Philly Leader

The Philadelphia Flyers, under the guidance of coach John Tortorella, are set to face off against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. This game marks the end of 2024 and is part of a five-game road trip for the Flyers. The match will take place at SAP Center at 8:00 p.m. EST, broadcasted on NBCSP and available on radio via 97.5 The Fanatic.

This will be the second and final meeting this season between these two teams. In their last encounter, the Flyers secured a shootout victory over the Sharks with Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov contributing significantly to the win.

Currently, both teams are experiencing challenging periods. The Flyers recently suffered a narrow defeat to the Los Angeles Kings, despite leading in earlier stages of the game. Meanwhile, December has been particularly difficult for San Jose, with only two wins out of twelve games.

One highlight for fans will be watching rookies Matvei Michkov from the Flyers and Macklin Celebrini from the Sharks compete for top honors as Calder Trophy candidates. Both players lead rookie goal scoring in the league with twelve goals each.

Flyers' coach Tortorella noted that some players fell short in their recent game against Los Angeles but did not specify who. Speculation suggests he might have been referring to Sean Couturier's line, which includes Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny. Couturier has previously responded well when challenged by Tortorella.

Special teams play could be pivotal in this matchup. The Flyers are currently enduring a power-play drought while their penalty kill performance has declined since Thanksgiving.

Winning key faceoffs remains an area of focus for Philadelphia as they prepare to meet San Jose.

Flyers' Joel Farabee has started strong after the holiday break with consecutive goals, while Tyson Foerster and Morgan Frost have also shown improved form recently.

The outcome of this matchup will conclude both teams' performances for 2024 as they head into a new year seeking better results.