Flyers-Predators: Game 39 Preview

Kevin Durso

January 1 2019

(Photo: Kate Frese)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor

It has been a trying road trip for the Flyers. After making another miraculous comeback against the Lightning to gain a point, the Flyers have dropped the last two games in regulation — one a late-game collapse in Florida and the other a lifeless New Year's Eve performance.

The Flyers start 2019 in Nashville, closing out the road trip against the Predators.

Game time is at 8:30 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Nashville Predators	GP	G	A	P
Claude Giroux	38	13	31	44	Ryan Johansen	40	7	27	34
Jake Voracek	38	10	20	30	Roman Josi	40	7	22	29
Sean Couturier	36	14	14	28	Mattias Ekholm	39	3	22	25
Travis Konecny	38	9	12	21	Kevin Fiala	40	7	14	21
Wayne Simmonds	38	11	6	17	Craig Smith	40	10	10	20

Player to Watch
28 Claude Giroux	92 Ryan Johansen
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, -1	Last 5 Games: 2 G, 2 A, 4 P, -5

After an excellent game in Tampa that ended with a turnover that led to the winning goal, Claude Giroux has been held off the board in the last two games. The Flyers need the captain to get back on the board and make an impact offensively. The team has just two goals in the last two games.

Ryan Johansen looked like he was on his way to a goal against the Flyers in the first meeting between the two teams. Since then, he has scored twice and added two assists for four points in his last four games, including three points in Monday's 6-3 win over Washington.

Goalie Matchup
30 Michal Neuvirth	74 Juuse Saros
5 GP, 1-2-1, 4.10 GAA, .865 SV%	15 GP, 8-5-1, 3.05 GAA, .894 SV%

Monday night just wasn't Carter Hart's night, allowing three goals and being pulled less than three minutes into the second period. Michal Neuvirth came on and had an impressive outing in relief. There's a good chance Tuesday's game was his anyway, but he should have earned the start in Nashville with that performance.

Juuse Saros figures to get the start for the Predators with Pekka Rinne playing in Monday's game for Nashville. Saros has a solid 8-5-1 record, but his other numbers fall significantly short of Rinne's.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Nolan Patrick, Brian Elliott, Anthony Stolarz, Corban Knight

Scratches: Jori Lehtera, Christian Folin

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
25 James van Riemsdyk	28 Claude Giroux	11 Travis Konecny
12 Michael Raffl	14 Sean Couturier	93 Jake Voracek
21 Scott Laughton	40 Jordan Weal	17 Wayne Simmonds
23 Oskar Lindblom	44 Phil Varone	22 Dale Weise
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov	6 Travis Sanheim
53 Shayne Gostisbehere	8 Robert Hagg
47 Andrew MacDonald	3 Radko Gudas
Goalie
30 Michal Neuvirth

Lineup Notes

No changes are expected to the Flyers lineup following Monday's game.

Predators Projected Lineup

Injuries: Filip Forsberg, Colton Sissons, Kyle Turris, Yannick Weber

Scratches: Matt Irwin, Nicholas Baptiste

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
38 Ryan Hartman	92 Ryan Johansen	33 Viktor Arvidsson
22 Kevin Fiala	19 Calle Jarnkrok	15 Craig Smith
20 Miikka Salomaki	13 Nick Bonino	51 Austin Watson
36 Zac Rinaldo	89 Frederick Gaudreau	23 Rocco Grimaldi
Defense
59 Roman Josi	4 Ryan Ellis
14 Mattias Ekholm	76 P.K. Subban
5 Dan Hamhuis	2 Anthony Bitetto
Goalie
74 Juuse Saros

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (31st, T-28th on road), Predators (T-25th, 23rd at home)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (30th, T-28th on road), Predators (12th, 12th at home)
Recent History vs. Predators
- Dec. 20, 2018 – Flyers 2, Predators 1 (at PHI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Predators
- Claude Giroux – 16 GP, 7 G, 8 A, 15 P
- James van Riemsdyk – 12 GP, 7 G, 3 A, 10 P
- Shayne Gostisbehere – 7 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 P
- Michal Neuvirth – 5 GP, 3-1-1, 1.36 GAA, .955 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Wayne Simmonds needs two goals to reach 200 as a Flyer.