Flyers-Sharks Preview: Next Coach Up

In the midst of a 10-game stretch primarily against playoff teams, the one outlier comes on Tuesday night. The San Jose Sharks are the Flyers next opponent and one of the bottom feeders of the NHL.

As such, the Flyers need to take care of business, especially considering the outlook in the standings and the schedule ahead. They also will not have their head coach behind the bench, as John Tortorella serves the first game of his two-game suspension.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	San Jose Sharks	GP	G	A	P
Travis Konecny	59	27	27	54	Mikael Granlund	50	9	31	40
Joel Farabee	65	18	27	45	Fabian Zetterlund	63	16	14	30
Owen Tippett	61	22	16	38	William Eklund	61	10	20	30
Travis Sanheim	64	8	30	38	Mike Hoffman	61	10	12	22
Sean Couturier	61	11	24	35	Filip Zadina	58	10	10	20

Since his run of six goals in five games, Tyson Foerster has cooled off, going three straight games without a point. Facing a team like San Jose could help him get back into the scoring column and regain that touch again.

Fabian Zetterlund comes into Tuesday's game on a three-game points streak, which includes a three-point game against Dallas last Tuesday. Zetterlund leads the Sharks with 16 goals on the season.

Sam Ersson gets the start for the Flyers. Ersson made an early exit on Saturday after allowing four goals on 15 shots in the first period against the Lightning. Ersson took the loss to the Sharks on Nov. 7, making 17 saves on 19 shots.

Magnus Chrona is expected to get the start for the Sharks. Chrona would be making his fifth start of the season and appearing in his sixth game. His last start was on Saturday against Ottawa, where he picked up his first NHL win making 31 saves on 32 shots.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Jamie Drysdale (injury), Rasmus Ristolainen (injury), Nick Seeler (injury), Cam Atkinson (healthy), Nick Deslauriers (healthy), Bobby Brink (healthy)

Sharks Scratches: Logan Couture (injury), Matt Benning (injury), Givani Smith (injury), Ty Emberson (injury), Mike Hoffman (injury), Jan Rutta (injury), Mackenzie Blackwood (injury)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: Travis Sanheim is expected to play after having a maintenance day on Monday. Egor Zamula was also on the ice for Tuesday's morning skate after missing Saturday's game with illness. Cam Atkinson and Nick Deslauriers skated as extras on Tuesday morning and could be scratches. The Flyers could have Bobby Brink back in the lineup or go 11/7 with Adam Ginning coming back in after being recalled on Tuesday.
Sharks: Mike Hoffman and Jan Rutta are day-to-day and not expected to play. There's a chance Kevin Labanc goes into the lineup.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (12.7% - 32nd), Sharks (20.6% - 18th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (85.4% - 2nd), Sharks (73.5% - 31st)
Recent History vs. Sharks
- Nov. 7, 2023 - Sharks 2, Flyers 1 (at SJ)
Flyers Leaders vs. Sharks
- Erik Johnson: 43 GP, 4 G, 14 A, 18 P
- Travis Konecny: 10 GP, 3 G, 6 A, 9 P
- Cam Atkinson: 17 GP, 3 G, 6 A, 9 P
- Sam Ersson: 2 GP, 1-1-0, 2.52 GAA, .894 SV%
- Felix Sandstrom: 2 GP, 0-1-1, 2.43 GAA, .929 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Joel Farabee needs one assist to reach 100 for his career.
- Sean Couturier needs five points to reach 500 for his career.