Before the turkey hits the table, the Predators are back in Nashville to host the Philadelphia Flyers tonight at Bridgestone Arena for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop - the 2,000th game in Predators franchise history. This evening’s contest is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season; the Preds will be in Philadelphia at the end of March.
Nashville will be looking to rebound from a 5-2 loss in New Jersey on Monday night that saw Filip Forsberg and Zach L’Heureux find the back of the net for the Preds. The result followed a 4-1 win over Winnipeg on Saturday, and the Predators know they need more of that effort as opposed to what they saw on Monday against the Devils.
“I thought tonight they were faster, they won more battles and they were just a better team for 60 minutes,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said following Monday’s loss. “We had a little bit of a push in the third, but it was way too late. We’ve been talking about it - we have one good game and we fall back to a bad game, and we’re not in a position to do that. We need to find consistency.”
Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon left Monday’s game in New Jersey with a lower-body injury and did not return. L’Heureux also left late in the third period after being cross-checked in the face by Devils forward Timo Meier.
Nashville forward Michael McCarron (upper body, day-to-day) and Luke Evangelista were scratched in New Jersey. Prior to Monday’s game, the Predators acquired the New York Rangers’ fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Philip Tomasino.
Updates:
The Preds have recalled defensemen Adam Wilsby and Nick Blankenburg from Milwaukee (AHL). Forward Michael McCarron (upper-body) has been placed on Injured Reserve.
Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Wilsby will make his NHL debut tonight, while Blankenburg will make his Predators debut.