Philadelphia @ Ottawa preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 11, 2019 ) Ottawa 2, Philadelphia 3

The Philadelphia Flyers have been pushed to the limit during their seven-game point streak (5-0-2), with six of those contests venturing past regulation and five into the shootout. The Flyers will try to win in regulation on Friday when they visit the Ottawa Senators, who have won six of 10 after a 1-6-1 start.

Philadelphia coach Alain Vigneault told reporters that he doesn't believe his team will overlook Ottawa heading into the latter half of the back-to-back set against the sizzling New York Islanders on Saturday. "With good leadership, I don't think that's going to be an issue," Vigneault said. "I look at all our games lately, and I look at the parity in the league. ... This is a tough league, and every game is a tough battle." While the Flyers have scored just five non-shootout goals in their last three contests, Ottawa received three in regulation from Jean-Gabriel Pageau on Wednesday for his first regular-season hat trick in a 4-2 victory over New Jersey. "Pageau is the hardest-working guy in practice. He's a water bug out there and makes sure he plays the right way, and he gets rewarded for it," goaltender Craig Anderson said of the 27-year-old, who has eight goals and an assist in his last six games.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia-Plus, RDS2, TSN5 (Ottawa)

ABOUT THE FLYERS (10-5-3): Carter Hart turned the page on his play moments after he did the same on the calendar, answering a 2-3-1 record with an .864 save percentage in October by turning aside 139 of 148 shots during his 4-0-1 mark in November. "I'd just say getting back to the basics. Just trusting my game and where I'm at. I feel good where my game's at," the 21-year-old Hart said following his 35-save performance in Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss to Washington. Captain Claude Giroux scored in the third period for his 12th point (five goals, seven assists) in his last 14 games overall heading into an encounter with Ottawa, against which the Ontario native has recorded 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 36 career meetings.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (7-10-1): Connor Brown snapped a four-game point drought by setting up two of Pageau's three goals on Wednesday, boosting his team-leading total to 12 assists. The 25-year-old tormented the Flyers while playing for his native Toronto, scoring a goal and setting up three others in three games. Anderson wasn't as fortunate, surrendering nine goals on 80 shots to drop both encounters and fall to 12-8-3 with one shutout in 24 career meetings.

OVERTIME

1. Ottawa is 0-for-14 on the power play in its last five games.

2. The Flyers have killed off 29-of-31 short-handed situations over the last 10 games.

3. Ottawa assigned Fs J.C. Beaudin and Jonathan Davidsson to Belleville of the American Hockey League.

PREDICTION: Flyers 3, Senators 2