Dany Heatley's Hat Trick Sinks Flyers

San Jose's Dany Heatley scored his 9th career hat trick and linemate Joe Thornton contributed 4 assists as the Philadelphia Flyers fell 6-3 to the Sharks. With those 3 goals, Heatley has 17 goals and is now the number one goalscorer in the National Hockey League so far this season.

Daniel Briere put the Flyers up 1-0 at 9:16 of the 1st on a nice play by Matt Carle who curled towards the Sharks' net and made a tough crease pass to Briere who snapped a shot that deflected off San Jose's netminder Evgeni Nabokov and in. The Sharks tied it on Manny Malhotra's 4th of the season with a little less that 5 minutes left in the 1st.

Heatley got his first of the night 0:50 into the 2nd period on a tip-in from Thornton. Philadelphia's Claude Giroux got his 2nd of the season about halfway through the period, tieing the score 2-2. Patrick Marleau nabbed his 14th of the year with 5 seconds left to restore the Sharks' lead.

In the 3rd, Heatley got the eventual game winner while shorthanded. Giroux got his 2nd of the game (he had a 3-point night), Heatley put the Sharks back up by 2 goals with a power play marker at 12:44. Ryane Clowe rounded out the scoring with his 3rd at 15:22 past the Flyers Ray Emery who slips to a respectable 11-5-1 won/loss record.

Thornton's 4 assists give the big center 24 for the year, tops in the NHL and his 30 points puts him second overall in the points race, behind Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar who has 33.

Both teams play again today, as Philadelphia heads to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes while the Sharks visit Anaheim to renew pleasantries with the Ducks.