Flyers vs. Sharks
7 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet
The Flyers (6-8-4) will look to snap their five-game losing skid at home when they face the San Jose Sharks (10-8-0) at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.
Here are five things you need to know before puck drop:
1. Power up
Fire away.
That was the message the Flyers sent to rookie Shayne Gostisbehere, who has taken over the quarterback role at the point on the team’s top power-play unit the past two games with Mark Streit sidelined.
“I feel comfortable,” Gostisbehere said after Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings. “It’s the guys around me. They build me up. They give me all the confidence in the world, and they let me go bombs away. I owe it to them for giving me the confidence.”
Gostisbehere recorded his first NHL goal on a man advantage three minutes into Tuesday’s tilt. He unloaded a rocket from the point after Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux put on a dazzling passing display before dishing the puck to a wide-open Gostisbehere.
NHL
“He brings the puck up pretty good and makes a nice little pass,” said Giroux, who had a goal and an assist against the Kings. “When you think he has no play he finds a way to make a play. We’re all happy for him to get that goal.”
Gostisbehere's elusiveness and ability to get shots through traffic should serve as a huge boost to the Flyers' power play, which currently ranks 26th in the NHL at 14.8 percent.
“Shayne is good at what he does, and he comes in and does a good job too,” Brayden Schenn said. “He has a heavy shot and makes good plays. He’s fitting right in.”
Gostisbehere is a risk-taker but plays with a ton of swagger. He's confident in every decision he makes and tends to be aggressive when it comes to making plays in the offensive zone.
“I’m really impressed," Steve Mason said. "He’s extremely polite, extremely talented, he’s very calm out there. Obviously, he has only played a few games. But I have really enjoyed watching. He’s just an excellent skater too and he’s fun to watch.”
2. The curious case of Evgeny Medvedev
During the Flyers’ road trip through Canada a few weeks ago, it appeared Evgeny Medvedev was being rotated in and out of the lineup because of inconsistent play.
Then we found out he had a concussion.
After missing five games, the Russian defenseman returned last week against the Washington Capitals. He was crushed by Tom Wilson and Brooks Laich in that game and hasn't played since.
Another injury?
“Washington not good. My head not feel good," Medvedev, who is still learning to speak English, told reporters on Wednesday (see story).
Medvedev, however, did add that he feels “better.”
Not long after practice, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall explained that Medvedev is indeed healthy and that the language barrier may have led to a misunderstanding with the media.
OK.
Bottom line: If Medvedev is 100 percent, he should be on the ice. His skating ability and puck-moving skills are something the team could use on the back end. He’s undoubtedly an upgrade over players like Radko Gudas, Brandon Manning, Luke Schenn and Nick Schultz but hasn’t been able to crack the lineup. That's worrisome.
3. Milestone for Marleau?
Longtime Shark Patrick Marleau has a chance to add another impressive milestone to his career resume.
The 36-year-old, who is San Jose's franchise all-time leader in points and games played (1,347), needs just one more point to become the 83rd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points.
Over the span of 18 years in the league, Marleau, the second overall pick in the 1997 NHL draft, has accumulated 462 goals and 537 assists -- all with the Sharks.
4. Keep an eye on …
Flyers: Jakub Voracek sure does look like he's finally breaking out. The 26-year-old has recorded back-to-back multi-point games after recording just six assists in his first 16 appearances this season. He had a goal and an assist against Carolina on Saturday and followed that performance up with two helpers in Tuesday's loss to L.A. Brayden Schenn was bumped up to the top line against the Kings and the move seemed to spark Voracek and Giroux a little bit. Let’s see how the trio looks against San Jose.
Sharks: Joe Pavelski has been difficult to contain this season. The 31-year-old, who averages 20:16 of ice time, has 10 goals and 18 points so far in 2015-16 and four of his markers have been game-winners. The Sharks' captain is a supreme playmaker, produces in clutch moments and likes to shoot the puck. It really makes you wonder how he slipped to the seventh round of the draft back in 2003.
5. This and that
• The Flyers have dropped 12 of their last 13 meetings against San Jose, including seven straight in Philadelphia. The last time the Flyers beat the Sharks at the Wells Fargo Center was on Dec. 21, 2000.
• The Flyers have lost five consecutive games at home, which is the club's worst losing streak in Philadelphia since a six-game skid from March 12-April 3 in 2011.
• The Flyers have allowed five power-play goals on 10 penalty kills over their last four games. The Sharks' PP has gone 8 for 32 on the road this season.
• In 16 career starts against San Jose, Mason is 6-8-2 with a .920 save percentage, 2.71 goals-against average and one shutout.
• Martin Jones has never faced the Flyers. He's 9-5-0 with a .918 save percentage, 2.25 goals-against average and two shutouts in 15 starts this season.