The Sharks are coming off one of their most impressive performances of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes and will look to build off that performance tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers.
It was a particularly strong performance from the Sharks' blueline, a unit that has faced its fair share of struggles this season. Warsofsky called it “one of their best games of the season.”
The Sharks' win also shows how far they have come this season. Back on October 14th, the well-coached and disciplined Hurricanes came into San Jose and outclassed them at every level. This was not the case Sunday night, with the Sharks going toe to toe with one of the best teams in the league and snapping a 2 game losing streak before it got out of hand.
They will now look to extend their streak to 2 games against a Flyers squad that finds itself in the thick of the playoff race, much like the Sharks.
The Sharks' lines are as follows
Graf - Celebrini - Smith
Eklund - Wennberg - Toffoli
Kurashev - Dellandrea - Gaudette
Goodrow - Ostapchuk - Reaves
Orlov - Liljegren/Mukhamadullin
Ferraro - Klingberg
Dickinson - Leddy
Nedeljkovic
Askarov
Scratches: Skinner, Iorio
Up front, Reaves draws back in the lineup for Skinner; other than that, there is no significant change. Reaves has missed the last three games with an injury, while Skinner recently returned from an injury of his own. Graf remains on the top line, a line that was the Sharks' best line against the Hurricanes. In large part thanks to Graf, who has been a nice compliment to the Sharks' young stars with his speed and defensive play.
The back end should also see no changes after a strong outing; however, Liljegren is a game-time decision with a lower-body injury. Should he be unable to go, Mukhamadullin will draw back in. The russian defender has been a healthy scratch for multiple games this season and has struggled to stay in the lineup consistently after breaking out in the 2nd half of last season.
In net, Nedeljkovic is back in, as Askarov is dealing with an illness. Nedejkovic was excellent against the team that drafted him on Sunday and will look to string together strong performances tonight against Philadelphia. While Askarov has established himself as the number 1, Nedekjovic has been solid this season and should keep the Sharks in the game.
This is a big game for both teams, as a win would put either team back in a playoff spot, so it should be a fun game with a lot of intensity from both sides.