Flyers vs. Sharks: How to Watch, Lineups, Keys to the Game

The Philadelphia Flyers (33-23-12) have opened up this West Coast trip with a pair of wins at a time when they have needed every point they can get in the standings. That doesn't change as the trip concludes on Saturday afternoon against the San Jose Sharks (32-29-6). Puck drop is at 4 PM.

How to Watch

Time: 4 PM
Location: SAP Center in San Jose, CA
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: Rock 104.1 and the Rock 104.1 Free Mobile App
Streaming: ESPN+

Projected Flyers Lines vs. Sharks

Scratches: None

Injury & Roster Updates

Lineup Updates: Any changes to the Flyers' lineup will be known closer to game time. Sean Couturier, Luke Glendening, and Denver Barkey were all out with injuries on Thursday after playing in Wednesday's game in Anaheim.
Starting Goalie: Dan Vladar is expected to get the start for the Flyers. Vladar picked up the win in Anaheim on Wednesday with 34 saves on 36 shots. Vladar made 17 saves on 18 shots in a win over San Jose on Dec. 9.
Injuries
- Sean Couturier: upper-body injury
- Luke Glendening: lower-body injury, day-to-day
- Denver Barkey: upper-body injury, day-to-day
- Rodrigo Abols: fractured ankle, out at least two months from Jan. 21
- Tyson Foerster: surgery on right arm on Dec. 17, out five months.

Opponent Snapshot: San Jose Sharks

Opponent record: 32-29-6
Special Teams Ranking
- Power Play: 19.7% (18th)
- Penalty Kill: 79.0% (17th)
Who’s hot?: Macklin Celebrini has been held without a point in back-to-back games after a nine-game points streak with seven goals and 14 points. Collin Graf has four goals and nine points in the last 10 games. Kiefer Sherwood has four goals and six points in the last nine games.
Who’s in net?: Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to start for the Sharks. He has a 13-11-3 record with a 2.92 GAA and .897 save percentage. Nedeljkovic allowed five goals on 16 shots in a loss to Buffalo on Thursday. He allowed three goals on 29 shots in a loss to the Flyers on Dec. 9. Since the Olympic break, Nedeljkovic is 3-2-1.
Injuries: Varoslav Askarov is out with a lower-body injury. Igor Chernyshov suffered a concussion on March 14 and remains out. Tyler Toffoli is out on Saturday after leaving Thursday's game with a lower-body injury. Ty Dellandrea has been out since Jan. 6 with a lower-body injury. Vincent Desharnais is a game-time decision.

Keys to the Game

Finish Strong: The Flyers opened the West Coast trip with back-to-back wins in Anaheim and Los Angeles and now have the chance to finish strong and complete the sweep in San Jose.
Goals Aplenty: The Sharks allow 3.55 goals per game, 31st in the NHL, so the opportunity is there for the Flyers to provide more offense.
Stepping Up: The Flyers had several players step up on Thursday in the wake of new injuries. It is still to be determined what the lineup looks like, but that may be required again on Saturday.

By the Numbers

The Flyers are 14-0-3 when leading after the first period and 19-0-3 when leading after the second period.
The Sharks have allowed the third-most first-period goals in the NHL with 71 and are tied for second-most goals allowed in the third period with 83.
Travis Konecny has six goals and 15 points in 14 career games against the Sharks. Trevor Zegras has five goals and 11 points in 13 career games against the Sharks.

Quotable

"He's playing really well. He's really solid. He's one of the best guys to coach too. Very coachable. He's a culture guy, and you can just tell he's playing really well for us right now." - Rick Tocchet on Noah Cates

X-Factors

Noah Cates: Cates has made an impact in both games this week. After scoring the overtime winner on Wednesday, he scored again in Thursday's game and is now just one point away from matching his career high.
Macklin Celebrini: The face of the Sharks has put together an MVP quality season. Celebrini has 35 goals and 95 points on the season. His next closest teammate has 24 fewer goals and 50 fewer points.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.