Ryan Ellis was eased back into the Flyers lineup on Saturday after missing the previous nine games. He was on the third pairing with Keith Yandle and skated 18:45. That was far off of the 22-28 minutes he had during his first three games. After an off/travel day on Sunday, the team returned to the Voorhees Skate Zone ahead of another matchup with the Flames.
When practice began, all players were accounted for except for Ryan Ellis. Not a good sign after the off day. And the news became worse once Alain Vigneault took to the podium after practice. Ellis re-injured himself during the game against Dallas and will now have a week-to-week timeline.
It’s frustrating for Ellis after dealing with the injury during the preseason, playing three games, missing the next nine, and then returning to play Dallas.
"“It’s definitely tough mentally for him. As a team, we’ll be able to adjust and we’ll try to support him. Hopefully it’s not that long, but I think this time he should take all the time that he needs and come out when he’s ready.” Ivan Provorov said after practice."
The Flyers will have to adjust once more as Nick Seeler will return for what appears to be a long-stint in Ellis’ absence. He has performed well during his time with the Flyers and has made an impression on both his teammates and the fanbase as well.
"“This guy battles and plays hard every night. You know what you’re gonna get from him. A player that you want to play with and kind of go to battle with. He’s been playing great for us. Offensively and defensively he’s been moving the puck well and moving his feet and obviously playing the body. That’s what he does best so he’s fun to have on our side.” Claude Giroux said on Seeler’s performance."
Reset coming for Oskar Lindblom
While the chances have been coming for Lindblom, he hasn’t been able to put the puck in the net just yet. His previous line with Scott Laughton and James van Riemsdyk had been generating plenty of chances and Lindblom looked like he was just a bounce away from grabbing that first goal.
With Kevin Hayes returning to the lineup, the Flyers made quite a few changes to their lineup before Saturday’s game. That included moving Lindblom down to the fourth line with Nate Thompson and Zack MacEwen. While he made some of his own mistakes in that game, it’s a tough way to try and get a player going.
After filling in on defense for Ellis during Monday’s practice, Vigneault confirmed that Lindblom will have a chance to reset as he will not be in the Flyers lineup when they take on the Flames on Tuesday evening. The hard work has been there for Lindblom so this should just be a quick moment for him to watch from above.
"“We’re gonna use tomorrow as sort of a reset. He won’t be playing tomorrow. I have told him that I have a lot of faith that he’ll get back to where he was before. It’s going to take time, it’s going to take patience, and it’s going to take a lot of hard work from him. But hard work, after what he’s been through, I’m sure he’ll get it done.”"