PHILADELPHIA – It might just take the upcoming 10-day break in the Flyers’ schedule to get all their players back on the ice together.
On Saturday morning, the Flyers learned newly-acquired Jakob Pelletier would not be available for a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Wells Fargo Center.
More complications with U.S. customs prevented him from making his debut in Philadelphia. However, the other player in the recent trade transaction with Calgary, Andrei Kuzmenko, was set to make his debut.
Meanwhile, center Jacob Gaucher was recalled from the Phantoms and was scheduled to play on a line with Matvei Michkov, who was coming off a two-goal game in Thursday night’s 4-3 loss to Washington.
It had to be a disappointing turn of events for Pelletier, who’s been waiting more than a week to get into action.
However, coach John Tortorella disagreed with that assertion.
“I don’t think he’s a guy who gets down about anything,” Tortorella said following the morning skate at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J. “But he’s certainly going through some anxious times just wanting to play.”
The coach was hoping to get a look at Pelletier during a recent two-game road trip out west. That didn’t materialize and now it’s four games without No. 22.
Tortorella was asked if Pelletier could supply some energy to a lineup which recently was blanked a franchise-record three straight games.
“I want to see it,” Tortorella said. The coach also said the recent return of Nick Deslauriers from a lengthy injury absence provided some energy in the Florida game. “Different types of energy when you’re trying to find traction as long as we’ve had to here for the last week and a half.
“It always helps. So I’m anxious to see him come into the lineup and see what he brings.”
>Abols-Michkov connection
Tortorella experimented with Rodrigo Abols on a line with Michkov the other night and that pairing clicked rather well. Michkov scored those aforementioned two goals (including one off a sharp Abols set-up) and nearly scored a third, which would have been his first NHL hat trick.
“He (Michkov) just looked freer to me,” said the coach after watching the young Russian snap an eight-game goal drought. “He played with more energy.
“I hope it happens again because it’s been a lot of hockey for him. He was stuck a little bit but you could see it right away. We tried to get him on the ice as much as we could. Face-offs. . .every opportunity.”
Just how good was Michkov?
“That was probably the highest level I’ve seen him play all year long,” Tortorella said of the rookie. “He was good earlier in the year but that’s probably the highest level I’ve seen him play.”
>Nice break for some
Although Travis Sanheim won’t be getting much rest time the next couple weeks due to his participation in the 4 Nations Face-off event, he sees the value of getting a break for many of his teammates.
“You know the season tends to get long,” he said. “We’re playing pretty much every second day. For a lot of guys it’s going to be nice to get away, reset, come back with new energy. Especially where we’ve been at.
“Maybe the guys playing in the 4 Nations can bring that (energy) back here. Share the knowledge and the energy gained from some of the game’s best players.”
>Poehling skating
Center Ryan Poehling, injured in a collision with New Jersey defensemen Brenden Dillon in a Jan. 18 game, has been doing some informal skating again. The belief is that Poehling should be ready to return to the ice for regular drills by the time the Flyers are able to resume practice on Jan. 19.
