At least the Senators won't be the nice hosts that allow a first career goal this time. Nolan Patrick, last summer's second overall pick, already has that accomplishment (1 goal and 2 assists), but it will be the first opportunity for Senators fans to see him in NHL action. Patrick left Tuesday's loss to the Ducks after having his head hit the glass on a hit, but is expected to be in the lineup as the Sens host the Flyers in the first half of a back to back.
There will also be some new faces in the lineup for the Senators, as they have sent Logan Brown to Windsor of the OHL to continue his development. Brown showed that he does have potential in his 4 game stint, but there is still a lot of work to do before he will fulfill the expectation that comes with being a first round pick. He will probably play more minutes this weekend than the 32 minutes of action he has seen in the last 3 weeks as a Senator, which will only help his development, that has been stagnated a bit due to injuries in his three OHL seasons so far.
With Zack Smith close to a return but not quite expected to play tonight, along with the news that Kyle Turris might miss the game with the flu, the Senators have recalled Filip Chlapik and Jack Rodewald from Belleville. If one or both of them play, it will mark their NHL debut. Rodewald has three goals and an assist in five games, while Chlapik, who some thought might make the team out of training camp, has three assists in seven AHL games.
Mike Condon and Craig Anderson will likely split the back to back that concludes Friday in New Jersey, but Anderson will start tonight against the Flyers. Anderson won't be staring down the ice at the guy he was traded to Ottawa for, however, as Michal Neuvirth will start for the Flyers over Brian Elliott. Elliott has a 4-2 record for the Flyers, but his save percentage of .879 and GAA of 3.33 leave a lot to be desired from the goalie brought in this season to shore up what has been a sore spot for the Flyers for years. Neuvirth has a 1-2 record but much better stats - 1.36 GAA and .957 save percentage. Ottawa hasn't faced him since April 2013 when he was with Washington, but they have won the last two games that Neuvirth has started against him.
The Flyers are coming in with a 5-4-0 record, dropping the game to the Ducks on Tuesday by a score of 6-2.
Smart money might be on a 3-2 game with extra time involved, as that was the result of all three meetings last season. Ottawa won the first game in a shootout on home ice, dropped the second in overtime in Philly and the Flyers won the third in a shootout in Ottawa.
Shayne Gostisbehere has had a tremendous start to the season, among the league leaders in defensemen scoring with a goal and ten assists, a point behind Alex Pietrangelo.
With the potential that the Senators will be without half of their top 6 forwards, the system will have to be in full force, as will the offense from the defense, especially Erik Karlsson. After back to back 3 assist games, Karlsson was held pointless in Tuesday's shootout loss to the Kings, and they will need a good offensive push from their captain if the are going to beat the Flyers.
In terms of the special teams matchups, Ottawa's league-best penalty kill will be up against a Flyers power play that sits just outside the top 10 at just over 20%, while the Flyers PK has struggled and is below 80%. After a brutal start, Ottawa's power play was clicking along but the absence of Turris, Smith and Ryan will put the pressure on the likes of Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard and Karlsson to pull the trigger when the opportunity presents.