The Flyers will be in the Music City tonight to square off against the Nashville Predators. This will be the last of their three-game road trip and second back-to-back this week. The Flyers will look to move to 4-1-0 while the Predators will be looking to get back in the win column as they’ve lost their last four games.
The Flyers will be headed home to play the Sharks tomorrow but need to focus on the game at hand. The Torts effect has definitely been noticeable, and the Flyers will definitely be in control against the Predators if they come out and take control early. They also will not be playing a team on high emotions due to their home opener.
This is a back-to-back that the Flyers can absolutely go 2-0-0 in, but they will need to continue to work hard and actually score the first goal in the game. Being the comeback kids is fine, especially since the team last season was completely incapable of completing such a task. Getting to see the Flyers play with the lead early on will give a deeper look into the identity of this team and the overall skill.
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 3-1-0 (6 points, 4th in Metro)
The comeback kids just couldn’t finish the job against the Panthers. The goal called back was one of bad luck, but overall, they fought and clawed to get back into the game. Losing 4-3 to one of the best teams in the league last season is nothing to get down about.
Now the Flyers are playing two struggling teams this weekend in the Predators and Sharks. This should not only help them find more confidence but also the way to play to get the lead.
The Flyers need to play with more discipline in this matchup. Having 47 penalty minutes in four games is not ideal. If they can play disciplined, the Predators will get themselves into the box. The Flyers do have four power play goals, but seeing the special teams being successful on both sides of the ice would be a welcoming sight.
Scoring 3.5 goals a game, the Flyers are doing it without Cam Atkinson, Owen Tippet and Sean Couturier. This team has gotten contributions from up and down the roster. What this team really needs is for Kevin Hayes to really get going offensively. Hayes is currently your number one center with Couturier being hurt. Noah Cates and Morgan Frost both have found the back of the net being the centerman of their respective lines but having Hayes scoring goals makes this team dangerous.
Carter Hart and Felix Sandstrom have been incredible in net for the Flyers so far this season. They combine to have a 2.50 GAA and a .930 SV%. Sandstrom made some mistakes against the Panthers, but overall was very solid in net. Carter Hart looks more confident in net. His positioning, poise and confidence seem to be at an all-time high.
Things become brighter when you’re healthy and have a coach who believes in you. Torts relies on goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh to tell him how the goalies are looking and whether or not Hart was good to go at the beginning of the season and it has paid off so far. The revamped defense helps but the goalies battling is the biggest change.
Nick Seeler and Egor Zamula have been nothing short of impressive for this hockey club. After watching the Flyers special, The Standard, we heard just how high Torts is on Zamula. The surprise is just how much of a turnaround Seeler has had from last year. Torts is going to have a tough decision to make when Ristolainen returns because everyone is playing really well. It might have to be Justin Braun because splitting up the bottom pairing might do more damage than good for this roster.
Projected Lineup
Joel Farabee – Kevin Hayes – Travis Konecny
Scott Laughton – Noah Cates – Wade Allison
James van Riemsdyk – Morgan Frost – Zack MacEwen
Nicolas Deslauriers – Lukas Sedlak – Jackson Cates
Ivan Provorov – Tony DeAngelo
Travis Sanheim – Justin Braun
Nick Seeler – Egor Zamula
Hart
Nashville Predators
Record: 2-3-1 (5 pts, 3rd in Central)
The Predators have had a rough go since the Global Series against the San Jose Sharks. This team has been far from what we saw last season in terms of playing ability and talent. This team will get a five-day break until they play again after this so depending on how they come, it will show just how much they want the break.
Nino Niederreiter is currently leading this team with four goals and six points. Filip Forsberg is still the guy to lock down defensively on this team, but it seems like Niederreiter has found his touch. Roman Josi has been quiet for this Predators team, but it isn’t something you should be worried about yet if you are a Predators fan. Josi will wake up at some point and he will go on a tear.
Both goalies for the Predators have a GAA of about 3. Juuse Saros has an SV% of .897 and a GAA of 3.00. Saros is 1-2-1. Kevin Lankinen is 1-1-0 with an SV% of .919 and a GAA of 3.05. Saros is supposed to be the guy for the Predators for the coming years and with his current play, it isn’t necessarily his fault. With the Predators only scoring 2.5 goals per game, the netminders aren’t getting the run support they need to win games. Maybe with the break, the Predators will be able to find themselves.
The key to beating this team will be special teams. The Predators have 74 penalty minutes in six games so far and they have not been disciplined. This Flyers team works hard and forces teams to take penalties. This is the key to tonight’s tilt. If the Flyers get moving, hem the Predators in their zone and score some goals on the powerplay, the game is absolutely theirs for the taking.
Projected Lineup
Filip Forsberg – Mikael Granlund – Matt Duchene
Nino Niederriter – Ryan Johansen – Eeli Tolvanen
Yakov Trenin – Colton Sissions – Tanner Jeannot
Cole Smith – Cody Glass – Kiefer Sherwood
Roman Josi – Alexandre Carrier
Ryan McDonagh – Mattias Ekholm
Jeremy Lauzon – Dante Fabbro
Sarros
When, Where and How to Watch
When: 8 PM
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
Watch: NBCSP +
Listen: 93.3 WMMR
Live Stream: Fubo Tv
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