Since getting swept on a three-game western road trip, the Philadelphia Flyers (19-11-5) surged out of their slump to a four-game win streak. They look to move their unbeaten stretch to five as they start a west coast trip Saturday night. Philadelphia will make their first stop in San Jose to face the Sharks (16-20-3).
Coverage will be at 10 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 10:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Road Trip Woes
For the season, the Philadelphia Flyers have been fairly mediocre on the road. Overall, they showcase an 8-9-1 record and have let their home dominance spring them to third in the Metropolitan Division.
However, it isn’t a secret of what happened during their last trip out West.
Injuries plagued the forwards on the roster. The sorrow news of Oskar Lindblom pumped the brakes on the high hopes in the locker room for a period of time.
The good news?
Philadelphia used it as motivation and a learning lesson en route to four straight wins. Three of their games will also come against bottom-of-the-barrel teams. In addition, this road trip stays in America the entire time, preventing any potential for additional traveling issues.
The bad news?
This road trip is a bit different than the last one. In contrast to the last period away from home, this trip will be six straight on the plane and the bus. The Flyers will have to deal with time changes forcing increased jet lag the entire trip, starting off on the west and gradually heading to Carolina all before coming home.
The orange and black will play six games in 11 days spanning the entire country. This trip will surely be a true test of the team’s true level of stamina and mental strength, with their toughest three games coming on the latter half of the trip.
Know Your Enemy: San Jose Sharks
So far during the 2019-2020 campaign, the Sharks have been battling for the top…
…of the best lottery odds.
Along with the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose has been fighting for pride at the bottom of the Western Conference. Going into Saturday night’s game against the Flyers, San Jose have averaged a mere 2.6 goals per game, while surrendering 3.5.
The once-unstoppable San Jose Sharks have finally entered a rebuild mode for entering almost a decade long terror of the West. Despite trading away their first-round pick for Erik Karlsson prior to training camp, the Sharks know that it is going to take time to rebuild.
Logan Couture leads the way for LA with 33 points, as Tomas Hertl leads the Kings with 14 goals.
Key to the Game:
Keep It Simple
The Flyers have no reason to enter the SAP Center and feel the need to overthink this game. No, this is not a trap game. No, this is not a hard win.
However, this game serves almost like a must-win. Being the first game of the almost two-week trip away from Philadelphia, the Flyers need to win this game. In order to feel comfortable about dropping a game or two to the more successful opponents this season, the Flyers need to take this one.
Simplifying the game is the way to do this. The Flyers need to stay out of the box, work the puck deep, and play their game.
Prediction
The Flyers have outscored their counterpart 19-8 during their winning streak. In three of those four games, they have held their opponent to a single goal. Carter Hart, who has been stellar of late, will look to get the nod after the Holiday break.
Flyguys win this one easily, 3-0.
