|
Flyers Gameday: 11/19/15 vs. SJ |
|
|
|
|
|
PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. SHARKS
Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (6-8-4) return to action on Thursday night, hosting Peter DeBoer's San Jose Sharks (10-8-0). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on CSN Philadelphia.
This is the first of two games between the inter-conference clubs. The teams will rematch in San Jose on Dec. 30. Last season, the Sharks pulled out two hard-fought wins against Philadelphia, scoring in the final 12 seconds of regulation to take a 2-1 win in San Jose and then winning 3-2 via shootout in Philadelphia in the second meeting.
The Flyers last played on Tuesday, hosting the Los Angeles Kings. After this game, the Flyers will practice on Friday and then head to Canada to take on the Ottawa Senators on Saturday evening. The Sharks are playing the fourth match of a six-game eastern road trip. The club was in Boston on Tuesday and will head next to western Pennsylvania to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
Flyers Outlook
The Flyers have lost nine of their last 11 games overall (2-6-3) but it more of a glass three-quarters-full proposition over the last two games. Philly pulled off a 3-2 comeback 3-2 overtime win on Saturday against the host Carolina Hurricanes and then put forth one of their best all-around efforts of the season despite a 3-2 shootout loss to the LA Kings on Tuesday.
In Tuesday's contest, the Flyers led by scores of 1-0 or 2-0 but could not quite hold off Los Angeles. Shayne Gostisbehere scored on a power play blast for his first goal in the NHL. Claude Giroux, who assisted on the Gostisbehere goal, later put Philadelphia ahead 2-1 with a third-period tally. Jakub Voracek, who missed the final seven minutes of the second period to take stiches to and just under his lip, earned a pair of assists.
Originally, Michal Neuvirth was slated to get the start against LA, after number one goalie Steve Mason took a maintenance day on Moday. However, Neuvirth was unable to play on Tuesday with a minor upper-body issue, so Mason ended up starting. Mason stopped 38 of 40 shots during the hockey game and one of two in the skills competition. Neuvirth returned to practice on Wednesday.
Giroux leads the Flyers in goals (six) and points (13). With three assists and four points in his last two games, linemate Jakub Voracek has taken over the team assist lead (eight) and moved into a three-way tie for second on points with nine. Wayne Simmonds has three goals -- two at even strength, one on the power play -- and nine points. A healthy scratch on Saturday, Brayden Schenn moved up to the top line on Tuesday and generated eight shots on goal, not including a disallowed goal for a "distinct kicking motion." For the season, Schenn has five goals and seven points.
Mason has played better than his stats suggest. His season stats (3-5-3 record, 3.21 goals against average, .902 save percentage) are skewed by three things: a disastrous brief appearance in start in the second game of the season against the Florida Panthers when he was dealing with a family crisis, playing well individually but being repeatedly abandoned defensively in letting up five unstoppable goals against the San Jose Sharks, and the Flyers' ongoing struggles (a carryover problem from last year) in killing penalties. Apart from his family issue, he also dealt with an illness earlier this month and a minor undisclosed injury for which he's taken post-game treatement and a recent maintenance day. Nevertheless, he's played well in three straight starts and now seems to be finding a similar groove to the last two seasons.
Neuvirth has had some physical issues of his own this season, including a concussion. However, he's played brilliantly in most of his appearances and brings a 3-3-1 record, 2.08 GAA and .931 save percentage into this game. All three of Neuvirth's wins have been shutouts.
On the injury front, the Flyers will be without Ryan White (suspected right shoulder injury) for two to four weeks after getting injured in the third period of Saturday's game against Carolina. Forward R.J. Umberger (suspected foot injury) remains on injured reserve and has yet to resume skating since going down in the Nov. 7 game in Winipeg. Defenseman Mark Streit is on long-term injured reserve for surgery to repair a displaced pubic plate. Streit is expected to miss approximately six weeks from Nov. 17.
Sharks Outlook
The Sharks' road trip has been a very successful one so far. The team went on the road having previously played inconsistent hockey and sporting a 7-8-0 record. Now things are looking up as the club has rattled off three straight one-goal victories -- two in regulation, one in overtime -- while starting to settle into more of a rhythm.
When the Sharks are at their best, playing them is somewhat similar to playing Los Angeles. Although the Kings are better defensively while the Sharks are a little more potent offensively, both clubs have a lot of size in the lineup and use it effectively.
