One last time before the Olympic break, the Philadelphia Flyers (25-20-10) are in action at Xfinity Mobile Arena when they host the Ottawa Senators (27-22-7) on Thursday.
The Flyers were on quite the losing skid prior to Tuesday’s 4-2 win vs. the Washington Capitals. That win helped get the Flyers back on track; now they have a chance to build on it and go into the break on a high note. Philadelphia is 1-3-1 over the last five games, and 3-5-2 over the last 10.
Ottawa has been heating up, as the Senators have won four of their last five, going 4-1-0. The Senators are 5-3-2 over the past 10, and have played themselves back into the playoff conversation.
According to Moneypuck, the Senators are favored, with a 57.2% chance of winning.
Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. EST. Here is how the Flyers are expected to line up.
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Flyers lines & pairs vs. Kings
Forwards
Nikita Grebenkin–Christian Dvorak–Travis Konecny
Denver Barkey–Trevor Zegras–Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov–Noah Cates–Bobby Brink
Nick Deslauriers–Sean Couturier–Carl Grundstrom
Defensemen
Travis Sanheim–Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York–Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler–Noah Juulsen
Goalies
Dan Vladar
Aleksei Kolosov
Special Teams
PP1:Â Drysadale, Dvorak, Konecny, Brink, Zegras
PP2:Â York, Cates, Barkey, Tippett, Michkov
PK1:Â Couturier, Tippett, York, Sanheim
PK 2: Cates, Dvorak, Seeler, Ristolainen
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Game Notes
I mentioned the Senators playing themselves back into the playoff hunt. Thursday’s game will play a big factor in that. Per Moneypuck, a regulation win in Philadelphia puts their odds of making the postseason at 42.1%, while a loss drops their odds to 27.3%. It feels like a must-win game for Ottawa, which could create a challenge for the Flyers.
The game does not have as much impact on the Flyers’ postseason odds, but it’s still critical. You don’t want to go into a long break on a low. The Flyers have the chance to carry some positive momentum into the break. Philly looked good on Tuesday; let’s see if that carries into the break.
Specifically, I am keeping an eye on Matvei Michkov on Thursday. He’s due for a big game. It looks like his play has gotten better and better lately. I’ll make a bold prediction: a two-goal game from Michkov on Thursday.
Dan Vladar is likely to get one more start before the break. He has been phenomenal lately and helped the Flyers to their Tuesday win. Will he continue his excellent play, or will the fatigue catch up?
How to watch Flyers vs. Senators
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, ESPN+ (Stream)
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. EST at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
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