PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. PREDATORS
Looking to get right back on the winning track after their 10-game winning streak ended on Saturday, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (19-11-3) return home to host Peter Laviolette's Nashville Predators (13-12-5) on Monday. Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on CSN Philadelphia.
This is the second and final meeting of the season between the inter-conference teams and the lone meeting in Philadelphia. On December 4, the Flyers gritted out a 4-2 win in Nashville. Wayne Simmonds bagged a pair of power play tallies for the Flyers, while Michael Raffl scored a nifty goal off the rush. Steve Mason turned aside 30 of 32 shots, with many key saves in crunch time to preserve the win. Late in the game, Mason and the Flyers benefited from a crucial block by Ivan Provorov before Chris VandeVelde iced the game with an empty net goal.
Flyers Outlook
Monday's game is the start of a busy stretch of three games in four nights before the Flyers enjoy a five-night break in their game schedule over Christmas. After this game, the Flyers host the Washington Capitals on Wednesday and then head to Newark to play the New Jersey Devils the next night.
During the 10-game winning streak, the Flyers averaged 3.50 goals per game while yielding just 2.20 goals per game. However, the team is coming off a 3-1 road loss in Dallas on Saturday.
In Dallas, Taylor Leier scored his first goal in the NHL to enable the Flyers to take a 1-0 lead to the first intermission. Flyers rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov hit the crossbar and later the goal post during the Flyers unsuccessful push late in the game. Steve Mason played well in stopping 25 of 27 Dallas shots but saw his personal eight-game winning streak end. The game saw only one power play aside. Neither team scored.
Jakub Voracek the Flyers with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 33 games. Claude Giroux is second on the team with 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists), while Wayne Simmonds paces the club with 16 goals and eight power play tallies among his 28 points.
Schenn is fourth on the Flyers' scoring leaderboard with 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 30 games. He's followed by rookie forward Travis Konecny (four goals, 12 assists), Shayne Gostisbehere (four goals, 12 assists) and injured veteran offensive defenseman Mark Streit (five goals, 11 assists).
Rookie defenseman Provorov has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) while dressing in all 33 games. The 19-year-old is already now routinely matched up against other teams' top lines and is averaging a team-high 20:49 of ice time and 27.8 shifts per game.
On the injury front, Matt Read (midsection), Sean Couturier (knee) and Michal Neuvirth (sprained left knee) remain on injured reserve. Veteran Mark Streit is out with a suspected sprained left shoulder (officially, an upper-body injury). None are expected to return before the Christmas break. According to Flyers general manager Ron Hextall, there is chance several of the players could play before the end of December. Neuvirth is likely out until the new year.
Predators Outlook
The Flyers are one of just three teams to beat the Predators in regulation on their home ice (10-3-3) this season. However, Laviolette's club has struggled mightily on the road, posting a 3-9-2 record thus far. The club has been scuffling overall in December and has won only three of its last 10 games (3-5-2).
Nashville enters this game coming off a 2-1 shootout home loss to the New York Rangers. Mike Fisher's 100th goal as a Predator tied the score at 1-1 midway through the second period and neither team scored again until the skills competition. Juuse Saaros stopped 26 of 27 shots in regulation and overtime.
Standout defenseman P.K. Subban missed Saturday's game with an upper-body injury. He is officially listed as day-to-day but did not travel with the team. The Predators play the Devils in Newark on Tuesday.
Former Columbus center Ryan Johansen leads the Predators in scoring with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 30 games. He is followed by Viktor Arvidsson (nine goals, 11 assists), veteran playmaker Mike Ribeiro (four goals, 15 assists), James Neal (team-high 12 goals, six assists) and Fisher (nine goals, nine assists). Pekka Rinne has posted a 12-8-4 record, 2.50 GAA, 91.4% save percentage and one shutout.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 3.12 (4th), Predators 2.90 (7th) Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.97 (25th), Predators 2.83 (19th) Power play efficiency: Flyers 23.3% (3rd), Predators 19.8% (11th) Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 82.5% (13th), Predators 80.4 (T-18th) Shots on goal per game: Flyers 31.3 (6th), Predators 32.5 (4th) Shots against per game: Flyers 28.7 (7th), Predators 29.8 (13th) Faceoff percentage: Flyers 50.1% (T-12th), Predators 49.6% (15th)
Projected Lineups (subject to change, will be updated)
FLYERS (Saturday's lines)
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 17 Wayne Simmonds 11 Travis Konecny - 10 Brayden Schenn - 93 Jakub Voracek 76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 P-E Bellemare - 13 Roman Lyubimov 58 Taylor Leier - 25 Nick Cousins - 22 Dale Weise
9 Ivan Provorov - 47 Andrew MacDonald 15 Michael Del Zotto- 3 Radko Gudas 53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 23 Brandon Manning
35 Steve Mason [41 Anthony Stolarz]
Scratches: Sean Couturier (lower body, suspected left MCL), Michal Neuvirth (IR, knee), Matt Read (IR, abdominal area), Mark Streit (shoulder), Boyd Gordon (healthy), Nick Schultz (healthy).
PREDATORS
9 Filip Forsberg - 92 Ryan Johansen - 18 James Neal 56 Kevin Fiala - 63 Mike Ribeiro - 38 Viktor Arvidsson 33 Colin Wilson - 12 Mike Fisher - 15 Craig Smith 10 Colton Scissons - 19 Calle Jà¤rnkrok - 51 Austin Watson
59 Roman Josi - 4 Ryan Ellis 14 Mattias Ekholm - 8 Petter Granberg 52 Matt Irwin - 7 Yannick Weber
35 Pekka Rinne [74 Juuse Saaros]
Scratches: P.K. Subban (upper body), Anthony Bitetto (IR, broken hand), Miikka Salomà¤ki (IR, lower body), Reid Boucher (AHL conditioning assignment).