Oskar Lindblom returns to Flyers’ lineup; Scott Laughton downplays trade rumors

Flyers coach Alain Vigneault is hoping left winger Oskar Lindblom, rested in two of the last three games before Tuesday, is ready for the stretch run.

Lindblom, 24, who missed most of last season as he battled a rare bone cancer, returned to the lineup Tuesday against the visiting Boston Bruins.

If Lindblom can regain his game, it will almost be like adding a player before Monday’s trade deadline. He has shown spurts of playing like his old self, but it has been a grueling comeback for someone who went through chemotherapy and had some ribs removed.

“Oskar’s a real good player, and he’s had a couple of days here where he’s been able to practice and ... he’s fresh,” Vigneault said before Tuesday’s critical 4-2 loss. “Oskar is a veteran player, and even though he’s a young veteran player, he’s played some big minutes for us and played well.”

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In 32 games, Lindblom has five goals, 10 points, and a minus-9 rating during a condensed season that had a shortened training camp. He said the recent mini break was especially good for him mentally. “I mean, with all I went through and a short time to get back to play in the best league in the world, I take every day I can and recover the best I can,” Lindblom said the other day.

With Lindblom back in the lineup -- he moved to the top line early in the game and finished with three shots in 13-plus solid minutes -- Michael Raffl moved from left wing to center, and Tanner Laczynski was a healthy scratch. Vigneault liked what he saw from Laczynski, who played center and was used on the penalty kill, in his first two NHL games.

Vigneault called Laczynski a “smart two-way hockey player who can play more than one position. So for him, I’m sure it was a great experience, his first touch at a couple of NHL games. We have a young player we’re going to work with and hopefully he can help us win some games moving forward.”

Versatile forward Scott Laughton downplayed the fact his name has been bandied about in trade rumors. He said he wasn’t distracted by the chatter, and made it clear he wants to remain with the Flyers.

“It hasn’t really crossed my mind. If it happens, it happens,” Laughton, a prospective unrestricted free agent after this season, said about a trade. “My focus is here in Philly. I love it here in Philly. I love the staff here. I love the guys here. I’m focused on coming to work every day and trying to get better and push the pace a little bit and get a playoff spot. That’s my focus right now.”

Defenseman Robert Hagg, who hasn’t played since March 17 because of a shoulder injury, will probably be available if Vigneault wants to put him into the lineup Thursday against the host Islanders. He has been practicing with the team and may have been ready Tuesday, but Vigneault said he liked the way the defensemen played in the previous two games and didn’t want to make any changes.

After sizzling starts, wingers James van Riemsdyk and Joel Farabee have cooled off.

Van Riemsdyk is without a goal in his last 12 games, and Farabee has not scored in his last seven games.

“I need both of those guys to be better than they have been [lately],” Vigneault said before Tuesday’s contest. “They’re aware of it, and they’re working on their game.”

In Tuesday’s loss, Kevin Hayes had five shots and nine shot attempts; he hit iron on one blast. ... Referring to the Flyers’ inordinate amount of icings Monday, Vigneault said his team “hurried some plays, and I think you have to give credit to Boston. They’re a hard forechecking team; they come at you very hard and they take your time and space away, and sometimes it forces your defensemen or forwards to think they have less time than they originally do to make that play. And they forced us into icings.”