The Flyers continue their five-game home stand when they close out their season series with the Nashville Predators tonight. Puck drop is set for 7pm and the game will air on NBCSP and on radio at 97.5 The Fanatic.
The first two games of the home stand couldn’t have gone better as the Flyers pounded the Caps 8-2 on Saturday in the home opener and then whipped the visiting Panthers 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Those two victories came following the deflating 6-5 loss at the hands of these same Predators in Nashville almost a week earlier. That game featured the Predators blowing a 3-0 lead and trailing 5-3 at one point before grabbing a go-ahead goal with the score tied at 5-5 with under a minute to play.
Philadelphia trails only the Maple Leafs (28) with 26 goals through six games while the Predators have won three of four after being outscored 8-3 through their first two games (both losses) to start the year. The Flyers have won three of four while outscoring opponents by 10 goals in that span.
Not many players in the NHL are hotter than Jake Voracek and Claude Giroux, who just happen to lead the Flyers’ explosive first line along with Sean Couturier. Voracek has 10 assists through six games while Giroux has points in four-straight, including registering his 400th career assist against the Panthers. Couturier has enjoyed a nice start playing with the former All-Stars as well, notching four goals and three assists already.
Predators coach Peter Laviolette has a hot hand of his own in the form of Filip Forsberg, who has points in four-straight as well and has piled up eight points total in that stretch. Forsberg leads a Nashville power play that is clicking at 28% in the early season, good for second in the league. That should be test for a Flyers penalty kill that has been a sore spot early on for coach Dave Hakstol, killing off just 76% of chances of far.
After an injury scare late against the Panthers, Wayne Simmonds was back on the ice for the Flyers’ morning skate. Per the line rushes it also looks like rookie defenseman Travis Sanheim will draw back in for Dave Hakstol’s club.
Noteworthy…
Brian Elliott is 8-5-0 against Nashville with a .911 SV% and a 2.56 GAA and Michal Neuvirth is 3-0-0 with a .955 SV% and a 1.44 GAA…
Claude Giroux has been a point per game player against Nasville with 14 points in 14 games (six goals, eight assists)…
Pekka Rinne is 5-2-2 against the Flyers with a .906 SV% and a 2.91 GAA while his backup Juuse Saros is 0-1 with a .889 SV% and a 3.08 GAA in his lone career game against Philadelphia…
The Flyers are 12-5-5 all-time against the Predators with three ties…
The Flyers’ lineup (as always subject to change):
Forwards
Giroux – Couturier – Voracek
Weal – Filppula – Simmonds (!)
Weise – Patrick – Konecny
Leier – Laughton – Raffl
Defense
Provorov – MacDonald
Gostisbehere – Hagg
Sanheim (!) – Gudas
Goalies
Elliott
Neuvirth
Check out Kelly’s preview with Adam from On The Forecheck:
