Flyers-Predators: Game 49 Preview

 

 

The Philadelphia Flyers (22-18-8) hit the road for a battle with Shea Weber and the Nashville Predators (24-19-8) on Thursday night. This is the second and final meeting between the two clubs this season. Game time from Music City is 8 p.m.

 

The Flyers defeated the Predators, 3-2, in overtime in Philadelphia back on Nov. 27. Shayne Gostisbehere scored the overtime winner for the Flyers. Michal Neuvirth got the win in goal.

 

Player to Watch
14 Sean Couturier	59 Roman Josi
Last 5 Games: 0G, 2A, 2P, +1	Last 5 Games: 0G, 3A, 3, +2

 

Sean Couturier made his return to the lineup Tuesday after missing the three previous games due to injury. The 23-year-old center had an assist in the team's 4-2 win over the Canadiens. It will be interesting to see how he recovers from game action after missing the time. With Brayden Schenn on his wing, Couturier's line has proved much needed secondary scoring over the past month or so.

Goalie Matchup
35 Steve Mason	35 Pekka Rinne
11-12-6, 2.70 GAA, .915 SV%	19-16-7, 2.43 GAA, .907 SV%

Steve Mason returned to lineup himself on Tuesday earning the win against Montreal. Mason looked sharp in his first action in over a week. Mason will need to be strong as backup Michal Neuvirth will be out for at least the next week with an injury. The Flyers have a three games in four night stretch beginning tonight and Mason will be called upon to shoulder the load between the pipes. 

Pekka Rinne looks to get the nod for the Predators. Rinne is having another solid year for Nashville. His save percentage is a little lower than most are accustomed to seeing from him but make no mistake about, Rinne can steal games by himself and will be tough to beat.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: R.J. Umberger, Brandon Manning, Michal Neuvirth, Jordan Weal

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
93 Jake Voracek	28 Claude Giroux	17 Wayne Simmonds
89 Sam Gagner	10 Sean Couturier	10 Brayden Schenn
76 Chris VandeVelde	78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare	25 Ryan White
24 Matt Read	21 Scott Laughton	12 Micheal Raffl
Defense
15 Michael Del Zotto	53 Shayne Gostisbehere
32 Mark Streit	55 Nick Schultz
82 Evgeny Medvedev	3 Radko Gudas
Goalie
35 Steve Mason

The Flyers will use the same lineup as they did on Tuesday against Montreal.

Game Notes

• Power Play: Flyers (T-14th, 12th on road), Predators (9th, 17th at home) 
• Penalty Kill: Flyers (26th, 21st on road), Predators  (23rd, 23rd at home)
• The Flyers are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games overall. 
• Philadelphia is 10-8-3 all time against the Predators and just 3-4-2 in Nashville.

Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Bill Minchin is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow Bill on Twitter @wtfd103074.