As the Flyers took the ice on Wednesday in St. Louis, you could tell midway through the third period that they hadn't played in nearly a week. Play in their own end was dreadful, and it led to a complete disintegration in the third stanza en route to a 6-3 loss.
Their road trip continues tonight at SAP Center against an ever-competitive San Jose Sharks squad, who will make a team pay for their mistakes. The Orange and Black are winless in their last three road contests, scoring just four goals, which gives them even more of a battle to fight against a team that has lost just four games on the home 'Shark Tank' ice this season.
Puck drop is set for 10 p.m.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Sharks Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Jake Voracek | 37 | 11 | 24 | 35 | Brent Burns | 35 | 14 | 20 | 34 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 37 | 17 | 14 | 31 | Joe Pavelski | 35 | 12 | 21 | 33 |
| Claude Giroux | 37 | 11 | 21 | 31 | Joe Thornton | 35 | 2 | 22 | 24 |
| Brayden Schenn | 34 | 10 | 13 | 23 | Logan Couture | 35 | 11 | 12 | 23 |
| Travis Konecny | 37 | 4 | 14 | 18 | Patrick Marleau | 35 | 9 | 4 | 13 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 17 Wayne Simmonds | 88 Brent Burns |
| Last 5 Games: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, -3 | Last 5 Games: 1 G, 5 A, 6 P, +6 |
Wayne Simmonds was productive in Wednesday night's game, with a goal and an assist. The Flyers' leading goal scorer has five goals and nine points in 24 games against the Sharks.
One of the Sharks' quirkier personalities, Brent Burns is a hard guy to miss on the ice, especially with that wizard-like beard of his. The Sharks' leading scorer has been on a tear with six points in his last five games, including the overtime-winner over the Ducks in their most recent game.
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 35 Steve Mason | 30 Aaron Dell |
| 14-11-4, 2.78 GAA, .905 SV% | 4-3-1, 2.16 GAA, .926 SV% |
Steve Mason will return between the pipes for the Flyers tonight, after spotting five goals on 24 shots against the Blues. He is 6-9-3 all-time against the Sharks, with a 3.42 GAA and a .873 save percentage.
Aaron Dell, who played for Dave Hakstol at the University of North Dakota, will start for the Sharks. He's enjoyed pedestrian success so far in his rookie season as the backup to Martin Jones.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Roman Lyubimov, Travis Konecny, Radko Gudas, Michal Neuvirth, Matt Read, Mark Streit
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 28 Claude Giroux | 93 Jake Voracek |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 14 Sean Couturier | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 58 Taylor Leier | 25 Nick Cousins | 22 Dale Weise |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 27 Boyd Gordon |
| Defense | ||
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 15 Michael Del Zotto | 23 Brandon Manning | |
| 55 Nick Schultz | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Steve Mason |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (8th, 9th on road), Sharks (19th, 5th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (18th, 22nd on road), Sharks (8th, 18th at home)
- Recent History vs. Sharks:
- Dec. 30, 2015 - Exactly a year ago today, the Flyers fell to the Sharks, 4-2, after a pair of Joe Pavelski goals in the third period. Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier scored for the Flyers, while Joe Thornton and Brent Burns recorded the Sharks' other tallies. Steve Mason stopped 29 pucks on 33 shots.
- The Flyers have not won in San Jose since Feb. 3, 2014, and are winless in 18 of their last 19 games against the Sharks, dating back to the 2001-02 season.
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
