PHILADELPHIA — Flyers goaltender Carter Hart has been granted what general manager Danny Briere described as, “an indefinite leave of absence.”
The Flyers emailed a statement Tuesday afternoon without details citing the netminder’s request. Hart wasn’t at the Tuesday morning shootaround.
“Carter Hart has requested and been granted an indefinite leave of absence citing personal reasons,” the statement from Briere read. “The club will have no further comment at this time.”
Before the morning skate, coach John Tortorella mentioned that Sam Ersson would start in net against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. It was Hart’s turn, and Tortorella had been alternating the netminders.
“We felt we just wanted to go back with Ersson,” said Tortorella, who responded “yep” when asked if Hart was healthy.
The 25-year-old Hart allowed five goals in a loss Saturday to Colorado and is 12-9-3 in this, his sixth NHL season.
The Flyers placed forward Owen Tippett on Injured Reserve and recalled goaltender Cal Petersen from Lehigh Valley of the AHL. Petersen was acquired in a three-way draft day trade from Los Angeles. He once was considered a top goaltending prospect.
• • •
Ersson stopped 20 shots, but league-leading scorer Nikita Kucherov recorded his fourth career hat trick, the last goal an empty netter to go with an assist to lift the Lightning (25-18-5-55) to a 5-3 win over the Flyers.
With Hart out indefinitely, Ersson obviously is going to have to play the lion’s share of games.
“Sam’s played very well,” Tortorella said. “I’m totally confident in Sam.”
Ersson is comfortable in whatever role he’s asked to play.
“I just do my thing,” Ersson said. “I’m ready whenever they call my name and that’s all I think about.”
For the Flyers, Cam Atkinson had a goal and an assist, Jamie Drysdale netted his first NHL goal on a power play and Cam York bunted the rebound of his shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy to get the Flyers (25-17-6-56) within 4-3 in the third period.
• • •
The Flyers on Monday sent rookie forward Bobby Brink to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League (AHL) and recalled forward Olle Lycksell from the Phantoms.
Tortorella said Brink “leveled off” and that he wants the young man to work on …
“Everything,” Tortorella said. “Practice habits, how he handles himself away from the puck. Everything a young man that has to go through the process must do. I don’t consider this a nay, this is a good thing. We have Lehigh right down the street. He gets to play a lot more minutes and develop playing minutes there on a team that’s fighting to get in and go through the process that way. It’s not always going to be all NHL games when you’re going through the process. Sometimes that great American League is a very good place to be in developing.”
Brink had been a healthy scratch in four of the previous six Flyers games. He had 18 points in 38 games, including seven goals.
Among other refinements Brink will work on is the art of checking.
“I think sometimes young players think check means ‘OK, I’m going to go to the guy,’” Tortorella said. “But you’re trying to stop a play, too when you’re checking. You’re trying to get your stick on the puck. You’re not checking on his ass; you’re checking on his hands so he can’t make a play. Or just moving your legs to force him to make a play quicker so the next guy can pick it off.”
Tortorella also intimated that Brink, 22, needs to learn the rudiments of being a professional.
“That starts with just getting out of your car and how you come into the practice rink,” Tortorella said. “And it goes right on through to when you get to the ice and you finish your practice. The part on the ice is to get the hell out of the way of the offensive skill that he has and teach him plays away from the puck. How you play away from that. He has been inconsistent in all of them to the point where we think other guys are playing better.”
The plan is for Brink, who was averaging 14 minutes, to get a ton of playing time with the Phantoms.
• • •
Lycksell is in his second stint with the Flyers. He got the attention of management by scoring a team-leading 16 goals to go along with 12 assists in 33 games with the Phantoms.
Tortorella said Lycksell’s skating was better, freer, and the kid attributed it to being comfortable.
“What I want to see is if he can bring us some offense and see if he can be free and make some plays,” Tortorella said. “He played so safe. I don’t want him to be safe. I want him to make some plays and hopefully he’s confident enough and comfortable enough to make more plays.”
• • •
NOTES >> Tippett was “day to day” Tuesday morning per Tortorella. … Lightning star forward Nikita Kucherov is among the cast competing for a $1 million winner-take-all prize in the upcoming 2024 NHL All-Star Skills competition. … Flyers defensemen Nick Seeler and Sean Walker have attracted interest from the Lightning per NHL Trade Rumors.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment