Game 61 Preview: Flyers @ Senators
Mike Yeo's Philadelphia Flyers (19-30-11) are in Canada's capital city to take on D.J. Smith's Ottawa Senators (21-34-5) on Friday evening. Game time at the Canadian Tire Centre is 7:00 p.m. ET (NBCSP+, 97.5 The Fanatic).
This is the second of three meetings this season between the teams, and the only game in Ottawa. On Dec. 18 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers saw a 2-0 lead slip away then had to rally in the third period to force overtime before Travis Sanheim notched the game-winner. The season series will conclude back in Philadelphia on April 29 (final night of the 2021-22 season).
The Flyers enter this game coming off an electric night at the Wells Fargo Center that saw the organization -- and an energized crowd of Flyers' fans -- pay tribute to Claude Giroux on the 1,000th game of his NHL career. In a seesaw game, the Flyers led by scores of 1-0 at the first intermission and 3-1 within the second period. In the third period, the Flyers trailed by a 4-3 count before digging deep to shake off a disallowed would-be tying goal and go on to pull out a 5-4 victory.
Giroux is not slated to make the trip with the team to Ottawa. With the NHL trade deadline set for March 21, the Flyers will hold impending unrestricted free agent Giroux out until his destination for the remainder of the season is determined. There will be lineup adjustments made but the specifics will not be clear until later today. The Flyers will not hold a morning skate.
The Senators enter this game coming off a 4-1 home loss on Wednesday to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Tyler Ennis (7th) opened the scoring midway through the first period but Ottawa would not score again. Columbus scored once in the first period and twice in the second to open a 3-1 lead. An empty netter with 1:37 left in the third period sealed the final margin. Anton Forsberg made 35 saves on 38 shots in a losing cause for the Senators.
Ottawa suffered a very costly injury in the Columbus game, losing workhorse defenseman Thomas Chabot to a broken hand. He will likely miss the remainder of the season. The 25-year-old Chabot dressed in 55 games this season, posting six goals and 34 points. His 26:23 of average ice time leads the entire NHL.
For an in-depth look at Friday's matchup, see the Five Things preview on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com. Lineups will be posted when available.
***********
Wrap: Flyers Honor Giroux, Defeat Predators
On a night dedicated to Claude Giroux's 1,000th and potentially final game for the team, the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Nashville Predators, 5-4, in a seesaw affair at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday evening.
Travis Sanheim (5th goal of the season) scored the lone goal of the first period. In the second period, Nashville got goals from Tanner Jeannot (20th), ex-Flyer Phil Myers (1st goal for the Predators) and Ryan Johansen (PPG, 16th) to tie the score at 1-1 and later at 3-3 after the Flyers received tallies from Cam York (PPG, 2nd) and James van Riemsdyk (14th).
Just 71 seconds into the third period, Filip Forsberg (32nd) gave Nashville their first lead of the game. At 14:28, a would-be Derick Brassard tying goal was disallowed on a high-stick challenge. A 4-on-4 goal by Kevin Hayes (5th) tied the game at 4-4. Finally, at 18:41, Joel Farabee (12th) put the Flyers ahead to stay after a set-up pass from Hayes.
Giroux logged 17:47 of ice time. He had two shots on goal, three credited hits and went 8-for-8 on faceoffs. After the final buzzer, Giroux skated a victory lap to the cheers of the crowd and then did a curtain call. Giroux was selected as the game's first star. Usually reserved in his emotions in public, Giroux became emotional after the game.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen in the next couple days. But this was special..... I feel like I have a great relationship with the fans and the city. I get them, they get me. The fans, I love them. One of the reasons why tonight was so tough," Giroux said.
The Flyers got an exceptionally strong game on Thursday out of the defense pairing of Sanheim and Ramus Ristolainen but especially from Sanheim (1g, 1a, four shots on goal, five blocks one takeaway). Ristolainen was credited with two hits and two shots on goal. During the 4-on-4 in the third period, Ristolainen created the sequence that ended up in Hayes tying the game.
This was a night that belonged first and foremost to Giroux, and for the fans and teammates to thank him for all he's meant to the team. In a sweet and humorous moment, as Claude held his young son, Gavin, and waved to the fans during the pregame ceremonies, Gavin followed suit.
"The whole ceremony was great. Being able to be with my parents, and my wife and my two boys, it was special. One time I just kind of waved at the crowd to say thanks, and then Gavin decided to do the same thing and I was just kind of cracking up a little bit," Giroux said.
Said interim head coach Mike Yeo, "Right from the start right, from the get go you could tell that everybody wanted to make this a special night for him and whether it's the way that guys were paying the price physically, you saw us getting cross checked in front of the net for us to score those goals against a team that’s pretty tough defensively. We had to pay the price, we went to the right area but no question the guys wanted to make it a good night. They knew they could make it a great night if we were able to get that win for him."
For an in-depth synopsis, analysis and highlights from Thursday's game, see
Postgame 5: Flyers Win One for the Captain.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»