Tyson Foerster returns just in time for Flyers playoff push

The Philadelphia Flyers are right in the thick of the playoff race, just two points back of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The team had a chance to move up the standings on Tuesday, but lost 6-4 to the Washington Capitals. Luckily for them, their immediate threats for a playoff spot lost too.

The season can be considered a success, but securing a playoff spot would be even better for the Flyers, On Thursday, they are receiving help.

The Flyers officially announced that winger Tyson Foerster is making his return from injury. This comes hours before their game against the Detroit Red Wings, who they are tied with in the Eastern Conference Wild Card standings.

Tyson Foerster returns as youth movement helps put Flyers in great playoff standing

Bringing Foerster back provides a huge boost for the Flyers, as he was their top scorer before suffering an arm injury on a shot attempt in their Dec. 1 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. With Foerster seemingly out long-term, the vibes amongst the fanbase have been down, considering his ability to put the puck in the back of the net.

As for where Foerster will play, he was spotted in practice on the top line alongside center Trevor Zegras and winger Owen Tippett. Not only that, but he was practicing on the to power play unit alongside Zegras, Travis Konecny, Christian Dvorak, and Rasmus Ristolainen.

This is the best possible news for the Flyers, even though they were one of the hottest teams in hockey since the NHL returned from it's Olympic break back in late February. The good thing for the Flyers is that they had some help from some of their younger players.

Matvei Michkov has showed up as of late after an up-and-down season. Since returning from the Olympic break, Michkov has three goals and eight assists to his credit. Prior to their loss to the Capitals, Michkov was on a three-game point streak. Denver Barkey, meanwhile, has been getting on the scoreboard as of late. In their previous four games, Barkey had two goals and one assist. Alex Bump, who made his debut in March, has three goals and three assist in 12 games played.

The Flyers have already made a substantial push to secure a spot in the playoffs by signing Porter Martone to his entry level contract this past Sunday. In his pro debut on Tuesday, Martone had five shots on goal, and received praise from head coach Rick Tocchet.

Now, they are getting Foerster back for this final stretch. Before the injury, Foerster had 10 goals and three assists in 21 games. If he does suit up on Thursday, it will be for a pivotal back-to-back stretch against fellow playoff contenders in the Red Wings and New York Islanders, respectively.