COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Luke Schenn may not be returning to the scene of the crime, but his return to the lineup tonight in Columbus will reunite the recently idle defenseman against the team that sidelined him for two weeks.
The 26-year-old defenseman left Dec. 5's home tilt against the Blue Jackets in the third period with a lower-body injury that caused the fourth-year Flyer to miss five games.
When asked about the toughest challenge of returning from such a hiatus, the 6-foot-2, 229-pound defender acknowledged timing and contact as two of the biggest factors.
"Obviously, there hasn't been a ton of contact in the past couple weeks," said Schenn after Saturday's morning skate at Nationwide Arena. "That's something that might take you a shift or two to figure out, but yeah, that's probably a lot of it. Obviously, you got to figure it out pretty quick, they're coming at you fast."
With 194 hits in 58 games last season, Schenn is no stranger to contact. The Saskatchewan native has since registered 57 hits this season in 23 games, while blocking 29 shots, the third highest total among teammates.
As a result of Schenn's return, Brandon Manning will be lifted from the lineup for the first time since sitting out of a pair of games against the Predators and Rangers in late November.
"No one has talked about our lineup decisions of late, they're not easy decisions." said Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol. "Brandon has done a good job for us."
The first-year coach will opt for the bigger-bodied Schenn against a Columbus team that's carved out an identity as a physical squad that uses its size to unleash a smothering forecheck.
"It's a tough game, I'll tell ya, against a big strong team in terms of the way Columbus plays down low, so it's a good time for Luke to come back."
Despite the fact his team has collected seven points in its last five games, Hakstol will look to give the Flyers any edge they can get as they prepare to play the first of two road games against Columbus this season.
Not only did the Flyers fall to their Metropolitan Division foe by a score of 4-1 earlier this month, they've also dropped eight of their last nine games against the Blue Jackets, with their lone victory in that span coming at home early last season. The Orange and Black will look to snap a six-game losing streak at Nationwide Arena, last winning in that building on Dec. 13, 2005.
Hakstol, however, isn't interested in his team's historic shortcomings in Ohio.
"I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about those (games)," Hakstol said. "I wasn't a part of them, and I can tell you we certainly haven't talked about any of the past results."
When asked about those past results, the elder Schenn brother validated Hakstol's comments.
"Since when?" asked Schenn as he let out a surprising laugh. "I did not know that."
While the Flyers are focused on winning from an overall outlook, they can also look to their recent success in another building that stacked losses on the team: Madison Square Garden.
With Schenn in the lineup, the Flyers exercised their MSG demons that dated back 10 regular-season games with a 3-0 shutout win on Nov. 28, making their next task seem much smaller, even if the time frame appears to be much larger.
"You probably don't want to concentrate on that and generate those negative thoughts," added Schenn. "The past is in the past - MSG, we've had some tough times. I'm sure a lot of it's mental, but dating back to '05... It's just one of those things. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but there's no question we got to play a lot better."
Familiar Faces
While the two franchises are connected by seven current players who have played for both clubs, the link extends beyond the ice.
Columbus assistant coach Craig Hartsburg spent two stints with the Flyers as an assistant, serving for various head coaches from 1990-1994, and then later between 2002-2004.
Columbus' current color commentator, Jody Shelly, also finished his career on Broad Street, accumulating 191 penalty minutes in 89 games with the Flyers.