Sequels rarely seem to bring about the same successful execution as the original, but the Flyers are still willing to try.

Dave Hakstol would love to copy the script from last year's home opener and carry it over into tonight's game, and he appears to be doing his part by tweaking the lines that produced a memorable performance in last season's 8-2 win over Washington when the Flyers' top line of Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek crushed the Capitals.

That Flyers trio combined for four goals and 10 points to go along with a +10 rating and was arguably the best line in hockey for the first two months of the regular season. Each player was averaging a point per game at the time of the breakup with Voracek leading the way with 30 points in the first 26 games.

"There's no question he has good chemistry with Coots and G. We saw that last year," head coach Dave Hakstol said. "Jake doesn't alter what he does."

It wasn't until the Flyers were faced with the desperation of snapping a 10-game winless streak that Hakstol decided to break up the Flyers' super line in early December in Calgary. While Giroux, Couturier and Voracek were on the ice together on the power play, and at moments in the second half of the season, they never again played an entire game on the same line.

"We've played together for seven or eight years," Giroux said of Voracek, "Obviously, I'm going to be comfortable with Jake and it's just that chemistry. It doesn't come overnight. I think we got pretty lucky with the chemistry and how it happened. It just builds with time."

Caging the sharks

The Flyers may also be catching the Sharks at just the right time.

San Jose recently lost top-line center Joe Thornton, who apparently reinjured his surgically repaired knee that sustained some swelling this past weekend, and the team is still trying to find the best way to utilize their new, shiny toy: defenseman Erik Karlsson.

The Sharks acquired Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators just prior to the start of training camp, but the two-time Norris Trophy winner as the league's top defenseman is off to a slow start in his new home.

Karlsson has just one point (a secondary assist) in his first three games with a -4 rating. There's a belief that Karlsson is deferring to teammates instead of imposing his will as he gets acclimated with his surroundings, on and off the ice.

San Jose's power play with Karlsson and their other dynamic defenseman, Brent Burns, is 0 for 10 this season following a disappointing 4-0 loss to the Islanders Monday.

The Sharks will be playing the second game of a back-to-back while the Flyers are well rested with two days off between games.

A Gritty beginning

Already an internet sensation with over 126,000 Twitter followers, Flyers official mascot Gritty will make a "dramatic grand entrance" to kickstart the Flyers' new season at the Wells Fargo Center.

Flyers goaltender Calvin Pickard is now sporting a new mask prominently featuring Gritty on each side, while the arena is "catering" to Gritty's popularity with specially made cupcakes.

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On Monday, Gritty took a trip to Camden's Adventure Aquarium to inspect the shark life in preparation for tonight's opponent.