Programming note : Sharks-Flyers coverage gets underway with Sharks Pregame Live at 9:30 a.m. on CSN California.
Where they stand
Sharks: 36-30-8, 80 points, 5th Pacific Division
Flyers: 30-29-16, 76 points, 5th Metropolitan Division
Playoff watch
San Jose is eight points behind the Kings for third place in the Pacific Division, and 10 points behind Winnipeg for the second wild card spot.
The latest
Sharks: After scoring two or fewer goals in seven of their last eight games, the Sharks offense came alive in a 6-4 win in Detroit on Thursday. Patrick Marleau had two, including an empty-netter to end a nine-game drought, while Logan Couture and Chris Tierney added one goal and one assist each. San Jose improved to 2-3-0 on its seven-game road trip, which concludes on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
Flyers: Philadelphia skated to a 4-1 home win over the Blackhawks on Wednesday night behind 34 saves from Steve Mason, but lost forward Wayne Simmonds and defenseman Andrew MacDonald to season-ending injuries. The Flyers ended a four-game losing streak (0-2-2), and will play five of their seven remaining games at home where they are 21-9-6.
Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Matt Nieto -- Sitting on just four goals on March 3, the second-year forward has doubled that number since, with four goals and three assists in his last 10 games. Nieto scored a late third period marker in helping the Sharks to a 2-1 home win over the Flyers in December, and has three goals in three career games vs. Philadelphia.
Flyers: Claude Giroux -- A Hart Trophy candidate last season, the Flyers captain is second on the team in scoring with 68 points (22g, 46a). The 27-year-old brings a three-game goal streak into Saturday’s game, with four total over than span, and has eight points (4g, 4a) in eight career games vs. the Sharks.
Vital stats (through games of March 26)
Sharks
Goals per game: 2.76 (14th)
Goals-against per game: 2.77 (24th)
Power play: 21.7 percent (6th)
Penalty kill: 79.5 percent (24th)
Flyers
Goals per game: 2.57 (22nd)
Goals-against per game: 2.76 (23rd)
Power play: 22.6 percent (4th)
Penalty kill: 76.7 percent (29th)
Probable lines
Sharks
Melker Karlsson – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau – Logan Couture – Tomas Hertl
Matt Nieto – Chris Tierney – Tommy Wingels
Daniil Tarasov – Ben Smith – Barclay Goodrow
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Mirco Mueller – Brenden Dillon
Scott Hannan – Brent Burns
Alex Stalock (confirmed starter)
Antti Niemi
[RELATED: Sharks' Stalock finally gets chance to build off of shutout]
Flyers
Michael Raffl – Claude Giroux – Jakub Voracek
Matt Read – Sean Couturier – Brayden Schenn
Chris VandeVelde – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – Vinny Lecavalier
Zac Rinaldo – Nick Cousins – Ryan White
Nicklas Grossmann – Mark Streit
Michael Del Zotto – Nick Cousins
Carlo Colaiacovo – Brandon Manning
Steve Mason
Ray Emery
Injuries/Scratches
Sharks: Raffi Torres (right knee surgery), Mirco Mueller (left hand) and Mike Brown (broken right fibula) are out.
Flyers: Luke Schenn (lower body) is day-to-day. R.J. Umberger (hip), Andrew MacDonald (fractured hand) and Wayne Simmonds (left leg) are out.
Season/All-Time series
On Dec. 2 at SAP Center, Matt Nieto scored with less than 12 seconds to go in the third period to give the Sharks a 2-1 win over the Flyers. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Sean Couturier (power play) also scored.
The Sharks are 16-14-4 all-time against Philadelphia.
Quotable
“I think this group has fun on the road. We enjoy it and have as much fun as we can. Obviously it gets a little tiring, but it’s part of the deal. Everybody has to do it.” – Alex Stalock
