VOORHEES, N.J. — The Flyers are coming off of their best offensive performance since Nov. 8 and they'll try to build on it with the return of James van Riemsdyk.
The 33-year-old winger will be back in the lineup Wednesday when the Flyers finish a five-game homestand with a matchup against the Capitals (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). Van Riemsdyk missed the last 20 games as he recovered from a fractured left index finger that required surgery Oct. 28.
The Flyers enter Wednesday 31st in the NHL with 2.46 goals per game and 30th in power play percentage at 16.1. Van Riemsdyk led the Flyers in goals last season with 24 and is regarded for his power play prowess at the front of the net.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"That's something that over the course of my career I've been able to do is provide some offense, so that's a big part of my role and my job," van Riemsdyk said Wednesday morning. "I've got to make sure I'm doing that, but as far as being one of the older guys, it's about doing the right things, managing the game right, making good decisions and setting a good example in that way, too."
As van Riemsdyk jumps back in the lineup, Tanner Laczynski has come out of it because of a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old center was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and is considered week to week. He suffered the injury during the third period of the Flyers' 5-3 win Monday night over the Avalanche.
Following Wednesday's game, the Flyers head on a four-game road trip, which starts Friday against the Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET/NBCSP+). Head coach John Tortorella said the club will likely send defensive prospect Egor Zamula to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley prior to the trip. It wants the 22-year-old developing in important minutes for the Phantoms rather than be an extra for four games.
Tortorella recently said he wanted Zamula back in the Flyers' lineup for the purpose of developing the team's future. But the Flyers (9-12-5) have been so desperate for wins, Tortorella decided to turn back to steady veteran Justin Braun following a lopsided 4-1 loss last Thursday to the Lightning.
NHL
"When we went down this road here, just coming up empty, you owe it to your team, too, sometimes that you're trying to win some games here to try to get off the schneid," Tortorella said. "So that kind of switched a little bit."
The Flyers are expected to call up another defenseman to have as an extra over the trip, while Zamula should see a lot of ice time in Lehigh Valley.
"He's going to play a ton of minutes down there while we're gone on this week trip," Tortorella said.
Subscribe to and rate Flyers Talk
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | YouTube