Flyers thrilled to get Dan Vladař back as they try and finish strong before the Olympic break
Vladař had missed the past six games since suffering a lower-body on Jan. 14 against the Buffalo Sabres.
COLUMBUS, Ohio ― Dan Vladař is back.
Although coach Rick Tocchet had confirmed the goalie would start against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO Max) ahead of the Flyers’ optional morning skate, Vladař was officially activated from injured reserve on Wednesday afternoon.
“Obviously, he’s been very consistent for us and a really competitive guy, and he adds a lot to our locker,” Tocchet said. “He’s a guy that, for a goalie, likes to be involved with the players with instructions, even just being positive with the guys. So he’s going to add a lot to our room, especially on the ice and off the ice.”
Vladař was injured in the first period of the Flyers’ loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 14 and missed the next six games with the lower-body ailment. He has been consistent this season, posting a 16-7-4 record with a 2.46 goals-against average and .905 save percentage in 28 games.
Wednesday will mark Vladař’s 29th start, matching his career high set last season with the Calgary Flames.
The Flyers went 2-3-1 in his absence, with Sam Ersson going 2-2-1 with a 3.61 goals-against average and .872 save percentage. During the three-game road trip out west, Ersson was 2-0-1 with a 2.97 GAA and .897 save percentage against three of the NHL’s top teams.
The team played poorly in front of him on Monday in a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders, but when Ersson plays consistently, he seems to get in a groove. Has there been a conversation among the coaching staff about getting Ersson more starts?
“Yeah, I think it depends on the schedule,” Tocchet said. “Obviously, you’re playing four in six, he’s going to get his time.
“But also Vladdy, there’s been times when he’s been on a roll. Your No. 1 goalie, you’ve got to get him out there. Obviously, you’ve got to have your backup in there, too. So it’s a schedule thing.”
Barkey finding his way
Seventeen games into his NHL career, Denver Barkey is feeling more and more comfortable as his first pro season moves on. There have been some ups and downs, like his two games against the Tampa Bay Lightning that led to being a healthy scratch against the Sabres.
But when his game is on, the 20-year-old has shown an elite hockey IQ. Barkey reads plays well, covers and supports his teammates, and can also create offense with his work ethic and vision. Despite playing last season in juniors — before his 26 games with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League and now the NHL — his hockey IQ has seamlessly transitioned to a level that has more speed and quickness to it.
It is something he has carried and built on since his days growing up in Newmarket, Ontario.
“I think you’re born with some of it, to an extent,” he said of his hockey IQ. “But I think just my love for the game, my passion for the game, over the years.
“When I was young, before I could remember, my dad would tell me how much I loved begging to go out to skate, or trying to stay up late to watch hockey games. I think I’ve always been really interested and just love the game, and I’ve always wanted to get better.”
He also feels his hockey IQ has helped him some of the challenges and criticisms he’s faced along the way.
“But I think just being a smaller guy my whole life has always forced me in different ways,” the 5-foot-10 Barkey said. “When I went to junior, and now here, there’s bigger, stronger, faster, better players, so finding other ways to try to outsmart them and still be effective, given me being a smaller player. So I think being smaller throughout the years has helped me just make plays and take the game to a high level.”
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In 17 games, Barkey has two goals and eight points. Two of his assists came in his NHL debut against the New York Rangers on Dec. 20, and another two came in the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins right after he was scratched.
“I think he’s a guy that [if] you tell him something, he grasps it on the next shift. He takes the information very well,” said Tocchet. “You can tell that he was in a great program with London [of the Ontario Hockey League] and Dale Hunter. ... Those guys, they send a lot of NHL-ready players, and he’s one of those kids who has taken that information there and come to the NHL and is starting to knock some doors down.”
Breakaways
With Vladař activated, Aleksei Kolosov has been returned to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. ... Defenseman Noah Juulsen will enter the lineup. The expectation is Emil Andrae, who was on the ice for the optional skate, will sit. ... Forwards Garnet Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers are also expected to be healthy scratches.