(Photo: Kate Frese)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor
A new era began for the Flyers on Tuesday night with Scott Gordon's first game behind the bench and Carter Hart's first game in goal. The Flyers managed a 3-2 win in their debut.
Things get a little normal for the Flyers again — no major changes before this home game — as they prepare to face one of the West's best. The Nashville Predators are in town, providing a test for a team that may still be fragile from a lot of changes.
Game time is at 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Nashville Predators | GP | G | A | P |
Claude Giroux | 32 | 11 | 29 | 39 | Ryan Johansen | 35 | 5 | 25 | 30 |
Jake Voracek | 32 | 8 | 17 | 25 | Roman Josi | 35 | 7 | 19 | 26 |
Sean Couturier | 30 | 13 | 11 | 24 | Mattias Ekholm | 35 | 3 | 19 | 22 |
Travis Konecny | 32 | 9 | 11 | 20 | Craig Smith | 35 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
Shayne Gostisbehere | 32 | 4 | 11 | 15 | Kevin Fiala | 35 | 6 | 11 | 17 |
Player to Watch | |
6 Travis Sanheim | 59 Roman Josi |
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, +2 | Last 5 Games: 2 G, 3 A, 5 P, -2 |
Goalie Matchup | |
79 Carter Hart | 35 Pekka Rinne |
1 GP, 1-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .909 SV% | 24 GP, 14-6-1, 2.07 GAA, .927 SV% |
In his NHL debut, Carter Hart got the win making 20 saves. He gets another shot against much tougher competition on Thursday against the Predators.
Pekka Rinne continues to be one of the NHL's elite netminders. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner is off to a great start this season and looks to continue his success on Thursday.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Brian Elliott, Anthony Stolarz, Corban Knight
Scratches: Jori Lehtera, Jordan Weal, Christian Folin
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
28 Claude Giroux | 19 Nolan Patrick | 12 Michael Raffl |
17 Wayne Simmonds | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
25 James van Riemsdyk | 21 Scott Laughton | 11 Travis Konecny |
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 | ||
79 Carter Hart |
Lineup Notes
No changes to the lineup for the Flyers from Tuesday's game. Under Scott Gordon, the lines are subject to change as well. Claude Giroux shifted to center and played with James van Riemsdyk and Travis Konecny in Tuesday's game, even though pre-game line combinations were similar to the above.
Predators Projected Lineup
Injuries: Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, P.K. Subban, Colton Sissons
Scratches: Rocco Grimaldi, Anthony Bitetto, Dan Hamhuis
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
38 Ryan Hartman | 92 Ryan Johansen | 22 Kevin Fiala |
19 Calle Jarnkrok | 8 Kyle Turris | 15 Craig Smith |
20 Miikko Salomaki | 13 Nick Bonino | 51 Austin Watson |
36 Zac Rinaldo | 91 Tyler Gaudet | 89 Frederick Gaudreau |
Defense | ||
59 Roman Josi | 4 Ryan Ellis | |
5 Dan Hamhuis | 14 Mattias Ekholm | |
52 Matt Irwin | 7 Yannick Weber | |
Goalie | ||
35 Pekka Rinne |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (29th, 27th at home), Predators (T-25th, T-25th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (30th, T-26th at home), Predators (11th, T-14th on road)
- Recent History vs. Predators
- Oct. 10, 2017 – Predators 6, Flyers 5 (at NSH)
- Oct. 19, 2017 – Predators 1, Flyers 0 (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Predators
- Claude Giroux – 15 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 14 P
- James van Riemsdyk – 11 GP, 7 G, 3 A, 10 P
- Shayne Gostisbehere – 6 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 P
- Wayne Simmonds – 24 GP, 10 G, 6 A, 16 P
- Milestone Watch
- Jake Voracek needs two points to reach 600 in his career
- Wayne Simmonds needs three goals to reach 200 as a Flyer.
- James van Riemsdyk needs three assists to reach 200 in his career.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic