Alain Vigneault
Beyond the Flyers 3-2 victory in the exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday afternoon, it was just nice to have hockey back. For the players, it was just nice to get into a competitive game.
The Flyers get a rivalry matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, quite the way to make their return to the ice for the first time in nearly five months. Game time is 4 p.m.
The Flyers arrived in Toronto on Sunday afternoon and had their first practice in the bubble on Monday. Leading up to their exhibition game with Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the team focuses on adjusting to bubble life.
On the final day of practice in Voorhees, the Flyers had the full roster on the ice. Sean Couturier returned after the birth of his daughter and Carter Hart was back with the full team for practice after skating by himself after Thursday’s scrimmage.
On Thursday, the Flyers had another scrimmage scheduled and again, Carter Hart was not on the playing roster, the second straight day he missed practice after leaving early on Tuesday. However, there was positive news when Hart took the ice for a short workout and to face a few shots from teammates after the scrimmage.
Day 10 of Phase 3 Flyers camp featured another absence from Carter Hart, though head coach Alain Vigneault is not concerned, and a possible late add to the Flyers roster for Toronto that would be remarkable.
Flyers forward Sean Couturier is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, along with Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and St. Louis’ Ryan O’Reilly.
When Jake Voracek was absent from the Flyers scrimmage on Saturday, the first thought is that there could be a positive COVID-19 test in Flyers camp. But that was quickly put to rest when Voracek was back on the ice on Sunday for the next practice.
Moments before the team took the ice for the scrimmage on Saturday, GM Chuck Fletcher announced that Jake Voracek was “unable to participate.” According to the NHL’s protocol, that is the only update teams are able to give on absent players. So there is no knowledge if Voracek’s absence is injury-related, illness-related or simply a maintenance issue.
For the entire season, Ivan Provorov and Matt Niskanen have been united together. Assistant coach Mike Yeo, who runs the defense, said that they have been the quickest to get up to speed.
