Flyers-Sharks Preview: Keep the Party Going

Hours before the Flyers drop the puck against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night, there's a chance that South Philly will be launched into party mode with something special happening at the ballpark across the street. The Flyers, well aware of this, made the decision to open the doors of Wells Fargo Center early to ticket holders for Sunday night's game and provide a spot to watch the Phillies in the NLCS first.

Meanwhile, the Flyers will be trying to continue a party of their own. Through five games, the Flyers have four wins and are off to a hot start, at least by the results, under John Tortorella. Before a three-day pause from gameplay, the Flyers close out a back-to-back against the Sharks, a team with just one win in their first seven games.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	San Jose Sharks	GP	G	A	P
Kevin Hayes	5	1	7	8	Erik Karlsson	7	2	3	5
Travis Konecny	5	4	2	6	Evgeny Svechnikov	6	2	1	3
James van Riemsdyk	5	2	3	5	Logan Couture	7	2	1	3
Tony DeAngelo	5	1	4	5	Luke Kunin	7	1	2	3
Ivan Provorov	5	0	5	5	Oskar Lindblom	6	0	3	3

Kevin Hayes is off to a great productive start this season. In five games, Hayes has a goal and seven assists for eight points, including scoring his first goal and having a multi-point game Saturday in Nashville.

Erik Karlsson leads the Sharks in points with five in their first seven games. In their lone win of the season against the Rangers, Karlsson scored the game-winning goal in overtime.

With Carter Hart getting the start on Saturday, expect Felix Sandstrom in goal for Sunday's game. Sandstrom made his season debut on Wednesday, taking the loss to the Panthers. He made 32 saves on 36 shots.

The Sharks are also on a back-to-back, so expect James Reimer to get the call in goal. Reimer did pick up the lone win for the Sharks so far in his last start, making 21 saves on 23 shots against the Rangers.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Cam Atkinson (injury), Rasmus Ristolainen (injury), Owen Tippett (injury), Louie Belpedio (healthy)

Sharks Scratches: Markus Nutivaara (injury), Jaycob Megna (healthy), Jonah Gadjovich (healthy), Noah Gregor (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: No changes are expected to the Flyers lineup.
Sharks: No changes are expected to the Sharks lineup.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (16th), Sharks (28th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (19th), Sharks (4th)
Recent History vs. Sharks
- Jan. 8, 2022 - Sharks 3, Flyers 2 (F/OT) (at PHI)
- Dec. 30, 2022 - Sharks 3, Flyers 2 (F/OT) (at SJ)
Flyers Leaders vs. Sharks
- Kevin Hayes: 15 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
- James van Riemsdyk: 18 GP, 3 G, 4 A, 7 P
- Nicolas Deslauriers: 22 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 P
- Ivan Provorov: 9 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 P
- Carter Hart: 2 GP, 1-1-0, 4.00 GAA, .860 SV%
- Felix Sandstrom: 1 GP, 0-0-1, 2.79 GAA, .935 SV%

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: Flyers Broadcast Network

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.