Who could replace Frost and Myers? Elliott joins the exclusive company after closing. 1/20/2021 edition of the Philadelphia Flyers Phlight Deck.
After four games, the Philadelphia Flyers have a 3-1-0 record. They will take this to the road on Thursday, on a four-game trip. After a turnaround on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabers, the Flyers travel to Boston without three players. Alain Vigneault adjusted the lineup well enough to guarantee a shutout victory with Brian Elliott on goal. Before facing Boston Bruins, let’s take a look at Philadelphia’s current position on the Flyers Phlight Deck, brought to you by the Philly Sports Network.
Four Flyers unfit to play
There are currently four players in the Philadelphia squad who are marked as “unsuitable to play” under any condition. Shayne Gostisbehere is still in the process of the player’s security protocol for COVID-19. Sean Couturier is within a minimum of two weeks due to a rib injury. Last night, Philippe Myers and Morgan Frost were added to the “unfit to play” list. At the moment, the extent of the injuries and the recovery time have not yet been confirmed.
Frost won a role in Philadelphia after a good training camp. After Couturier was wounded by Jared McCann in a straight hit to the boards, Vigneault originally put Frost on the top row. Last night, in the second period, Jake McCabe hit Frost on the boards behind Carter Hutton. Frost stood up, placing his right arm over his stomach. He would not return to the game.
Earlier, the young pivot tried to get McCabe off the disk in the neutral zone. There may have been some accidental knee-to-knee contact. Myers’ left knee did not look stable after the collision. Up to that point, Myers was playing a physical game. He wouldn’t be back either.
Next Man Up
Contextual clues suggest that Myers could waste significant time. Unpacking the latest moves from the Flyers list provides some clarity. Today, Philadelphia assigned Derrick Pouliot of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to the Flyers taxi squad. Nate Prosser was already with the group, and Mark Friedman was listed on the 23-player roster Tuesday night. Placing Pouliot in the taxi squad suggests filling out the list for an extended period while Myers is recovering from his injury.
Connor Bunnaman is another player who was already listed on the 23-player roster on Tuesday. He will probably be the next man in Frost’s place. As Pouliot occupies the available spot in the taxi squad, a bettor may believe that Bunnaman is playing against the Bruins. Vigneault can maintain most lines as he did when Frost joined the team. Bunnaman may play on the second row, directly in place of Frost.
41 Shutouts for Flyers goalkeeper Brian Elliott
The constant goalkeeper played a big role in winning the Philadelphia rebound. Carter Hart had the night off after a brutal Monday night. On Tuesday, it was Elliott’s turn to shine. He proved why Chuck Fletcher made the right choice by extending his contract during the off-season. Elliott, 35, may be the best reserve goalkeeper in the league.
After the 3-0 victory, Elliott scored the 41st shutout of his career. Not bad for a goalkeeper who hasn’t played since August 30, 2020. In 2019-2020, he won two closing victories (Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings). Elliott has always been a safe hand throughout his career against the Sabers. Throughout his career, Elliott is 14-2-2 against Buffalo.
His performance last night, saving forty kicks in a shutout, places him among four other Flyers goalkeepers (Steve Mason, Martin Biron, Roman Cechmanek, Darren Jensen) to accomplish this feat since 1980.
NHL player safety
During Monday’s 6-1 defeat by Sabers, Nicolas Aube-Kubel had a difficult time. He punched Rasmus Dahlin while he skated out of the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. The league fined him $ 4,633.62, which is the maximum allowed by the current CBA restructuring. This sparked a grudge between the two teams on Tuesday.
His fine is worth mentioning because Brandon Montour did the same with Ivan Provorov. In the second period, Hutton had to be checked by the Buffalo training team. Before that moment, Philadelphia hit the net in the offensive zone. Montour’s hip checks Provorov in Hutton and on goal. As soon as Provorov fell to the ground in the net, Montour went ahead with a punch.
What Montour did is no different than Aube-Kubel. The fine must be the same. Hutton finished the second period, but would be replaced in the third by Jonas Johansson.
Photo credit: Alex McIntyre
Eric has a degree in English from the University of Delaware. While at school, he started writing for different publications such as The Highlight Network, Amps and Greenscreens, and made colorful comments to the University of Delaware men’s and women’s lacrosse teams throughout the 2013 season as an alumnus. Before being featured on the Philly Sports Network, he started a professional wrestling podcast with a childhood friend called Totally Over Podcast. As an avid sport for all things Philadelphia, Eric is also a proud supporter of West Virginia University.