Senators at Flyers
THE STORY: While the Ottawa Senators were busy
collecting four of the six All-Star selections, Philadelphia Flyers stud
center Claude Giroux didn't bat an eye. After all, Giroux doesn't need
to be the first guest at the party - he just wants to be invited. "I
don't care if it's top-six, I just want to make the team," said Giroux,
who shares the NHL's points lead with Vancouver Canucks captain Henrik
Sedin. "That would be pretty cool and to go back to back would be pretty
cool. It's in Ottawa, where my friends are. It would be a pretty good
experience." Giroux, who is an Ontario native, won't have to wait until
the All-Star Game on Jan. 29 to see Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson,
fellow forwards Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza as well as defenseman
Erik Karlsson. In fact, he'll get two chances as Philadelphia hosts the
opener of the home-and-home set with Ottawa on Saturday before heading
north for the rematch on Sunday. The Senators posted their fourth
straight win and improved to 7-1-1 in their last nine games with a 4-1
triumph over the Tampa Bay Lighting on Thursday.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, RSNE, CSP
ABOUT THE SENATORS (21-15-5): Although Ottawa has been
riding high, it hasn't fared well in recent meetings with Philadelphia.
The Senators suffered a 7-2 drubbing at the hands of the Flyers on Oct.
18. Last season wasn't much better as Philadelphia outscored Ottawa by
an 11-3 margin in two contests. Back to the present, Alfredsson and
Spezza have both scored in back-to-back games. G Craig Anderson, who has
allowed five goals during the four-game winning streak, is 5-2-0 in his
career versus Philadelphia.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (23-11-4): After putting the Winter
Classic behind it, coach Peter Laviolette's club gave the Philadelphia
faithful a happier ending when the Chicago Blackhawks paid a visit on
Thursday. James van Riemsdyk tallied twice - including the game-winner
with 33 seconds remaining - to lift the Flyers to a 5-4 victory over the
Blackhawks. The visual was a positive one, considering many Philly
residents can still remember Patrick Kane's sharp-angle shot which
squeezed past Michael Leighton to end the 2010 Stanley Cup finals. G
Ilya Bryzgalov snapped a four-game slide by stopping 30 shots versus the
Blackhawks. He is expected to split the contests versus the Senators
with countryman Sergei Bobrovsky - and this time, Bryzgalov didn't spill
the beans on which game he will be starting.
OVERTIME:
1. Flyers D Kimmo Timonen was wearing a soft brace on his left wrist
after exiting Thursday's game. Although X-rays were negative, Timonen is
not likely to play this weekend.
2. Karlson was the leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game. He thanked his father, Jonas, for his surge. "He made two e-mail
addresses (just for voting),” Karlsson said. “It’s pretty good for him
to maybe progress in the world and realize that it’s 2012 now."