Game Day: Preds at Flyers Preview

After taking care of business at home against Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the Nashville Predators have arrived in Philadelphia for the first time since 2018 to take on the Flyers tonight. This evening's contest is the first of two meetings between Nashville and Philadelphia this season and the only one at Wells Fargo Center.
The Preds underwent an internal reset after the loss at Seattle at the beginning of the month, and since then, they've shown a rejuvenated sense of urgency and determination. Nashville took full control of third place in the Central Division with that 4-1 victory over the Penguins on Tuesday and show no signs of slowing down as they look to continue that this evening at Philadelphia.

"It's obviously fun when it's a tight race toward the playoffs," goaltender Juuse Saros said following Tuesday's win. "Every point matters. So, it's exciting, but it's also more fun. You've just got to stay with it."
With a strong win against a foe like Pittsburgh, it's a good reminder that each game moving forward is going to be more challenging and grueling than earlier on in the season. The Preds will look to continue to stick to their identity and not stray away from what has gotten them to this point in the season.
"From now on, they're all going to be hard wins," Tanner Jeannot said Tuesday evening. "Everyone's digging in for playoff time coming up at the end of the year here. Each game is going to get harder and harder, and we've just got to keep developing our game and work toward that."
"It was a hard-fought battle," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said Tuesday following the game. "I just have a lot of respect for the way that our guys have dug in and competed and remained focused, and they're ready for the games. They've met the challenges of each game, but they've also met the challenges within each game when we get tested on our areas that we can improve upon. So, a lot of respect for the way that our guys have competed, and tonight was a hard-fought battle and we found a way to win."
Predators defenseman Matt Benning did not play on Tuesday and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Blueliner Mark Borowiecki (day-to-day, lower-body) was also absent. The Preds did not practice on Wednesday, but they're expected to hold a morning skate prior to facing the Flyers.

The Good Guys:

A total of four Preds scored Tuesday evening versus the Penguins. Mattias Ekholm, Eeli Tolvanen and Yakov Trenin each tallied Tuesday, as did Jeannot, who recorded his fourth game-winning goal of the season. Saros made 35 saves and earned his 29th win of the campaign.
Predators rookies have scored 31 goals, the most in the NHL this season. Nashville rookies have compiled 86 points and account for 16.3 percent of the team's points, the second- and third-most, respectively, in the NHL in 2021-22.
Preds Captain Roman Josi continues to lead his club in points with 69 (17g-52a), followed by Matt Duchene with 60 (31g-29a) and Filip Forsberg with 55 (31g-24a). Ryan Johansen has 44 points (15g-29a), Mikael Granlund also has 44 (9g-35a) and Jeannot has 34 (19g-15a). Saros is 29-18-3 in net; David Rittich is 5-2-1.

The Opposition:

The Flyers have lost three straight games including a 4-3 overtime loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday evening. Cam Atkinson leads his club in points with 45 (22g-23a), followed by Claude Giroux with 42 (18g-24a) and Travis Konecny with 35 (10g-25a). Goaltender Carter Hart is 11-19-7 in net; netminder Martin Jones is 7-11-3 on the season.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 12-10-(3)-3 all-time against the Flyers, including a 6-6-(1)-2 record on the road. Tonight will be the first game between the two teams since Jan. 1, 2019, a span of 1,171 days; Nashville has not played on the road in Philadelphia since Dec. 20, 2018. The Predators have played in 225 regular-season games across three campaigns since last taking on the Flyers.
The Predators are 4-1-0 in their last five games vs. the Flyers; they are 5-3-2 in their last 10; and 2-1-2 in their last five on the road. Nashville is 5-4-(0)-0 all-time when playing on St. Patrick's Day and won its last matchup on the holiday in 2016 against the NY Islanders.

Notables Versus Philadelphia:

Johansen set a single-game career high in points (4) and assists (4) at Philadelphia on Nov. 14, 2014. Duchene owns 13 points (8g-5a) in 16 career games vs. Philadelphia. Ekholm has four points (4a) in his last six games against the Flyers.
Philippe Myers was acquired from Philadelphia on July 17, 2021. He recorded 29 points (6g-23a) in 115 games with the Flyers from 2019-21. Nick Cousins played parts of three seasons for the Flyers from 2015-17, tallying 12 goals and 27 points.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for this evening's 6 p.m. CT start from Minnesota begins at 5:30 p.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Lyndsay Rowley have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. Pregame coverage on the radio begins at 5 p.m. with Darren McFarland.