MELTZER'S MUSINGS: DECEMBER 29, 2015
1) By the time the Philadelphia Flyers take to the ice on Wednesday to play the San Jose Sharks in the second game of Philly's three-game California road trip, the Flyers will have played only one game since the start of their five-night Christmas break on Dec. 22. That is a bit of a concern as the Flyers, for whatever reason, seem to fare exceptionally poorly off prolonged breaks in the schedule. The team did not play well in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks and two more open nights on the schedule immediately thereafter was probably not ideal. However, it's beyond the team's control and is not an excuse for subpar play.
2) There may be more clarity on Tuesday about the readiness of Mark Streit to be activated from the long-term injured reserve list, along with a corresponding roster move to become salary cap compliant and get down to the 23-man limit on the active roster. Additionally, Michael Del Zotto (upper body, suspected hand or wrist injury) remains to day-to-day after missing Sunday's game in Anaheim.
3) WJC: Team Russia (featuring Ivan Provorov and Radel Fazleev) will take on Team Belarus on Tuesday while Team Canada (featuring Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny) will play against Switzerland. Here are thumbnail updates on all seven Flyers-affiliated prospects in the tournament.
Ivan Provorov (Russia): Provorov played a strong all-around game with hefty ice time but did not get on the scoresheet in Russia's tournament opening 2-1 shootout win over the Czech Republic. In the Russians' second game, a 6-4 comeback win over Finland, Provorov had power play and even strength assists. He was minus-one at even strength and recorded one shot on goal.
Radel Fazleev (Russia): Fazleev scored a latter third-period insurance goal (assisted by Provorov) on a followup of his own rebound in the win against host team Finland. In the opener against the Czechs, Fazleev had an assist on Artur Lauta's game-tying goal in the third period. He was not selected for the shootout, although he is a shootout regular in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen.
Travis Sanheim (Canada): Sanheim was used very sparingly by Canada coach Dave Lowry in the opening-game loss to Team USA. He received significantly more ice time in a 6-1 rout over Switzerland. Sanheim did not record a point, although he did set up a golden scoring opportunity for Brendan Perlini that was not finished by the forward. Sanheim finished the second game with three shots on goal and was plus-one. He had one shot on goal in the USA game.
Travis Konecny (Canada): Konecny was quiet in limited ice time against Team USA in the opener. He recorded his first point of the tournament, an assist, as he set up Lawson Crouse’s goal that gave Canada a 4-1 lead over Switzerland. Konecny finished the game with two shots on goal.
Oskar Lindblom (Sweden): Skating on the Swedes' top line at even strength, Lindblom scored his team's second goal in an 8-3 blowout win over Switzerland in the opener. Lindblom finished with two shots on goal. He did not record a point in the Swedes' 1-0 regulation win over Team USA in the second game. Lindblom had two shots on goal in the game.
Felix Sandström (Sweden): The 18-year-old netminder has been the backup to New York Islanders' prospect Linus Söderström in both games to date. Söderström was spectacular in recording a 46-save shutout in the 1-0 win against Team USA.
David Kase (Czech Republic): The Czech alternate captain did not record a point and missed on a shootout attempt in the 2-1 loss to Russia in the opener. He had one shot on goal in regulation. In their second game, the Czechs shut out rival Slovakia, 2-0. Kase notched a secondary assist on a David Pastrnak power play goal midway through the game. Kase finished with three shots on goal, was plus-one at even strength.
4) The QMJHL schedule resumed on Monday after a 10-night break. Flyers 2014 second-round pick Nicolas Aube Kubel extended his point streak to 14 consecutive games with a goal (empty net) and an assist in the Val-d'Or Foreurs' 3-1 win over the Blaineville-Boisbriand Armada. Aube-Kubel has 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) over the last 14 games.
Bringing the Decades Together: Flyers Alumni to Play in Reading
In celebration of nearly a half-century of Flyers hockey, the Flyers Alumni Association is bringing together players representing every decade of franchise history for a special Orange vs. Black intrasquad Alumni game on Feb. 5, 2016 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be held at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA, home of the Philadelphia Flyers' ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals.
Confirmed participants to date include the legendary Bob Clarke, Danny Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Flyers Hall of Fame inductees Brian Propp and Joe Watson, Bill Clement, Bob "the Hound" Kelly, Paul Holmgren, Dave Poulin, Brad Marsh and Joe Watson. Full rosters of the Alumni will be announced at a later date.
Tickets for the Alumni game start at $12 and are on sale now. For more information on the game, click here.