Knight cleared to play, waiting to earn his pay

PHILADELPHIA >> Corban Knight was still waiting to make his Flyers debut Tuesday night, but it was enough for him to know that he was considered to be part of the group in the locker room.

Knight is back from the upper body injury which temporarily prevented him from starting the season with the big club, after he toiled for the last two years with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

“Injuries are never fun to deal with, especially at that time,” Knight said, referring to his injury timing late in what had been a successful camp. “It’s a tough pill to swallow. But at the same time I just had to focus on getting healthy and rehabbing strong. For me, it’s just making sure I’m healthy and ready to go, and when I get a chance here make sure I take advantage of it.”

Knight, 28, was drafted by the Florida Panthers in 2009 but played four years at the University of North Dakota under then-head coach Dave Hakstol. Since then, it’s been a struggle to stick for him in both the Calgary and Florida organizations. Knight has played just 29 NHL games, but in making the move from center to the wing in camp, he’s making a strong push to become a regular checking line role player.

“The last couple of years I’ve been working hard to make sure I can play wing as well as center,” Knight said, “so I’m pretty comfortable at both positions. Whether it’s center or wing, I feel confident I can do the job out there when I get a chance.”

That should come soon, as Knight was gifted with a new numbered jersey Tuesday, the No. 10 that he wore with Hakstol’s team in college.

“I take that as a good sign,” he said.

Knight practiced Tuesday morning but was a healthy scratch from that night’s game against Florida. When he does get the chance to play, however, he is determined to be prepared.

“For any guy you ask, it just comes down to details,” Knight said. “The last couple of games, watching from up top (in the press box), you see how good the power play guys are. You look no farther than our team, the power play guys can pick you apart pretty easily. I think a lot of it just comes down to being detailed and making sure you take advantage of every opportunity to clear a puck or get in the way of a shot, because that stuff can come back to bite you pretty quick.

“Whenever you get a chance to watch the game from up top, you can take advantage of it. So the last couple of games I’ve been trying to do that.”

•••

NOTES >> Stung by a Frank Vatrano goal off a sharp angle with just 2:02 left in the first period Tuesday, the Flyers thus had allowed the other guys to score first in all six games they’d played thus far . ... Veteran defender Andrew MacDonald was a healthy scratch, with newbie Christian Folin replacing him in the lineup.