Flyers at Senators
The Philadelphia Flyers inserted recent trade acquisition Petr Mrazek into the lineup and didn't miss a beat, extending their winning and point streaks to four and 10 games (8-0-2), respectively. The Flyers take their show on the road for a matinee tilt on Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre against the Ottawa Senators, who have dropped three in a row.
Wearing an all-white mask with his new team's logos, Mrazek put forth a colorful performance in his debut by turning aside 19 of 20 shots in Thursday's 2-1 triumph over Columbus. The 26-year-old Czech has shackled the Senators in six career meetings while with Detroit, posting a 4-0-2 mark while stopping 185 of 197 shots. Ottawa has gotten the better of Philadelphia on both occasions this season, with Craig Anderson backstopping both victories and winning his first five decisions this month before surrendering nine total goals in a 5-2 loss to Nashville on Monday and 4-3 setback versus Tampa Bay on Thursday. Mark Stone has set up a pair of tallies in back-to-back contests to extend his point streak to four games and his point total to 20 (four goals, 16 assists) in his past 13.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, NHL Network, NBCS Philadelphia, TVAS, TSN5 (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (32-19-10): Rookie Nolan Patrick has scored in three straight games and has five tallies in his last 12 contests after netting three in his first 40. "The last 15 or 20 games, I've been feeling myself. Gradually over time, you get more comfortable," said the 19-year-old Patrick, who scored with 2.6 seconds remaining in regulation in a 4-3 shootout loss to Ottawa on Feb. 3. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who is slated to play in his 200th game on Saturday, has set up a pair of goals in back-to-back contests to increase his point total to 16 (one goal, 15 assists) in his past 11 outings.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (21-29-10): After a potential three-team trade with Pittsburgh and Vegas on Friday was initially vetoed by the NHL, Ottawa finally completed a deal that sent forward Derick Brassard to the Penguins while acquiring defenseman Ian Cole, goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson, a first-round pick in 2018 and a third-rounder in 2019. The Senators also sent forward prospect Vincent Dunn and a third-round pick in 2018 to Pittsburgh. Mike Hoffman has been held off the scoresheet in four straight games overall, but he notched an assist in both meetings with the Flyers and netted the shootout winner earlier this month.
OVERTIME
1. Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux scored and set up a goal on Thursday to increase his point total to 14 (six goals, eight assists) in his last eight games.
2. Senators C Ryan Dzingel, who extended his career-high goal total to 16 on Thursday, has three assists versus the Flyers this season.
3. Philadelphia C Sean Couturier has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) this month and four (two goals, two assists) in two games against the Senators this season.