DeBoer's system, which the Flyers know all too well from having struggled to beat his Devils' teams, is rather different than that of long-time San Jose coach Todd McLellan but it seems of late that the Sharks' players are starting to make the adjustment successfully. DeBoer teams typically force opponents to play 200 feet and put pucks behind the defense to set up the forecheck. Last year, the Sharks were 24th in the NHL in goals against average (2.76), while they are 16th (2.61) in the early going of the 2015-16 season.
On Tuesday, however, no lead was safe as the Sharks earned a 5-4 regulation win over the Boston Bruins. The Sharks led 1-0, then trailed by scores of 2-1 and 3-2 before pulling ahead again with an even strength goal and two power play tallies in a span of less than four minutes to lead 5-3 with a little more than half of the game to go. The Bruins got one back in the third period but the Sharks hung on for the one-goal win.
Joe Pavelski led the way offensively in Boston, racking up a goal and two assists. Long-ago Bruin center Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist against his original team. Patrick Marleau scored a goal to move to within one tally or assist from reaching the coveted 1,000 point milestone in his regular season NHL career. Offensive defenseman Brent Burns chipped in his eighth assist of the season. Winning goalie Martin Jones (25 saves on 29 shots) held the fort in a third period in which the Sharks were outshot by an 11-5 margin while trying to preserve their lead.
In their previous games on the road trip, Jones made 26 saves and Pavelski scored the game-winner in a 3-2 regulation win in Detroit and then Jones got the start again the next day to make 30 saves in a 2-1 overtime win in Buffalo ended by a Marleau goal with 2:01 remaining in the 3-on-3 OT.
Pavelski (10 goals, 18 points) enters Thursday's game leading the Sharks in both goals and points. There is a three-way tie for second in overall scoring between Thornton (three goals, team-high 11 assists), veteran role player Joel Ward (eight goals, six assists) and Burns (five goals, nine assists). Marleau, who has shifted to play center during the current road trip, has 11 points (six goals, five assists). Jones brings a 2.25 goals against average, .918 save percentage, 9-5-0 record and two shutouts in 15 games into this game.
On the San Jose injury front, the club remains without one of its key forwards: Logan Couture is on injured reserve with fractured right fibula broken near the ankle.
Former Flyer and long-time Devils forward Dainius Zubrus -- a player DeBoer deployed effectively against Philadelphia during their time together in New Jersey -- joined the Sharks on a tryout basis this week. On Wednesday, the 37-year-old practiced with the team at the University of Pennsylvania's Class of 1923 Arena.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 1.89 (29th), Sharks 2.72 (14th)
Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.89 (22nd), Sharks 2.61 (16th)
5-on-5 Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 23/27, Sharks 33/30
Power play efficiency: Flyers 14.8% (26th), Sharks 15.1% (24th)
Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 75.4% (26th), Sharks 76.8% (23rd)
Shots per game: Flyers 29.8 (16th), Sharks 30.4 (T-10th)
Shots against per game: Flyers 33.7 (29th), Sharks 27.8 (T-3rd)
Faceoff percentage: Flyers 50.7% (8th), Sharks 53.7% (1st)
Projected lineups (subject to change, will be updated)
Flyers
10 Brayden Schenn - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 17 Wayne Simmonds
58 Taylor Leier - 21 Scott Laughton - 89 Sam Gagner
12 Michael Raffl - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -76 Chris VandeVelde
15 Michael Del Zotto - 3 Radko Gudas
55 Nick Schultz - 22 Luke Schenn
23 Brandon Manning - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
35 Steve Mason
[30 Michal Neuvirth]
Scratches: Evgeny Medvedev (healthy), Vincent Lecavalier (healthy), R.J. Umberger (suspected foot injury), Mark Streit (LTIR, displaced pubic plate), Ryan White (IR, suspected shoulder injury).
Sharks
68 Melker Karlsson - 19 Joe Thornton - 8 Joe Pavelski
83 Matt Nieto - 12 Patrick Marleau - 42 Joel Ward
27 Joonas Donskoi - 48 Tomas Hertl - 57 Tommy Wingels
38 Micheal Haley - 50 Chris Tierney - 18 Mike Brown
44 Marc-Edouard Vlasic - 61 Justin Braun
7 Paul Martin - 88 Brent Burns
4 Brenden Dillon - 41 Mirco Mueller
31 Martin Jones
[32 Alex Stalock]
Scratches: Nikolay Goldobin (healthy), Ben Smith (healthy), Matt Tennyson (healthy), Logan Couture (IR, fractured fibula).
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»