Travis Konecny and Tony DeAngelo game-time decisions for the Flyers against the Lightning

When the Flyers took the ice for morning skate on Thursday ahead of their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a different face joined them for the first time in two weeks — winger Travis Konecny.

Konecny has been out of the lineup since he sustained a right hand injury against the Boston Bruins on Nov. 17. Before his exit, Konecny led the team with seven goals and 19 points. But his absence may be coming to an end — Konecny will take warmups on Thursday night before the team decides if he’s ready to return to the lineup.

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“That’s kind of the fine line is to try to get it to a point where you can’t really reinjure,” Konecny said. “And that’s just kind of where it’s at. You just try to balance that out and make sure that if there is any pain, it’s just from healing, and it’s not going to go backwards.”

Since his injury, Konecny has been participating in rehab skates with winger James van Riemsdyk, who is working his way back from surgery on his index finger (potential Dec. 9 return). Konecny said he started using his right hand again Wednesday and that he “feels good” overall.

In addition to Konecny’s return to team on-ice activities, defenseman Tony DeAngelo participated in morning skate. DeAngelo (lower body) was on the ice briefly for Tuesday’s morning skate, but left abruptly and later was ruled out ahead of the game against the New York Islanders.

“That was actually my choice to get off there,” DeAngelo said of his Tuesday exit. “I’m not going to try to injure myself where I’m out more than a couple of days. So maybe a little extra caution. If it was a must-win game or whatever playoff game, I definitely would have played. But it’s something I didn’t want to just go from tweaking to making it a lot worse.”

DeAngelo was hurt Friday when he blocked a shot against the Pittsburgh Penguins. While he said he felt better against the Islanders the following night, he woke up Sunday morning and “didn’t feel so good.” The defenseman said his condition had improved on Thursday, which allowed him to do more on the ice and to use more power.

Like Konecny, DeAngelo also will take warmups before the team makes a decision on his availability. While Konecny has been a key contributor to the Flyers up front this season, DeAngelo has been the same on the back end. He leads the Flyers in average ice time (24 minutes, 54 seconds) as a member of their top defensive pairing and both special-teams units and has collected 10 points (three goals, seven assists) through 22 games.

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On the first day of training camp, general manager Chuck Fletcher shared an assumption that defenseman Ryan Ellis (pelvic injury) would not play this season. That probability turned into reality on Thursday, when Fletcher confirmed Ellis will not play in 2022-23.

Ellis, 31, has not suited up for the Flyers since Nov. 13, 2021, and was limited to four games (one goal, four assists) last season. When Fletcher spoke in September, he said that Ellis’ injuries could threaten his career. Ellis was acquired in a July 2021 trade with Nashville that sent forward Nolan Patrick to the Vegas Golden Knights and defenseman Phil Myers to the Predators.

Meanwhile, center Sean Couturier is “doing well” after he had his second back surgery in nine months on Oct. 27, according to Fletcher. Couturier will see the doctor on Dec. 12 for a six-week checkup, followed by a 10-week checkup in early January. After the 10-week checkup, if the visit goes well, Fletcher expects Couturier to be able to do more from an on-ice standpoint.

Although Ellis and Couturier are out of the short-term picture, winger Cam Atkinson (upper-body injury) was able to skate with the team on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but had a scheduled day off Thursday. Although Atkinson has been “ramping up the intensity,” Fletcher would not say that Atkinson is day-to-day and acknowledged that he has more progress to make.

Fletcher also would not get into the specifics of Atkinson’s injury and said it is up to the player to disclose that information depending on his comfort level.

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“It’s something he dealt with in the past, I can tell you that,” Fletcher said. “He was able to come back pretty quickly from it. This time, it’s just taking a little bit longer, a little bit more frustrating for him. The protocols that worked last time haven’t worked as effectively this time. So I think we’re doing everything we can to get him back.”

Goalie Carter Hart (7-5-4, .917 save percentage) will start against the Lightning. ... On Thursday, the Flyers placed forward Kieffer Bellows on waivers. Bellows, 24, was claimed off waivers on Oct. 27 and did not register a point in 12 games with the Flyers.