John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (9-10-3) are in Music City on Wednesday night to take on Andrew Brunette's Nashville Predators (7-12-3). Game time at Bridgestone Arena is 8:00 p.m. EST.
The game will be televised on NBCSP+. The radio broadcast is on 93.3 WMMR with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the first of two games between the inter-conference teams. The Flyers and Predators will rematch in Philadelphia on the evening of March 31.
Wednesday's match is the second of a gauntlet of four matches in six nights for the Flyers. On Monday at Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers built a 3-0 lead over the Vegas Golden Knights but ultimately lost via shootout, 5-4 (1-0).
Here are five things to watch in the pre-Thanksgiving clash in Nashville.
1. Goals could be at a premium
Both the Flyers and Predators are in the lower half of the NHL in terms of goal scoring. Philly ranks tied for 19th with the Seattle Kraken at an average 2.77 goals per game. Meanwhile the Predators rank 30th at an anemic 2.36 goals per game.
On the flip side, the Flyers and Preds are looking to sharpen their respective abilities to keep the puck out of their own nets. The Predators rank 23rd with a team 3.18 goals against average, while the Flyers are tied for 27th at 3.45 goals against per game.
Over the last three weeks, the Flyers have scored at a 3.10 GPG clip in 10 games (tied for 12th in that span) and posted a 3.20 team goals against average (tied for 23rd). Nashville has also played 10 games since Nov. 5, scoring 2.30 GPG (tied for 27th) and posting a team 2.90 GAA (17th).
2. Between the pipes
On paper, the goaltending matchup on Wednesday favors the Predators.
Juuse Saros has struggled for goal support this season, being saddled with a 6-10-2 record despite his 2.57 GAA, .915 save percentage and two shutouts. Scott Wedgewood is 1-2-1 in four starts and one relief appearance (3.69 GAA, .878 save percentage).
With primary starting goaltender Samuel Ersson (10 starts and one relief outing, 5-2-2 record, 2.70 GAA, .902 SV%, one shutout) on Injured Reserve, the Flyers are trying to hold the fort in goal with a combination of Aleksei Kolosov (5 GP with four starts, 1-4-0 record, 3.34 GAA, .877 SV%) and Ivan Fedotov (8 GP, 3-4-1 record, 3.69 GAA, .874 SV%).
3. Farabee Factor
Flyers left winger Joel Farabee started the 2024-25 regular season with points in each of the first three games (one goal, two assists). Since that time, in the last 19 games, he has five points (2g, 3a).
Farabee seemed to be turning the corner in a positive direction in late October and the start of November, including a second mini-streak of points in three straight games (1g, 2a) from Oct. 27 to 31. His best all-around performances of the season came during the Flyers southern road trip to Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay.
Farabee's productivity dropped again over the next few weeks. More recently, however, he's seen an increase in his ice time. On Monday against Vegas, Farabee logged a season-high 19:51 of ice time and had multiple scoring chances among his five shots on goal (one less than his season high).
"Beezer" appears to be on the cusp of an offensive breakthrough along similar lines to his play during the pre-All Star break portion of last season. Now he has to take the final step and turn the scoring chances he's getting into goals.
4. A Tipp-ing point for the Frost line?
During training camp and the preseason, a line combination with Morgan Frost centering Owen Tippett and rookie right winger Matvei Michkov seemed to find quick chemistry. Once the regular season started, however, both Frost and Tippett struggled to produce in a variety of different line combinations.
The preseason combination was back together in Monday's game, with promising signs. Frost posted a goal and an assist while being in the thick of six different prime scoring chances. Michkov scored a goal and set up multiple scoring opportunities for his linemates. Tippett had the second assist on Frost's goal.
Michkov leads NHL rookies with eight goals and 17 points and has scored a goal in back-to-back games. On a team basis, getting Frost and Tippett rolling offensively on a more regular basis is a top priority.
5. Behind enemy lines: Special teams are Preds' strength
The Predators are 3-5-2 over the last 10 games. Brunette's team is coming off an impressive 4-1 home win against the Winnipeg Jets and then a 5-2 road loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Filip Forsberg (9g, 8a) and defenseman Roman Josi (4g, 13a) share the team scoring lead with 17 points apiece. Jonathan Marchessault (4g, 8a) and veteran two-way center Ryan O'Reilly (3g, 9a) have 12 points apiece. Longtime Tampa Bay franchise icon Steven Stamkos has six power play goals among his seven overall tallies and 11 points.
On the special teams side, the Predators rank 13th on the power play (21.1 percent) and are the NHL's No. 1 PK club at 90.5 percent. The Flyers rank 3rd on the PK (85.5 percent) and tied for 23rd on the power play (16.9 percent).
