Mike Yeo said the Flyers wanted to make Claude Giroux's 1,000th career game a special one with a win.
They delivered for their captain, rallying from a late third-period deficit to beat the Predators, 5-4, Thursday night at an energized Wells Fargo Center.
Kevin Hayes scored a game-tying goal with 4:15 minutes remaining before Joel Farabee netted the game-winner fewer than three minutes later.
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Fans bellowed Giroux's name during a special pregame ceremony and at the final buzzer.
The 34-year-old captain and longest-tenured active athlete in Philadelphia was visibly emotional as he saluted the fans following the win.
The Flyers (19-30-11) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Giroux's milestone came four days before the trade deadline. Amid a second consecutive down year for the franchise, Giroux very well could be traded in the coming days.
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If this was goodbye between Giroux and the Flyers, it was done extremely well.
In 10 days, these two clubs meet again when the Predators (35-22-4) play host.
• Attendance has not been pretty for the Flyers this season, with crowds often resembling the size and feel of a preseason game. That is life in pro sports when a season with expectations goes this wrong.
Thursday night was a change of pace in this 2021-22 campaign.
Flyers fans went all out for Giroux. The listed attendance was 18,405. The atmosphere matched the game's billing.
The organization did a fantastic job with the buildup and follow-through of honoring an all-time great Flyer.
More: Fitting farewell? With trade deadline looming, Giroux, Flyers have special night
With the crowd fired up from the pregame ceremony, Zack MacEwen and 6-foot-6 Nashville winger Michael McCarron dropped the gloves seven minutes into the action. It was a big-boy bout and MacEwen played to the crowd.
Forty-four seconds later, Travis Sanheim broke the ice to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead.
• The second period was a back-and-forth one with five combined goals.
Cam York and James van Riemsdyk scored for the Flyers. Van Riemsdyk's goal gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead.
Nashville answered with two of its own to knot the game 3-3 at second intermission.
• Carter Hart converted 30 saves on 34 shots.
The Flyers were not very disciplined as they went on the PK four times and finished 3 for 4.
Roman Josi finished with three assists for the Predators.
Nashville netminder Juuse Saros, who is having a standout year, stopped 28 of the Flyers' 33 shots.
• Philippe Myers was back at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time since being traded last summer to Nashville in the Ryan Ellis deal.
The 25-year-old defenseman has been in and out of a deep Predators lineup, playing 27 games this season.
He was in Nashville's lineup for his return to Philadelphia and ended up scoring his first goal with the Predators.
"We saw how well he played for us three years ago as far as playing in a top-four role," Yeo said Thursday morning. "When I was running the D at that time, I had no hesitation — in fact I was searching opportunities — to play him against top lines, top opponents. So I certainly believe that there's a lot of potential there.
"It takes time for defensemen especially, but young players in this league. It's a real challenging league and everybody has sort of their own development curve."
• The Flyers are right back at it Friday when they visit the Senators for their penultimate game before the deadline (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).
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