Vigneault says JVR may miss six weeks
PHILADELPHIA » The Flyers will have to complete their push to a possible Metropolitan Division championship without a valuable veteran contributor.
According to Alain Vigneault, James van Riemsdyk is expected to require “four to six weeks,” to recover from a broken finger sustained in a Wednesday night victory in Washington.
If Vigneault’s timetable is accurate, van Riemsdyk can be expected to have missed the final 16 regular-season games, including a Thursday night visit from the Carolina Hurricanes. The playoffs begin April 8, right in the middle of the four-to-six week estimate.
“Since Day 1 this year, from Nolan Patrick not being here at the beginning, then losing Oskar (Lindblom) and on and on and on, we’ve had our share of injuries,” Vigneault said. “It’s next man up, and we have to try to win games.”
Vigneault planned to drop Scott Laughton into van Riemsdyk’s left-wing role on a third line with Derek Grant and Tyler Pitlick.
Joel Farabee was recalled from Lehigh Valley to replace van Riemsdyk on the roster. Vigneault planned to use him as a second-line left wing with center Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny.
“We’ve got a lot of faith and confidence in him,” Vigneault said. “It’s just another opportunity for guys to come in and play well.
“When Ghost (Shayne Gostisbehere, knee) went down, Robert Hagg had been in and out. But he came in and he’s played real hard for our team and we’ve just kept him in the lineup. So we need some guys right now to step up and fill this void. And that’s what I expect from this group.”
The Flyers are paying van Riemsdyk, 30, $7 million this season to provide front-line depth and a presence on the power play. After a slow start, he had provided 19 goals and 21 assists in 66 games, including four power-play goals and two game-winners.
Van Riemsdyk absorbed a first-period shot from the Capitals’ Jonas Siegenthaler off his right hand Wednesday and did not return. He was unavailable to comment early Thursday.
Vigneault said nothing about a possible surgery for van Riemsdyk, although Laughton missed 13 games and 28 days after requiring an operation for a similar injury in October.
The Flyers’ regular season will end April 4, in 30 days.
“I think he’s getting a second opinion,” said Vigneault, “but it’s my understanding that it’s the same kind of injury Scotty Laughton had. So when you are talking about fractures, you’re talking four to six weeks.”
••• Caught in roster traffic despite an encouraging rookie season, Farabee had been stashed in Allentown, missing the last four games.
“At the deadline, they acquired two guys (Derek Grant and Nate Thompson), so obviously they are going to go in the lineup,” Farabee said. “So it was good. I went down and got a lot of practice in. I think that’s a big difference between the AHL and the NHL. You get a lot of practice down there. So I just thought it was good, being on the ice every day, working on some things.”
Farabee, 20, had scored seven goals in 49 Flyers games.
“Joel has been with our team on a number of occasions this year, and we all know what he can bring,” Vigneault said. “He was playing well for us. We didn’t want a young player like that to just be standing around. But we’re a phone call away, an hour and a half drive away from getting a player up here, so it’s never been an issue.”
••• Troubled by injury and inconsistency, the Flyers used eight goalies last season. Three generated double-figure starts.
This season, either Carter Hart or Brian Elliott has started in 65 of the 67 games. Alex Lyon started the other two as Hart battled an abdominal injury.
“We’ve used both of our goaltenders in big, hard stretches, and they’ve both performed well for us,” Vigneault said. “In Carter’s case, he has progressed as any young player should. And in Brian, we’ve got a veteran player who has been through a lot. He has been good for Carter but he has been good for our group.”
Hart started against Carolina Thursday after Elliott made 27 saves in the 5-2 victory at Washington.
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The Flyers will entertain Buffalo Saturday night at 7.