The Sharks will be without Logan Couture for Monday's game against the Flyers. (Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com)
After their loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday to open the current three-game road trip, the Philadelphia Flyers certainly got a boost with a shutout win in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.
Now the road trip concludes on Monday night as the Flyers and San Jose Sharks face off from SAP Center at 10:30 p.m.
The Sharks are similar to the Ducks, excellent on home ice. They are 20-3-3 at home this season, making this another difficult test for the Flyers. Unlike the Kings, the Flyers have their work cut out for them against San Jose, who is 7-3-0 in its last 10 games.
The Sharks will be missing a key piece to their success. Forward Logan Couture is out for Monday's game as are forward Tomas Hertl and defenseman Jason Demers. Tyler Kennedy and Raffi Torres are listed as day-to-day.
That doesn't take away from the Sharks powerful offense. Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau lead the team in scoring. Pavelski has 29 goals and Marleau has 22, ranking first and second on the team. Pavelski also has eight goals and 11 points in his last nine games.
Joe Thornton has just eight goals on the season, but leads the Sharks with 47 assists and 55 points.
Claude Giroux has also been on a tear of late. His recent point stretch has put him among the league leaders with 52 total points. He has six points in his last four games.
In the wake of his 100th NHL goal on Saturday, Wayne Simmonds moved into second place in points with 40. Jake Voracek holds in third with 38 points.
In goal, Steve Mason is coming off his second shutout in three games, making 35 saves against the Kings on Saturday. He enters the game with a 21-14-5 record, 2.54 GAA and .916 save percentage.
The Sharks will counter with Antti Niemi. Niemi, who defeated the Flyers in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, is 28-11-6 with a 2.35 GAA and .914 save percentage.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (12th, 6th on road), Sharks (18th, 16th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (6th, 7th on road), Sharks (8th, 3rd at home)
- The Flyers are winless in their last 13 games against the Sharks and have lost seven straight in San Jose. The Flyers last beat the Sharks on Dec. 21, 2000 and their last win in San Jose was on Nov. 5, 1999.
- Milestone Watch: Vincent Lecavalier needs four points for 900 in his career. Matt Read needs five points for 100 in his career.
Flyers scratches: Kimmo Timonen, Hal Gill, Jay Rosehill
Flyers Projected Lineup
Line 1: Scott Hartnell-Claude Giroux-Jake Voracek
Line 2: Vincent Lecavalier-Brayden Schenn-Wayne Simmonds
Line 3: Matt Read-Sean Couturier-Steve Downie
Line 4: Michael Raffl-Adam Hall-Zac Rinaldo
D-Pair 1: Nick Grossmann-Braydon Coburn
D-Pair 2: Erik Gustafsson-Mark Streit
D-Pair 3: Andrej Meszaros-Luke Schenn
Goalie: Steve Mason
Where to Watch
TV: TCN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Kevin Durso is the lead beat writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
