After a 10-game losing streak, the Philadelphia Flyers have responded with seven points in their last four games.
The Flyers will look to keep their positive momentum going Saturday night when they host the Ottawa Senators.
Following wins over the Vegas Golden Knights, Arizona Coyotes and New Jersey Devils, the Flyers dropped a 3-2 shootout Thursday night in Montreal. But Philadelphia did earn a point.
“One of the positives for me was that we got down in the game and we found a way to battle back and get to our game,” Flyers interim head coach Mike Yeo said. “So I think what we’re trying to do is use every game right now as an opportunity to point towards what it looks like when we’re not doing our thing and what it looks like when we are.”
Like many teams, the Flyers have been besieged with injuries and COVID issues.
Injuries to key players such as Ryan Ellis and Joel Farabee have affected the team’s depth. Rising standout Morgan Frost is now out due to health and safety protocols.
Maxwell Willman and Jackson Cates were the goal scorers Thursday. It was the second career goal for Willman and the first for Cates.
“I think that’s what we want,” Yeo said of the newer players shining. “We don’t want guys to just come in and play. We want guys to come in and make a difference and I thought that whether it’s Catesy or Max Willman tonight, those guys obviously did that for us.”
The Senators have been playing better lately, too, with five wins in their past seven games. On Thursday, they lost a 2-1 decision to the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Thomas Chabot scored for the Senators, his first goal of the season.
“It feels pretty good to finally get that first one,” Chabot said. “It’s about time. Obviously, I’ve had so many chances since the start of the season and it was just about finding one and hopefully it keeps rolling now.”
The Senators have struggled recently with taking penalties, and five in Thursday’s game kept them continually shorthanded. Tampa Bay’s deciding goal came on a power play late in the second period.
But overall, Ottawa moved the puck better and the cohesiveness is starting to show.
“We stuck with it to the end,” Chabot said. “We had our chances and we could have taken the lead a couple of times. The biggest thing for us is keeping our head high.
“We battled until the end, had our chances all the way and we move onto the next game now. We’re taking pride in the way we’re playing.”
The Senators have done that in three of their last four road games.
“We’re coming together, we’re gelling and we’re starting to play the right way,” Tyler Ennis said. “We’ll go into Philly and we’ll play the same way. We’ll play with structure, we’ll play hard and we’ll keep grinding.”
–Field Level Media
