Flyers vs. Senators: Preview, Odds, and How to Watch

On the road last night, the Philadelphia Flyers (31-23-7) squandered a two-goal lead against the Washington Capitals. The hot start was quickly extinguished, and John Tortorella sent his message to two young prospects. Bobby Brink scored the first goal for the Flyers but didn’t play in the third period; same for Olle Lycksell, sans scoring.

“Not with the stupidity prior. Him [Brink] and Lycksy [Lycksell]; not with the stupidy, they weren’t seeing the ice.”
John Tortorella; 3/1/2024

Philadelphia is preparing for the future, and whether skaters have scored or not, they must learn how to play in all the zones. Not being alert in the defensive zone is as impactful as goalscoring, which is paramount to excelling with Tortorella.

Tonight, the Flyers can get back on track, hosting the Ottawa Senators (25-30-3).

Ottawa Senators

In their last five games, the Senators are 2-3-0, losing to the Arizona Coyotes last night, 5-3. This season, they’re 2-0-0 against Philadelphia, outscoring 10-5.

“They [Philadelphia Flyers] play hard. I think the last time we were in here, we know that. I told our guys today that this is a team that’s battling for a playoff spot; they’re in a playoff spot. They played last night; they lost last night. We have to be ready to win our individual battles; our one-on-one battles, and make sure we have good support for each other.”
Jacques Martin; 3/2/2024

Drake Batherson was on the receiving end of a handful of hits versus the Coyotes but was able to find room below the hash marks often, scoring on a rebound. Batherson hasn’t contributed on the scoreboard against the Flyers this season. He is on a five-game point streak (4G, 2A) entering tonight’s tilt.

Here’s the tentative lineup for the Ottawa Senators:

Tkachuk-Pinto-Tarasenko
Batherson-Stutzle-Giroux
Joseph-Greig-Kubalik
Kelly-Kastelic-MacEwen

Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Bernard Docker
Chychrun-Brannstrom

Sogaard
(Merilainen)

Philadelphia Flyers

The previously mentioned benching of Lycksell could draw Cam Atkinson back into the lineup. Considering the back-to-back schedule, Felix Sandstrom likely is the starting goaltender, making his 2023-2024 debut in Philadelphia.

Cam York has to recover from his performance against the Capitals, where he took a couple of hits from Nicolas Aube-Kubel, coughed up the puck, and had six shots blocked. In each game versus Ottawa, York contributed to the scoreboard, notching an assist on an Egor Zamula powerplay goal in the most recent contest between these two clubs. In his last five games, York contributed three points (2G, 1A) as the Flyers went 2-3-0.

Here’s the tentative lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers:

Farabee-Laughton-Foerster
Tippett-Frost-Brink
Cates-Poehling-Hathaway
Deslauriers-Couturier-Atkinson

York-Sanheim
Seeler-Walker
Staal-Zamula

Sandstrom
(Ersson)