Tony DeAngelo will return to action with the Philadelphia Flyers against the New York Rangers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, MSG, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The defender has missed four games, including two following the death of his grandmother, Jo-Ann DeAngelo.
READ ALSO : Sedlak leaves the Flyers to play in the Czech Republic
“My grandmother on my father’s side,” he said. We were very close. »
DeAngelo learned the news ahead of the Flyers’ game against the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 11.
“She always told me that no matter what happened, she didn’t want me to miss a game, but I could never have played last week,” he added.
DeAngelo had been sidelined in two games before leaving the Flyers. He has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) and leads Philadelphia in average ice time (24:19) in 26 games. He also has a minus-12 differential, the worst among Flyers defensemen.
“I have to play a little better,” admitted DeAngelo. I knew it. Of course, you don’t want to be cut from training. And even if I don’t agree, it’s not my decision. But I can offer more. I’ve been a bit inconsistent in my last two games. But I feel like I’m back on track, like at the start of the season. I can’t wait to get back to work tonight. »
Video: COL@PHI: DeAngelo finds the back of the net in AN
Kevin Hayes will be left out on Saturday. The forward was benched in the third period in Thursday’s 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Hayes leads the Flyers with 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 31 games. Philadelphia is scoring 2.39 goals per game, the third-worst average in the NHL, but coach John Tortorella has defended his decision.
“I can’t let things go because we care about our offense,” he said. I have to think more globally about what this team is going to be, the standards we have to set and the way we have to play. All of that is far more important than losing offensive punch in a particular game. »
Patrick Brownwho was out Thursday with an upper-body injury, will play.
The Flyers also recalled Kieffer Bellows of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL), and they put the name of forward Lukas Sedlak on waivers in an attempt to terminate his contract. He will return to play in his native Czech Republic.