For 11 games, the San Jose Sharks weren’t just losing games. They were getting steamrolled. Their two most recent defeats were by a combined score of 20-3.
On Tuesday night, the Flyers were going to be a part of history either way. A win, and they would extend the Sharks’ season-opening winless streak to an NHL record 12 games. A loss, and they become that team that allowed the Sharks to snap the streak with their first win.
The latter happened. The Sharks finally have a win. The Flyers are that team. The result was a 2-1 defeat.
It didn’t take long for the Sharks to strike first. Off a turnover, the Sharks got a two-on-one and Kevin Labanc set up Anthony Duclair for his third goal of the season at 1:43.
The Flyers had three power plays in the opening period, but their struggles in that area continued. They also killed off a brief 5-on-3 for San Jose during the period.
Through 20 minutes, shots were 13-4 Flyers.
The Flyers were still unable to find the net for most of the second period as penalties piled up. Facing a 4-on-3 San Jose power play, the Sharks finally cashed in.
At 16:18 of the period, William Eklund scored on a one-timer to make it 2-0 San Jose with his second goal of the season.
The Flyers did have an answer with just 1:11 to play in the period. Off a rush, Joel Farabee fired a one-timer that appeared to be stopped by the sprawling Mackenzie Blackwood. After a review, it was determined that the puck had completely crossed the line, bouncing off the glove of Blackwood and onto the top of his pad before entering the net. It was Farabee’s sixth goal of the season and cut the margin to one.
Through two periods, shots were 24-11 Flyers.
The Flyers dominated the third period, out-shooting the Sharks, 14-5, in search of the tying goal. Ultimately, time ran out despite the frantic push.
Blackwood made 38 saves on 39 shots in the win. Sam Ersson made 17 saves on 19 shots in the loss.
Duclar had a goal and an assist in the win for San Jose.
The Flyers continue the road trip on Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks at 10 p.m.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Flyers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sharks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- SJ Anthony Duclair (3) (Kevin Labanc, Mikael Granlund) 1:43
2nd Period
- SJ William Eklund (2) PP (Duclair) 16:18
- PHI Joel Farabee (6) (Travis Sanheim, Scott Laughton) 18:49
3rd Period
- No Scoring
Game Statistics
| Flyers | Sharks | |
| Shots | 39 | 19 |
| Power Play | 0/4 | 1/5 |
| Hits | 11 | 8 |
| Faceoff % | 30% | 70% |
| Giveaways | 10 | 4 |
| Takeaways | 9 | 9 |
| Blocked Shots | 23 | 17 |
| Penalty Minutes | 37 | 37 |
