By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Just like last season, the Flyers head into mid-February chasing a playoff spot. They are riding a three-game losing streak again, but this season is a little different than last.
Last season, the Flyers were always chasing the playoff spot. This season, they had a hold on one for much of December and January only to lose the spot with their loss on Thursday to the Islanders. Now the San Jose Sharks come to town for the final game of what has been a disappointing five-game homestand.
The opening face-off is set for 1 p.m.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Devils Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Jake Voracek | 55 | 14 | 32 | 46 | Brent Burns | 55 | 22 | 35 | 57 |
| Claude Giroux | 55 | 12 | 29 | 41 | Joe Pavelski | 55 | 18 | 29 | 47 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 55 | 22 | 17 | 39 | Logan Couture | 54 | 19 | 19 | 38 |
| Brayden Schenn | 52 | 16 | 19 | 35 | Joe Thornton | 55 | 4 | 30 | 34 |
| Ivan Provorov | 55 | 4 | 18 | 22 | Patrick Marleau | 55 | 19 | 13 | 32 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 28 Claude Giroux | 88 Brent Burns |
| Last 5 Games: 1 G, 0 A, 1 P, -5 | Last 5 Games: 1 G, 5 A, 6 P, +2 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 30 Michal Neuvirth | 30 Aaron Dell |
| 8-5-1, 2.79 GAA, .893 SV% | 6-3-0, 2.05 GAA, .928 SV% |
Michal Neuvirth returns to the net for the Flyers on Saturday.
Aaron Dell, the Sharks rookie backup, stymied the aflyers for a 21-save shutout in December. He gets the start on Saturday.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Travis Konecny, Michael Del Zotto, Roman Lyubimov, Nick Schultz
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 28 Claude Giroux | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 19 Jordan Weal | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 25 Nick Cousins | 24 Matt Read |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 22 Dale Weise |
| Defense | ||
| 32 Mark Streit | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 3 Radko Gudas | 23 Brandon Manning | |
| Goalie | ||
| 30 Michal Neuvirth |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-9th, 9th at home), Sharks (T-19th, 25th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-17th, 10th at home), Sharks (19th, 15th on road)
- Recent History vs. Sharks
- Dec. 30, 2016 - The Flyers suffered a 2-0 loss to the Sharks in San Jose. Patrick Marleau scored on the power play in the first to give San Jose the lead. The lead held up until the third, when Justin Braun scored to pad the lead by a goal and essentially seal the win for the Sharks. Aaron Dell made 21 saves to pick up his first NHL shutout.
- Flyers leaders vs. Sharks
- Claude Giroux – 12 games, 6 goals, 4 assists, 10 points
- Mark Streit - 9 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points
- Sean Couturier - 8 games, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points
- Michal Neuvirth - 5 games, 1-3-0, 2.56 GAA, .920 Sv%
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
