Andy Andreoff will remain in lineup as Flyers play it safe with Scott Laughton
Left winger Andreoff was placed on waivers, but he will stay in the lineup Saturday night in San Jose because Laughton is not ready to return from a groin injury.
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Left winger Scott Laughton is not ready to return from a groin injury, so Andy Andreoff will remain in the Flyers’ lineup Saturday night in San Jose.
Earlier Saturday, Andreoff was placed on waivers. If he clears at noon Sunday, the Flyers could send him back to the AHL’s Phantoms.
For now, he is staying with the team and will be on the fourth line against the Sharks.
Andreoff has an assist and a plus-1 rating in 10 games with the Flyers.
“With the injuries we have, you just have to be prepared,” he said after Saturday’s morning skate here.
Coach Alain Vigneault said the Flyers want to play it safe with Laughton, who will miss his sixth game Saturday with his latest injury. Earlier in the season, he was sidelined for 13 games with a broken finger.
“He feels close, but didn’t feel like he’s 100 percent, so we’re going to play this cautiously,” Vigneault said. “It may be a couple more days. I’m not really sure.”
The Flyers will take a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s matchup, while the Sharks have lost four in a row and 10 of their last 11 (1-8-2).
The Flyers are just 8-9-1 for a .472 points percentage on the road, 21st in the NHL. Heading into the weekend, they had the league’s highest points percentage (.789) at home, thanks to a 13-2-4 record at the Wells Fargo Center.
Vigneault said it’s time for the Flyers to prove they can be a good road team, starting with this six-game trip, which began on Saturday.
Overall, the Flyers are 16-6-4 since Nov. 1, tied for the second-most points in the NHL in that span entering the weekend. Carter Hart has led the way, going 11-4-2 with a 1.94 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.
Hart will get the call Saturday night, and the game will be televised on NBCSP+. It will be the first time he has faced the Sharks in his young career.
“I think the three-day break was good for us,” Vigneault said. “We had a good practice yesterday and a very quick skate this morning, so I’m expecting us to be good tonight.”