Quick Hits: March 31, 2022
1) Coming off a 1-4-0 road trip, the Flyers had an off-day on Wednesday. They will practice at the FTC in Voorhees today (11 a.m. EDT) and Friday before hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday evening. Defenseman Ronnie Attard is expected to participate in the next two practices and then make his NHL debut on Saturday.
2) The status of goaltender Carter Hart, who missed Tuesday's game in Minnesota due to an undisclosed nagging injury, will also become clearer over the next day or two. Hart is considered day-to-day. For the time being, Felix Sandström remains on the Flyers' roster as an emergency recall.
Sandström, 25, can become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer. He has had some ups and downs both health-wise and performance-wise this season in the AHL for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (12-16-3, 3.11 GAA, .896 SV%, one shutout) but has also played better at times than the stats would suggest and is now healthy. Sandström made his NHL debut on Dec. 30 in a 3-2 overtime loss in San Jose. Sandström stopped 43 of 46 shots in a losing cause, as the Sharks' Tomas Hertl scored with 31 seconds remaining in sudden death to end the game.
3) As of now, with the additions of Noah Cates and Attard, the Flyers have 13 forwards and eight defensemen on the active roster. Nate Thompson (shoulder surgery recovery) and Scott Laughton (concussion) are both expected to be on the ice in Voorhees today. There should be more clarity on when one or both may be cleared to play.
Last game in Minnesota, Max Willman was a healthy scratch in order for the Flyers to simultaneously keep Hayden Hodgson in the NHL lineup and to allow for Cates to make his NHL debut. Willman had tallied a goal in back-to-back road games against Colorado (14:52 TOI, three shots on goal) and Nashville (11:12 TOI, two shots on goal).
The 26-year-old Hodgson notched a goal and an assist in his NHL debut in St. Louis. He posted a half-dozen shots on goal plus a hit and a blocked shot in 16:01 TOI the next night in Colorado. In Nasville, Hodgson dropped the gloves with Tanner Jeannot early in the third period for his first NHL fight amid 12:53 of ice time. Hodgson primarily moved down to the fourth-line left wing spot (Cates and James van Riemsdyk split the game between the second-line and third-line left wings spots) and played 12:04.
Cates had an impressive NHL debut in the Minnesota game; one of the few Flyers who was effective in all three periods of the game. The team as a whole did fine for the first 11-plus minutes of the first period but then got caved for most of the next 29 minutes of game play. Down by 4-0 after two periods, the Flyers made a push in the third period but drew no closer than 4-1. For his part, Cates looked good in 14:52 of ice time including 1:13 of penalty killing duties. He was credited with three takeaways, three hits and three shots on goal. In the third period, it took a spectacular save by Fleury to deny Cates his first NHL goal. Cates was also on the positive end of the puck possession ledger for the game.
4) Apart from a narrowly missed passing connection with Morgan Frost on what momentarily looked like a promising opportunity for a one-timer, Owen Tippett was rather quiet offensively in the first two periods of the Minnesota game and was guilty of a neutral zone turnover that greatly prolonged a shift and resulted in extended D-zone time. However, he finished the game with a third-period surge, including a self-created breakaway opportunity (which resulted in a Flyers power play due to Jon Merrill slashing Tippett to disrupt him).
Over their six games together to date, there have been some hints of potential chemistry between Frost and Tippett, resulting in roughly four scoring chances for one or the other. However, they have yet to connect on a goal together yet. Tippett (1a, 15 shots on goal, two hit posts) had a nice assist on an eventual Patrick Brown rebound goal for his first and only point to date as a Flyer. Frost (1g, 1a) had an excellent takeaway and setup feed to Travis Sanheim in the Nashville game and a third-period power play goal (ending an NHL drought that stretched back to Dec. 30 in San Jose) in the game in Minnesota.
So far at least, the Flyers have kept Tippett and Frost together at 5-on-5 but separated on the power play. Tippett has been getting first-unit time on Kevin Hayes' unit and is averaging 2:49 pf PP time per game so far with the Flyers. Frost (2:18 PP time average over the last six games) has been on the second unit.
Dating back to the NHL All-Star break, Frost has averaged 1:30 of power play time, with one game on PP1 (vs. St Louis on Feb. 22) and 13 games seeing PP2 time or being skipped on the man advantage. Since the break, he is 13 among all Flyers skaters -- ninth among forwards -- in PP time per game.
However, with Giroux having been traded and the Flyers still in search of ways to improve their bottom-ranked power play (13.4 percent success, ranked 32nd), it would not be surprising to see PP coach John Torchetti and Yeo continue to experiment with combinations and possibly increase Frost's power play time. I'd personally like to see Frost and Tippett stay together on the power play.
5) The Flyers were mathematically eliminated from the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs after Tuesday's loss in Minnesota; their final game in March. The team has 15 games on its April docket -- seven at home, eight on the road -- to finish what has been an extremely disappointing campaign for the second straight season.
6) Reminder: The Flyers Alumni's Walk/Run/Stroll event at Washington's Crossing State Park will take place on Saturday at Washington's Crossing Historic Park in Bucks County. There will be 1k, 5k, and 10k courses. All proceeds benefit the Flyers Warriors program along with the YMCA of Bucks County's Veterans Wellness Initiative. Participating Flyers Alumni at Washington's Crossing include Brad Marsh, Bob Kelly, John LeClair, Mark Howe, Paul Holmgren, Dave Schultz and more.
Can't make it to Washington's Crossing on the 23rd but want to participate some other way? One option is to participate in a virtual/remote walk (either your own, or one organized by someone else). Several Flyers Alumni who either live outside the Delaware Valley or will be traveling out of the area on the 23rd will be doing their own remote walks for the cause.
One such remote event is being organized by Flyers Hall of Fame member Joe Watson. Watson and a group of friends will be walking at Ridley Creek State Park starting at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Another option: Make a donation to the event.
Fundraising is NOT required in order to participate. However, there are some pretty cool incentives for participants who also raise funds. The top level ($1,000 raised) includes a private meet-and-greet event with the Flyers Alumni in the brand-new Alumni Lounge at the Wells Fargo Center plus a pair of tickets for the April 29 season finale against the Ottawa Senators.
In order to register for the event -- and for complete details on the courses, participation options and fundraising incentives -- visit the Flyers Alumni Walk, Run, Stroll official website,
6) March 29: Happy birthday wishes go out to Brad Marsh (1958).