Fedotov should not surprise. Fedotov looked much in Tampa Bay and earned another opportunity to prove consistency. In previous starts, Fedotov looked uncomfortable, but there was less movement in his last start, which was a sign of confidence and better effort, per John Tortorella:
“There wasn’t a lot of extra movement. He [Fedotov] just looked different to me. I’m not going to sit here and talk about technique. I don’t know enough about the position. He just looked more confident, and I really thought the compete level was higher than I’ve seen in the other games.” – John Tortorella; 11/14/2024
Michkov tallied two points (1G, 1A) in his return. He had a primary assist on the powerplay and scored a breakaway goal at even-strength. However, he was simultaneously a reason why the Flyers almost lost and won. Michkov took a poor retaliation penalty in an exchange with Macklin Celebrini, putting Philadelphia down a man to begin overtime. Then, Michkov ultimately sealed the deal with a shootout goal.
His competitiveness and edge are great, but he has to be more careful not to put his team at a disadvantage. It could have cost the Flyers a win, overshadowing an otherwise spectacular return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for two games.
Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers
#74 Owen Tippett – #48 Morgan Frost – #11 Travis Konecny
#86 Joel Farabee – #21 Scott Laughton – #10 Bobby Brink
#90 Anthony Richard – #25 Ryan Poehling – #39 Matvei Michkov
#71 Tyson Foerster – #27 Noah Cates – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#36 Emil Andrae – #6 Travis Sanheim
#24 Nick Seeler – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#5 Egor Zamula – #77 Erik Johnson
#82 Ivan Fedotov
(#35 Alexei Kolosov)
Projected Lineup: Ottawa Senators
#7 Brady Tkachuk — #9 Josh Norris — #71 Ridly Greig
#28 Claude Giroux — #18 Tim Stützle — #19 Drake Batherson
#73 Noah Gregor — #12 Shane Pinto — #22 Michael Amadio
#21 Nick Cousins — #81 Adam Gaudette — #17 Zack MacEwen
#85 Jake Sanderson — #2 Artem Zub
#72 Thomas Chabot — #3 Nick Jensen
#43 Tyler Kleven — #23 Travis Hamonic
#35 Linus Ullmark
(#31 Anton Forsberg)
