5 things to know today about the Flyers

Five things about the Flyers (7-7-2) as they host Ottawa (9-5-1) on Tuesday night:

1. The teams are polar opposites: Ottawa thrives on its defense; the Flyers, on their offense. Ottawa is allowing just 2.33 goals per game (tied for fifth), and the Flyers are scoring 3.31 goals a game (tied for third).

2. The Flyers are tied for the league's worst defense (3.63 goals allowed per game), while the Senators have the NHL's 27th-ranked  offense (2.20 goals per game). Ottawa has scored two goals or fewer in its last nine games.

3. Ottawa winger Bobby Ryan, the pride of Cherry Hill, is baffled by the Sens' lack of offense. He is goal-less in his last seven games. "I wish I had an answer," he told Ottawa reporters. "We all leave the rink and think about it and text each other about the opportunities that we had, and it's a vicious cycle."

4. The Flyers' penalty kill, which is off to another slow start, will face an Ottawa power play that is 1 for 26 in the last nine games.

5. With Michal Neuvirth injured, the plan is for Steve Mason to make most of the Flyers' starts in the next month or so. The Flyers are hoping Mason's strong relief performance in Saturday's 3-2 win over Minnesota starts a resurgence. Mason (3.41 GAA, .880 save percentage) will oppose Craig Anderson (2.15, .934).