Niskanen takes ‘slice’ in stride against Wings

PHILADELPHIA >> Matt Niskanen showed again Friday why he’s been one of the NHL’s most respected defensemen for years.

Niskanen, 32, smiled through the pain after taking a shot off the face Friday, not letting it get him down during the Flyers’ 6-1 win over the Red Wings at Wells Fargo Center.

Niskanen was hit in full flight with a shot by Detroit’s Dylan Larkin midway through the first period, which caused his visor to smash into his nose. He was told it took 15 stitches to close the gash, but it didn’t take much more than 15 minutes for him to get back into the game.

Niskanen was back out there at the start of the second period wearing a facial cage, along with two bloody plugs up his nostrils. He’d end the game with them and the stitches still intact, along with two assists and a plus-4 rating.

“He’s a warrior, Mr. Consistency,” James van Riemsdyk said of the veteran defenseman. “He’s steady every single game back there. He’s a big part of our team. I think his style of game and what he brings to the table really fits in well with our team. He’s been great for us right from the get-go.”

Though he made a joke of how bad his look was after the game, Niskanen said he was feeling no pain because, “I’m numb right now.”

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he added. “I’m assuming it looks pretty bad, but it was just a slice. Nothing major.”

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Van Riemsdyk, relegated to fourth-line duty in recent games, finally cracked the scoreboard, credited with the Flyers’ sixth and final goal of a cold-then-hot performance.

“It feels good to get one,” JVR said of his fifth goal of the season. “Certainly when it’s been a few games, it’s nice to do that. But I’ve got to continue to build off that.”

Noting that he had a golden chance earlier in the game to put a shot past goalie Cal Pickard but whiffed on it, van Riemsdyk said, “With that play I kind of lost the puck for a second ... it was underneath a defenseman, and then I just missed it. That’s kind of been the story for the start of my season here. But I’ll just stick with it, keep bearing down in those scoring areas ... keep shooting and keep staying aggressive. Ultimately that’ll even itself out.”

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NOTES >> Shayne Gostisbehere was in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for three straight games and played very solidly while nabbing just his second goal of the season . ... Jake Voracek’s contribution on the day was overlooked when it came to “game stars,” but he assisted on three goals . ... Pickard, one of the eight Flyers goalies last season, was promoted due to Detroit’s Jimmy Howard being hurt. It was his first NHL game of the season. Pickard allowed all six goals, making

29 saves.