NASHVILLE — Joel Farabee had a goal and two assists, and the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Nashville Predators 3-1 at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.
Farabee did not have a point in Philadelphia’s first four games this season.
“I think I was at the point, fifth game of the year, definitely wanted to bring more offense to my game and create a lot more that way,” Farabee said. “Just to get a win on the road in Nashville is always tough, so definitely feeling good about that. I think [goalie Carter Hart] kept us in it the whole night, so a lot of credit to him.”
Kevin Hayes had a goal and an assist, and Hart made 31 saves for the Flyers (4-1-0).
Matt Duchene scored, and Jesus Saros made 22 saves for the Predators (2-4-1), who haven’t won since beginning the season with back-to-back victories against the San Jose Sharks at the Global Series in Prague on Oct. 7-8.
“Our focus is continuing to get better,” Nashville coach John Hynes said. “As I said, you have to take the situations for what they are. We haven’t won here in five games. I think there’s different reasons for that.
“We have an opportunity now, an opportunity to reset, get away from it for a day, come back and have some good practices and refocus. That’s what our focus has to be, what we can control moving forward.”
Video: PHI@NSH: Hayes fires puck blocker side in 1st
Hayes gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 3:13 of the first period, scoring on Philadelphia’s first shot of the game. Farabee forced Nashville defensemen Ryan McDonagh to turn over the puck in the corner before feeding Hayes in the left face-off circle for a quick shot.
Zack MacEwen extended the lead to 2-0 at 18:36 when he came off the bench and scored on a rebound after kicking the puck to his stick.
“I felt we had a little bit of a gang mentality in the first period, a couple of fights, protected one another, protected our goalie when we needed to,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “I thought we played better as the game went on. I thought our third period was really good with our checking and our exits.”
Video: PHI@NSH: MacEwen scores in 1st period
Farabee extended the lead to 3-0 at 7:44 of the third period, scoring off the rush from the left circle.
“I think players, when they get some points, always helps their confidence,” Tortorella said. “We’re trying to get [Farabee] playing better by giving him minutes (18:49).
“I think he’s been a little behind because of a lack of playing time during camp. Hopefully, that will release him a little bit. He scores a big goal, the third one, so little by little. I don’t think he’s playing great, but I think when forwards get points, it helps their game.”
Duchene scored from the right circle during a 6-on-4 at 17:42 for the 3-1 final.
Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki was stretchered off the ice at 6:24 of the second period after being hit behind Philadelphia’s net by forward Morgan Frost. No penalty was assessed on the play.
The Predators later tweeted that Borowiecki was conscious and had movement in all of his extremities when he left the arena. He was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he will undergo further testing and observation.
“It’s never comforting when you see a player or teammate go down in that fashion,” Hynes said. “I think when you saw it right away, when he hit the boards and then he went right down, you could tell it was a serious incident. He’s such a great guy, a big part of the team.
“It’s nice to see that it looks like he’s going to be OK from the serious part of the injury. Obviously, he’s going to be banged up here for a little bit, but it’s … nice to see him be OK and be able to get back on the mend.”
NOTES: Hayes has eight points (one goal, seven assists) during a five-game point streak. … Flyers forward Lukas Sedlak had three shots on goal and one hit in 9:45 of ice time in his debut after being claimed off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. … Nashville general manager David Poile was honored before the game for becoming the first NHL general manager to reach 3,000 career games.
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