As always, there hasn’t been a lot to celebrate during one of the toughest seasons for the Flyers in recent Mormont. But there is one thing that players and fans alike will be able to celebrate as Philadelphia welcomes in the Nashville Predators. And that one thing is Claude Giroux.
Drafted by the Flyers in 2006, Giroux will skate in his 1,000th career NHL game, all of which were in the jersey of the team that drafted him. There is expected to be plenty of fanfare before the game. Giroux will be honored with a pregame ceremony that will feature the only other Flyers player to appear in 1,000 games for the team, Bobby Clarke.
His teammates will don Giroux jerseys during warmups and each game jersey will have a patch honoring the accomplishment. And during the ceremony, he will be joined by his wife, Ryanne, and two sons, Gavin and Palmer. All will receive gifts from the organization to commemorate this feat.
The team will try to make this moment as special as they can for him as the trade deadline is just a few days away. Could this be the last time Giroux wears a Flyers jersey? It’s a strong possibility, so enjoy this night for what it is. A moment to celebrate.
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 18-30-11 (47 points, 8th in Metro)
In what is expected to be an emotional night, the Flyers still have a game to play. They’re coming off one of their toughest losses of the season courtesy of the Montreal Canadiens. Holding a lead late in the third and on the power play, they couldn’t clear the puck out of their own end as Montreal scored a shorthanded goal will less than a minute left.
The Canadiens would end up winning in overtime as emotions finally boiled over postgame. The ability to close out games has been an issue throughout the season, but this felt worse somehow than any other moment. Their opponent is almost perfect when it comes to closing out a game, as they hold a 26-0-1 record when leading after two periods.
In what could be Giroux’s final game, the team will do everything they can to send him out on a high note. It’s close to as certain as possible that he won’t remain by Monday’s deadline.
Projected Lineup
Frost – Giroux – Konecny
van Riemsdyk – Brassard – Atkinson
Lindblom – Hayes – Farabee
Willman – Brown – MacEwen
Provorov – York
Sanheim – Ristolainen
Yandle – Braun
Hart
Nashville Predators
Record: 35-21-4 (74 points, 4th in Central)
Visiting for the first time since 2018, the Predators have won five of their last seven games. They recently defeated the Penguins, 4-1, and Minnesota, 6-2, so scoring hasn’t been an issue for them recently.
They’re leading by high-scoring forwards Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg, both with 31 goals. Roman Josi leads the way with 52 assists and 69 goals. Josi has established new career highs in all of his offensive categories this season as well.
Juuse Saros has played almost 85 percent of the Predators games this season. He has appeared in all but one game this month so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in net for this one. Saros has put up solid numbers as the Predators number one goaltender. He has a 2.41 GAA and a .924 SV%
Projected Lineup
Forsberg – Johansen – Duchene
Tolvanen – Granlund – Kunin
Trenin – Sissons – Jeannot
Cousins – McCarron – Tomasino
Josi – Fabbro
Ekholm – Carrier
Harpur – Myers
Saros
When, Where & How to Watch
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV Broadcast: NBCSP
Radio Broadcast: 97.5 FM
Live Stream: Fubo TV
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