(Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Flyers were able to pick up a point their last time on the ice and will once again try to halt their lengthy losing streak tonight, when they welcome the struggling San Jose Sharks to the Wachovia Center.

The Flyers have lost eight straight games, but their latest setback came in a shootout to end Philly's stretch of seven consecutive regulation defeats. Philadelphia is in the midst of its longest skid since dropping nine straight from January 4-27 of last year. The Flyers also set a franchise record earlier during the 2006-07 campaign, as they lost 10 in a row from December 2-27.

As a result of the slide, the Flyers have dropped from the upper reaches of the Eastern Conference standings to fighting for their playoff lives. Philadelphia has 66 points and is tied with Buffalo and Boston for the final playoff spots in the East.

Still, the Flyers have something to build on with Tuesday's shootout loss in Ottawa. After all, the Senators led the game 2-0 late in the second period only to allow Philadelphia force overtime.

Jason Spezza scored in the third round of the shootout to lift Ottawa over Philadelphia, 3-2, at Scotiabank Place. The Flyers have lost nine straight shootouts and are 0-4 this season.

Kimmo Timonen and Scottie Upshall lit the lamp for Philadelphia, while Martin Biron made 33 saves in defeat.

The Flyers are playing the first of two straight at home tonight and will also welcome Florida on Saturday. Philadelphia is 13-11-5 as the host this year and has lost four in a row and five of its last six in the City of Brotherly Love.

Meanwhile, the Sharks have dropped five straight contests and are winless (0-3-0) so far on a season-high eight-game road trip.

San Jose's latest setback came Wednesday evening against the New Jersey Devils. Sergei Brylin's goal with 1:54 remaining in the second period proved to the game-winner, as New Jersey edged the Sharks, 3-2, at the Prudential Center.

Jonathan Cheechoo and Kyle McLaren tallied for the Sharks, while Thomas Greiss, making only the second start of his career, allowed three goals on 20 shots for San Jose.

Greiss was starting in place of franchise goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who suffered a laceration of the nose and mouth in San Jose's previous contest Sunday against the New York Rangers. Nabokov returned for the third period of that game and was given Wednesday off not because of the cuts, but because the Sharks are playing their fourth game in five days tonight.

San Jose is currently stuck on 70 points, but is still tied with Calgary for sixth place in the Western Conference standings.

The Sharks are 17-8-3 as the visiting club this year, but have dropped four straight and six of their last seven road tilts.

Also, Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick will his return to Philadelphia tonight, as he takes the ice at the Wachovia Center for the first time since the Flyers traded him to Los Angeles prior to the 2005-06 season. Roenick, who played three seasons in Philly, faced the Flyers last March as a member of the Coyotes, but that game was in Arizona.

The Sharks are unbeaten in their last six games against the Flyers, going 4-0 with two ties in that span. San Jose is also making its first stop in Philadelphia since beating the Flyers, 5-1, on February 16, 2004.