Senators vs. Flyers

                                                                                         

Ottawa -140 vs. Philadelphia

Click here for NHL Lines.

Once upon a time the Philadelphia Flyers were the lone winless team left in the NHL. They were floundering at 0-2-3 and looked hopeless and helpless until a home and home series against New Jersey. Perhaps it was inspiration garnered from the World Champion Phillies or the Flyers finally coming to life on their own. Either way the Devils were a good victim for the Flyers as they swept the home and home series and that was the start of a four game winning streak. That streak put Philadelphia over .500 until a loss to Edmonton last Sunday dropped them back to the .500 mark (4-4-3).

Part of the reason for the Flyers rise from the ashes has been their potent offensive attack. They have the NHL's best goals per game average of 3.91, which is nearly half a goal more than the second best team, Detroit (3.50). The Flyers leading scores are Simon Gagne and Mike Richards who share the team lead with 10 points a piece.

While not as severe as Philadelphia's start, Ottawa (5-5-2) also started their season with a disappointing slow streak. The team lost four straight and five out of their first six until they got things on track by winning three of their last four, including their last game Tuesday night. It was fitting that the two of the capitals in North America played each other on election night in America with Canada's capital city besting the Washington Capitals 2-1 in overtime.

Only allowing one goal has been the exception rather than the rule for the Senators. In their early season foibles, Ottawa had surrendered 25 goals in their 2-5-1 start but have shored their defense up as of late, allowing a stingy 1.75 in there last four games, in which they have won three.

Both teams will want to avoid penalties in this game as they both rank near the top of the NHL in the power play. Philadelphia is first by converting 25.9 percent of their opportunities, while Ottawa is second with scoring on 22.8 percent of their man advantages.

The Flyers owned the series last year at 3-0-1.

Click here for Sports Betting at WagerWeb.com

About the author:
http://www.inspin.com

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com