Quick Hits: January 10, 2020
1) Thursday was a complete off-day for the Flyers, who played back-to-back games in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes (5-4 overtime loss) on Tuesday at home against the Washington Capitals (3-2 win) the next night. Today, the Flyers have an 11:30 a.m. practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, in preparation to play the scorching hot Tampa Bay Lighting at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday. The schedule doesn't provide much relief thereafter in terms of difficulty, as the Flyers then host the Boston Bruins on Monday before going on the road to play the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.
2) Before Justin Braun sustained a groin injury in the next-to-last game of the Flyers' recent six-game road trip, the team had gone all season without a significant injury to any of their regular starters on the blueline. Sam Morin suffered a torn ACL while on a rehab stint with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms but the only games that any among the usual group of seven starters missed this season due to illness or injury were one-game absences for Matt Niskanen (flu) and Phil Myers (back spasms).
Braun will be out until after the All-Star break and Flyers bye week. In the first game that Braun missed, Tuesday's game in Raleigh, the Flyers suffered their second significant injury within their top-seven group on the blueline depth chart. Shayne Gostisbehere tweaked his left knee during his final shift of the game late in the third period. He did not appear in overtime. Gostisbehere missed Wednesday's game against the Caps and underwent an MRI. With only five healthy defensemen in the lineup, the Flyers recalled Mark Friedman from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms and assigned forward Andy Andreoff to Lehigh Valley.
On Thursday afternoon, the Flyers announced that Gostisbehere needs arthroscopic surgery on the knee. He will miss about three weeks, dating from yesterday. If all goes well, he may be able to return to action for the team's Jan. 31 road game in Pittsburgh.
3) The Flyers made a pair of roster moves on Thursday: The team recalled winger David Kase from the Phantoms and sent center Mikhail Vorobyev back to the AHL. It will become evident at practice on Friday how the line combinations will be arranged. The team may go with both Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl at center on the third and fourth lines.
4) The Phantoms return to action tonight, as they begin another 3-in-3 weekend gauntlet with a road game against the Utica Comets. On Saturday, the Phantoms return home to host the Laval Rocket. On Sunday, the Cleveland Monsters pay a visit to the PPL Center.
5) Dave Isaac has a good article in the Courier Post about the steep learning curve that 20-year-old Phantoms rookie winger Isaac Ratcliffe had undergone in his first half season at the pro level. There has been progress in how Ratcliffe approaches play in close quarters and in protecting the puck -- his wingspan was working against him early in the season -- although his offensive numbers remain modest.
6) The first 2020 edition of the Bundy & Bill podcast on Flyers Radio 24/7 and Flyers Podcast Central is now available. To download, click here.
7) Speaking of Flyers Radio 24/7, Jason Myrtetus announced yesterday that he is coming to work for the Flyers. That's a great addition, and should certainly help us in bolstering content on the radio broadcasting side. Jason really knows his stuff, especially where goaltending is concerned.