Goalie Carter Hart to return against the Stars following lower-body injury

DALLAS —The Flyers are set to welcome a familiar face back in the crease on Thursday night.

Goalie Carter Hart will start against the Dallas Stars, coach John Tortorella said prior to morning skate, marking his first game since March 25 (a 29-save shutout against the Detroit Red Wings). Hart, 24, has been sidelined with a lower-body injury and has been considered day-to-day since March 28.

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Felix Sandström will serve as Hart’s backup. Sam Ersson, who was recalled on emergency conditions from the Phantoms while Hart was injured, returned to Lehigh Valley.

Hart has been sidelined on three other occasions this season, twice with an illness (March 14 and Nov. 8) and once with an upper-body injury (Dec. 29-Jan. 2, placed on injured reserve).

Thursday will mark Hart’s 199th career NHL game. He has been the Flyers’ best player at times this season, especially in the early part of the year. In 52 games, Hart has posted a .909 save percentage, a 2.90 goals-against average, and has recorded two shutouts. According to Money Puck, Hart ranks 13th in the league in goals saved above expected (13.4).

Hart has gone 1-2-0 in his career against the Stars (.932 save percentage, 2.05 goals against average). He is currently on a four-game win streak, which is tied for the second-longest active win streak in the NHL. Hart recently became the youngest goalie in franchise history to record 80 wins when the Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres on March 17.

When defenseman Tony DeAngelo walked into the visitors locker room at the American Airlines Center on Thursday morning, he noticed his number wasn’t in the lineup written on the whiteboard, indicating that he will be a healthy scratch against the Stars.

DeAngelo, 27, was previously scratched on Dec. 9 against the Vegas Golden Knights, making room for defenseman Cam York, whom the Flyers recalled from the Phantoms.

Of course, no one likes to be scratched, DeAngelo said, and he’s no different. But Tortorella’s decision doesn’t come as a total shock to the defenseman. Although he said he believes his puck play has been strong, especially over the last 15 to 20 games, he admitted that he has struggled defensively in certain situations. DeAngelo is tied for the 16th-worst plus-minus in the league (minus-27), which is the fifth-worst among defensemen. He is minus-five in his last four games alone.

“I put it on myself,” DeAngelo said. “It has nothing to do with team structure, partners, nothing. It’s sometimes just a lack of attention to detail a little bit, I would say. And that’s on me. I look back and see it, too.”

The decision to scratch DeAngelo comes two days after assistant coach Rocky Thompson said to his players between periods of the Flyers’ eventual 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues that it seemed like “some guys in here don’t even care.” DeAngelo understands that Tortorella and his coaching staff are making decisions that they feel are best to help the team in the long run. For example, with DeAngelo out of the lineup, 24-year-old defenseman Ronnie Attard is expected to get more ice time than he did in his season debut on Tuesday (14 minutes, 30 seconds).

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But while the Flyers may be embarking upon a rebuild and giving increased opportunity to young players, DeAngelo still sees himself as a fit for the roster next season. DeAngelo has one year remaining on his contract at $5 million.

“We’ve got some real good young guys,” DeAngelo said. “We’ve got prospects. We’ve got prospects coming. We’ve got a top-five pick in college. There’s a lot of things going on ... Coots [Sean Couturier] and Cam [Atkinson] coming back. And there’s a lot of things that look good from afar. But who knows if I’ll be a part of it? I have no idea. I’d like to. That doesn’t cross my mind not to.”

Defenseman Justin Braun and forward Kieffer Bellows also skated with the scratches at optional morning skate, indicating that they will not be in the lineup against the Stars. ... Center Sean Couturier, who is out for the season as he works his way back from back surgery, also skated with the scratches.