Success at home hasn’t come easy for the Flyers this season. They’ve mustered just 15 goals and have dropped seven of their first 10 games at the Wells Fargo Center.
The suddenly resurgent Flyers (7-10-2) will try to reverse that trend when they open a three-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators (8-8-4) on Tuesday night.
With puck drop set for 7 p.m., here are five things you need to know for the Flyers’ second meeting with Ottawa in the past week:
1. Familiar foe
These two clubs met last Tuesday, and the Flyers put together one of their best performances of the season in a 5-0 victory at Canadian Tire Centre.
Jakub Voracek netted a pair of goals for the Flyers and Steve Mason turned aside all 24 shots fired his way. Matt Read, Vinny Lecavalier and Brayden Schenn also scored, while Claude Giroux picked up two helpers.
The Flyers peppered Senators netminder Craig Anderson, who returned to the lineup after missing more than a week with a neck injury, throughout the game, firing 31 shots on net.
Nicklas Grossmann and Luke Schenn spearheaded a strong effort from the Flyers’ defensive corps. The two defensemen combined for six hits and three blocked shots. In all, the Flyers registered 30 hits and 13 blocks and also limited stars Jason Spezza, Bobby Ryan and Erik Karlsson to five combined shots.
Ottawa enters this rematch having lost its last two matchups with the Flyers. However, the Sens have collected wins in two of their last three visits to Philadelphia.
2. New-look Flyers
The Flyers, who will play their 20th game of the season on Tuesday, have looked like a completely different team over the past week. They’ve collected at least a point in four consecutive games and have potted 13 goals during that stretch.
More importantly, the Flyers aren’t making the same mistakes -- careless turnovers, dumb penalties etc. -- that plagued them in their 3-9-0 start to the season. They’re consistently winning battles and have shown a better awareness of where teammates are on the ice.
Now, it’s time for the Flyers to carry over the success from their road trip to the Wells Fargo Center ice. They’ve been outscored 29-15 at home this season and have heard far more boos than cheers from the Flyers faithful.
3. Struggling special teams
The Flyers are on a bit of a hot streak while on the man advantage. They’ve collected power-play goals in four of their last eight opportunities. However, the orange and black still rank toward the bottom of the NHL at PP effectiveness (13.9 percent).
What’s more concerning is the Flyers’ recent struggles while shorthanded. They’ve yielded four goals over the last 13 times they’ve been a man down, including two in Friday’s shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
“The two [power-play] goals in Winnipeg should have been defended,” head coach Craig Berube admitted Monday (see story). “There was a line change, and they shouldn’t have changed. The puck wasn’t in deep enough to change. The other one, I think we have to do a better job of getting a stick on that shot.”
Ottawa hasn’t fared much better on special teams as of late, either. The Senators got a power-play marker from Karlsson in Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but have gone just 2 for 21 on the man advantage over their last six games.
The Senators’ penalty kill is having problems, as well. They’ve allowed opponents to connect on 7 of 23 power-play attempts in six games.
4. Keep an eye on
The Flyers may have shut out the Senators in their last meeting, but that doesn’t mean Ottawa’s offensive attack should be taken lightly.
Ryan, a first-year Senator, has collected four goals and 11 points in his past nine games. The New Jersey native is tied with Karlsson for the team-lead in points with 20.
And don’t forget about Spezza. The Senators’ captain has registered eight goals and 16 assists in 28 career games against the Flyers.
5. This and that
• The last time Ottawa visited Philadelphia, Colin Grenning scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:36 remaining in a 3-1 victory for the Sens on April 11.
• Mason is 2-0-2 in his past four starts and has allowed two goals or fewer during that stretch.
• Erik Condra is the only Senator on the team’s injury report. He’s out with a pulled muscle in his right leg.
• Voracek has four goals over his last four games against Ottawa.
• Adam Hall’s faceoff percentage is 85.7 percent (30 for 35) over his past five games.