MELTZER'S MUSINGS: MARCH 18, 2016
1) After taking a much-deserved off day on Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers return to practice on Friday in preparation for Saturday's 1 p.m. matinee against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers got no help on out-of-town scoreboard on Thursday during an idle night on Philadelphia's schedule. The Detroit Red Wings skated to a 3-1 road win over the Columbus Blue Jackets to move ahead of the Flyers again in the race for the final wildcard playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers (34-23-12, 80 points) are now one point behind Detroit (35-25-11, 81 points) with two games in hand. Detroit has a 33-32 regulation/overtime win (ROW) tiebreaker advantage in the event of a points tie.
Meanwhile, the Penguins earned a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Pittsburgh (38-24-8, 84 points, 35 ROW) opened up a four-point lead on the Flyers in the push for the higher wildcard seed. Philadelphia holds one game in hand. The Penguins are one point behind the New York Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
2) Chris VandeVelde will have a hearing on Friday with the NHL's Department of Player Safety for his elbow to the head of Chicago Blackhawks' captain Jonathan Toews late in the first period of the Flyers 3-2 victory on Wednesday night. The play was uncharacteristic of VandeVelde, who received a two-minute elbowing minor on the play. He is likely to be suspended for one or two games.
3) Day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Jakub Voracek skated on Thursday in Voorhees. Friday's practice will be a big test of his readiness to return to the Flyers' lineup for Saturday's game.
4) Over his last 33 games, dating back to the start of the 2016 calendar year, Flyers forward Brayden Schenn has 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists). As of the conclusion of Wedneday night's NHL games, he ranked 7th in the NHL in scoring since New Year's.
After the Flyers' game on Wednesday, Bob McKenzie opined on NBC Sports Network that the Flyers and Schenn could wind up with a salary arbitration case this summer and the amount of money involved in his next contract will depend on the term length.
The one type of deal the Flyers will not want to do is a two-year deal because he is unrestricted free agency eligible after the 2017-18 season. They will either look to do a one-year deal or else something long-term that pre-empts one or more year's of Schenn's UFA status. If they go the latter route, the contract will carry a significantly higher cap hit but could also be a money-saver down the line if Schenn's productivity this season is a genuine breakthrough.
5) Earlier this week, the Flyers announced that the Wells Fargo Center landed one of the fastest-growing NHL Draft countdown events: The 2016-17 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game on Sept. 22. The game involves two squads comprised of the top U.S.-born prospects eligible for the next NHL Draft (in this case, the 2017 Draft). It is a good opportunity to get a glimpse not only at some of the biggest names eligible for the next draft -- past participants include the likes of Seth Jones, Dylan Larkin and Jack Eichel -- but also some less-hyped standouts and potential sleeper picks by the the time the 2016-17 season is done.