Travis Konecny will return to Flyers' lineup vs. Capitals

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UPDATED: 12:22 P.M.

The kid is back.
 
Travis Konecny will return to the Flyers lineup tonight in Washington against the Capitals after missing nine games with an ankle and knee injury.
 
"I feel good," he said. "Anybody in my position would want to play some hockey. I feel 100 percent.
 
"Everything has been going good on the ice this week. I feel in great shape and feel like I did before I got injured."
 
On Friday at Flyers Skate Zone, Konecny practiced with a revised second power-play unit that now includes newcomer Valtteri Filppula with Sean Couturier, Jordan Weal and Ivan Provorov.
 
The entire unit changes with the departure of defenseman Mark Streit. Nick Cousins had been on that unit.
 
"We're moving the puck around good and getting different looks," Konecny said. "We'll have to see when we put it in the game what the difference is. It's going to be exciting to try it out."
 
Konecny has three of the four power-play goals scored by the second unit this season. Dale Weise has the other.
 
The bad news? That unit hasn’t scored on the power play since Konecny did Jan. 12  against Vancouver -- 20 games ago, which is one reason why coach Dave Hakstol has to adjust his personnel.
 
Hakstol didn't use Filppula on the power play during a 2-1 shootout win over Florida on Thursday night because he was trying to ease the Finn into the lineup on such short notice following the trade deadline.
 
"We looked at it [Friday] and with limited practice time, we have to look at different spots that are suitable for [Filppula] and what those units look like and start building chemistry," Hakstol said of the unit's shakeup.
 
"Whether we use that in the game, we haven’t decided yet, but as you can see from the March schedule, there's not that much practice time. If we have an opportunity to look at things, we're going to do that."
 
Hakstol said he would have to limit Konecny's ice time. The plan was to start him on the fourth line initially.

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