Game 50 Preview: Ottawa Senators @ Philadelphia Flyers

The Senators are in Philadelphia today taking on the Flyers, looking fo their first win on the road since January 10th. They face a streaky Flyers team, who although had a stretch in January going 8-1-0, have since lost their last three.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Bobby Ryan is out with another hand injury. According to Guy Boucher, he’s a no-go for both games this weekend, and “highly doubtful” for the upcoming week. Colin White draws into the lineup after being a healthy scratch last game, being placed on the first line during yesterday’s practice.

Craig Anderson is tonight’s starter, with Condon taking the second half of the back-to-back tomorrow. With Flyers backup Alex Lyon playing on Thursday, expect Michal Neuvirth to be the starter at the other end.

Here are the expected line combos:

Here are some notes:

• The Sens’ crease continues to rotate, with the back-to-back guaranteeing a string of eight games switching back and forth.
• The goaltending has been picking up steam recently too, with Anderson and Condon combined allowing only three goals on their last 78 shots faced, for a save percentage of 96.2%.
• Mark Borowiecki had to suddenly leave practice yesterday after taking a puck to the face from Matt Duchene. He’s all stitched up and ready to play, with a face scar that might just rival Guy Boucher.
• Colin White’s getting a big chance on the top line, as he’s still in pursuit of his first career NHL point. He’s been extremely close a few times.
• Speaking of the lineup, that right wing depth is... well, it’s something.
• Think scoring at point-per-game pace is difficult? Try going assist-per-game. Jakub Voracek leads the NHL in that category by a healthy margin, with 50 assists in 51 games, on pace for 80 assists. It’s been eight years since the 80 assist barrier was last broken by Henrik Sedin.
• Sens who haven’t missed a game at the 50 game mark: Ceci, Pyatt, Dzingel, Brassard and Hoffman.
• This is the first half of a back-to-back, as Ottawa faces Montreal tomorrow. Start time is 1:00 p.m. for both games./

Here are the head-to-head stats:

Team Stats

Player Stats