(Kate Frese/SB Nation)
After a three-game trip to California that saw the Flyers claim four points, they close out their season-opening West swing with a trip to Nashville.
It's been an interesting trip for the Flyers, and one that has showed us a lot about who they are to open the season. They face yet another test tonight, taking on a Preds team that has wholly embraced the spirit of "Smashville" following their first run to the Stanley Cup Final in club history.
Puck drop is set for 8 p.m., though with the Predators slated to unveil their inaugural Western Conference Champions banner, it'll come a bit later.
Team Leaders
| Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Nashville Predators | GP | G | A | P |
| Wayne Simmonds | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | Viktor Arvidsson | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Jake Voracek | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | Ryan Johansen | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Sean Couturier | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Scott Hartnell | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | Filip Forsberg | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Claude Giroux | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | P.K. Subban | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 17 Wayne Simmonds | 76 P.K. Subban |
| Last 5 Games: 4 G, 0 A, 4 P, +1 | Last 5 Games: 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, -4 |
Injuries:
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 37 Brian Elliott | 35 Pekka Rinne |
| 2-0-0, 2.50 GAA, .914 SV% | 0-1-0, 3.16 GAA, .903 SV% |
Brian Elliott makes his second-consecutive start for the Flyers. In their last game against the Ducks, 'Moose' made 21 saves on 23 shots.
Pekka Rinne was not in net for the Preds' last game, a 4-0 shutout loss against Pittsburgh. He returns to the net, looking to guide Nashville to their first victory.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Jori Lehtera, Brandon Manning, Sam Morin
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
| 40 Jordan Weal | 51 Valtteri Filppula | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 22 Dale Weise | 19 Nolan Patrick | 11 Travis Konecny |
| 20 Taylor Leier | 21 Scott Laughton | 12 Michael Raffl |
| Defense | ||
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 8 Robert Hagg | |
| 6 Travis Sanheim | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| Goalie | ||
| 37 Brian Elliott |
Lineup Notes
The Flyers will roll out the same lineup for tonight's game against Nashville. Jori Lehtera and Brandon Manning remain healthy scratches, as does Sam Morin, for some reason.
Predators Projected Lineup
Injuries: Ryan Ellis (knee injury, out 4-6 months), Roman Josi (undisclosed, out day-to-day), Colton Sissons (undisclosed, out day-to-day)
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 33 Viktor Arvidsson | 92 Ryan Johansen | 15 Craig Smith |
| 9 Filip Forsberg | 19 Calle Jarnkrok | 56 Kevin Fiala |
| 17 Scott Hartnell | 13 Nick Bonino | 46 Pontus Aberg |
| 55 Cody McLeod | 51 Austin Watson | 250 Mikka Salomaki |
| Defense | ||
| 14 Mattias Ekholm | 94 Samuel Girard | |
| 25 Alexei Emelin | 76 P.K. Subban | |
| 52 Matt Irwin | 7 Yannick Weber | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Pekka Rinne |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-13th, T-9th on road), Predators (T-16th, N/A at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (13th, 6th on road), Predators (T-10th, N/A at home)
- Recent History vs. Predators
- Dec. 4, 2016 – Flyers 4, Predators 2
- Dec. 19, 2017 - Predators 2, Flyers 1 (F/OT)
- Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux needs one goals to move into 15th all-time in Flyers history. Giroux also needs one assist to move into fourth all-time in Flyers history, and four assists to reach 400 for his career.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
