Flyers hope to build some momentum as they play their final game before the Olympic break

Two Januarys ago, the Flyers were riding a wave, building steam for the postseason beach.

But a loss to the Eastern Conference’s worst team, the Ottawa Senators, in Game 2 of what proved to be a five-game losing streak sent that wave crashing down before it came near shore. It was a turning point in an otherwise promising season.

Heading into their Thursday matchup at Xfinity Mobile Arena (7 p.m., NBCSP), the Flyers and Senators are in a different predicament. Both teams are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, but they are tied in points percentage (.545), with the Flyers having a game in hand.

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It is the last game for each team before the NHL takes a break for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. The Flyers are hoping to end the unofficial first half of the season with a two-game winning streak.

“Just play how we can play,” forward Noah Cates said Thursday after practice. “Obviously, a big win [Wednesday], but kind of struggled a little bit there. But try to flush it and get one more before the break.

“Put ourselves in the best spot possible for that push coming in late February, March, and April. So it’s kind of getting back to the way we have been playing when we’ve had success, and kind of the team game that we can play.”

Cates was quick to mention that the Flyers’ record after a win isn’t great — it’s 9-11-4. Two of those losses, one in regulation and one in overtime, came at the hands of the Senators.

Although he knew the stat, he and his teammates aren’t paying too much attention to it. After all, Flyers coach Rick Tocchet stresses keeping an even keel, never reading too much into the highs or the lows.

But the bench boss has been down this road before and knows he needs to keep his team focused, as a nice break is on the horizon.

“You’re concerned a guy’s mind is somewhere else,” he said Thursday as an optional morning skate was occurring. “I think [assistant coach] Todd [Reirden] told the story about, I think Sidney Crosby, before an All-Star break, or this sort of thing, is one of the leading point-getters of all-time.

“Sometimes their minds are already,’ hey, where [are we] going?’” he added. “This is a big game. This is a mindset game. So, yeah, even keel, 100%.”

The Flyers are off the ice until Feb. 17 at 2 p.m., when they will practice in Voorhees. They do not return to game action until Feb. 25 at the Washington Capitals (7 p.m., NBCSP).

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Sam Ersson was back on the ice with his teammates, participating in the optional morning skate with forward Nic Deslauriers, defenseman Emil Andrae, and goalie Aleksei Kolosov at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The goalie was injured last Thursday during the Flyers’ loss to the Boston Bruins. Ersson allowed five goals on 20 shots and did not come out for the third period after suffering a lower-body injury.

“I would expect it, yes,” Tocchet said when asked if Ersson should be good to go after the Olympic break. “I mean, 21 days off. I would expect it for sure, especially that he’s on the ice now.”

Dan Vladař (17-8-5, .904 save percentage) will start against the Senators. He was in goal for the 2-1 loss in October, allowing two goals on 33 shots. Kolosov will serve as the backup. ... Forward Garnet Hathaway slots back into the lineup and Deslauriers comes out. ... Despite Tocchet saying he didn’t want Andrae to remain out of the lineup too long, the defenseman will sit again Thursday for the fifth straight game. Andrae has not played since Jan. 26, a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders. “I was talking to [Reirden], he’s kind of liked the PK the last 3-4 games,” Tocchet said. “I think it’s helped us the last couple of games, even with confidence. ... We’ll reset after this game. We have two weeks off, we’ll figure things out from there.”