Flyers’ James van Riemsdyk returns with ‘V’ Line; Travis Sanheim’s injury minor
The high-scoring left winger is excited to begin his second stint with the Flyers, who will host the Islanders in a preseason game Monday.
James van Riemsdyk will play in his first game in his second stint with the Flyers on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
The big left winger, signed to a five-year, $35 million free-agent deal in July, will be on the "V" line with center Mikhail Vorobyev and right winger Jake Voracek as the Flyers face the Islanders in the teams' second preseason game.
"It'll be exciting," van Riemsdyk, 29, said after the morning skate in Voorhees. "It's a little different than your average preseason game. Again, it's exciting. You kind of wait for this moment after you sign, so it should be fun."
Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth said van Riemsdyk, who had a career-high 36 goals with Toronto last season, is a nuisance to goaltenders.
"He's a great player," said Neuvirth, whose team opened the preseason with a 3-0 loss Sunday to the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. "It's always tough to play against him because he's a big body in front of the net, so every time we played them, I had a hard time seeing the pucks through him. So it's definitely nice to see him on our side."
Neuvirth, rebounding from off-season hip surgery, will play the first half of Monday's game. Carter Hart will play the second half.
"I feel good. I feel ready to go," Neuvirth said.
Here are Monday's lines and pairings:
Jordan Weal centering Claude Giroux and Nic Aube-Kubel.
Vorobyev centering van Riemsdyk and Voracek.
Corban Knight centering Scott Laughton and Dale Weise.
Mike Vecchione centering Isaac Ratcliffe and Tyrell Goulbourne.
Defense: Ivan Provorov and Phil Myers; Robert Hagg and Shayne Gostisbehere; Yegor Zamula and Mark Friedman.
Goalies: Neuvirth and Hart.
Sanheim update
Travis Sanheim's injury is minor, and the second-year defenseman is expected to miss a week as a precaution, GM Ron Hextall said. Sanheim landed on his left shoulder when he was checked into the boards Sunday by the Islanders' Matt Martin.
Hextall also said Andrew MacDonald (lower-body injury) was progressing ahead of schedule and might not miss the first two weeks of the season, as originally projected.
Breakaways
Monday's game will be shown on NBC Sports Philadelphia+. … Laughton will play left wing and be on the penalty kill and will move to center in games later this week, coach Dave Hakstol said. … Zamula, a 6-3, 160-pound defenseman who played for Calgary in the WHL last season, has been impressive in camp. He is here on an amateur tryout. "So far he's handled everything, with really good poise for a young defenseman," Hakstol said of the 18-year-old. … Hakstol said Weal looks "energized" in shifting from wing to center, his natural position. "He's making plays. … He's a good player in tight areas." … Hextall said 19-year-old center Morgan Frost, who tore up juniors last season, was one of many young Flyers who seemed intimidated in Sunday's preseason opener at Nassau Coliseum.