SAN JOSE — Too bad Anthony Stolarz cannot score goals.
Stolarz did everything humanly possible to prevent them Friday night, coming off the bench for the injured Steve Mason, and had 21 saves on 22 shots during the Flyers' weak 2-0 loss to the Sharks.
He gave the Flyers a chance and kept them in the game. It could have been a blowout loss.
“Just go out there and do my job and get a feel, get a little warm and settle in,” Stolarz said. “Obviously, it’s difficult to come in when you’re not starting. It’s the mental approach.
“You have to be ready. They had some good chances and got me into the game a bit.”
This was his fourth appearance this season. He came into the game 2-0 with a 1.84 goals against average and .932 save percentage.
Patrick Marleau tested him the most with three quality chances. Stolarz appeared very comfortable.
“He’s got a knack for finding scoring areas,” Stolarz said. “You look at his career, he has a lot of points. There’s a reason. He knows where to be.”
Marleau's game-winner was his 491st goal of his career, tying him for 46th all-time with Jean Ratelle.
Stolarz seemed relaxed under pressure again, and will likely start Sunday at Anaheim if Mason can’t go.
“Just practicing with the games and getting time," Stolarz said. "I’ve adapted well and for me, it’s going out there and whenever I get the opportunity, just go and show I can play this high level."
Loose pucks
Radko Gudas missed the game with some minor back issues. He said he expects to be ready for New Year's Day against the Ducks. "Just a day-to-day and it happened last game," Gudas said. "That's the plan so far. It's not that bad." … This was Mason's 20th start in the last 22 games. … Phantoms defenseman Sam Morin suffered an injury in a fight Friday, but returned to play. … The Flyers went 0 for 3 on this road trip last season. … The Flyers have now lost 10 straight going back two seasons in games after the Christmas break.
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