Flyers’ Carter Hart to start Thursday against the Coyotes following concussion

When the Flyers face off against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night, they will welcome back a familiar face in net — goaltender Carter Hart.

Coach John Tortorella named Hart the starter at morning skate, marking Hart’s first game back since he sustained a concussion against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 23. Hart never missed a practice following the injury, as the Flyers went on their three-day holiday break immediately afterward and Hart ramped up in the ensuing practices as he progressed through concussion protocol.

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Throughout Hart’s recovery, his teammates said he didn’t miss a beat in practice.

“He’s always in good spirits on the ice,” winger Travis Konecny said. “He’s always competing. But he always looks good on the ice, to be honest with you. I didn’t notice a difference today. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go like he always is.”

Hart passed his final evaluation to clear concussion protocol by Monday morning in advance of the Flyers’ game against the Anaheim Ducks. However, Tortorella gave 23-year-old goaltender Samuel Ersson the nod in net. After allowing five goals in his first NHL start against the Hurricanes, Ersson put together a stellar string of games on the California road trip, going 3-0-0 and posting a .930 save percentage.

“I thought Erss deserved to play another game there,” Tortorella said of his decision to start Ersson against the Ducks. “And it gave Carter more time as far as practice time.”

The Flyers activated Hart off of injured reserve on Wednesday, paving the way for him to start Thursday. With Hart back, general manager Chuck Fletcher loaned backup goalie Felix Sandström to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for a two-week conditioning stint.

Sandström, 25, missed the Flyers’ back-to-back road games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Hurricanes before the holiday break with an illness. He has not played a game since Dec. 13 against the Colorado Avalanche and has played nine games total this season (1-6-1, .888 save percentage).

“This works out really well in the two-week conditioning that Sandy gets,” Tortorella said. “He can play a ton of minutes down there. He was sick. We had the break. Erss came in and has played well and deserved to play the games he played. We’ve got to get Carter back in.”

Thursday’s game marks Hart’s first start since Dec. 22 against the Maple Leafs. Ersson started the game in Carolina, but he was pulled in the second period and Hart entered in relief. Through 27 games this season, Hart (10-11-6) has a .911 save percentage and a 2.89 goals against average.

Shortly after the Flyers went up 3-2 in the third period against the Los Angeles Kings on a Noah Cates shorthanded goal on Saturday, the Kings went back to the power play, eager to find the equalizer in the remaining minute and 16 seconds with an extra man.

Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen helped ensure that the Kings would fall short.

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With 30 seconds remaining on the penalty, Ristolainen blocked Kings winger Kevin Fiala’s shot from the high slot with his skate, peeled himself off the ice, then delivered a thunderous hit on Kings captain Anze Kopitar along the boards. Ristolainen skated back into position before blocking yet another Fiala laser. For Ristolainen, the pain skating back to the bench dissipated when he saw the reaction from his teammates.

“They were fired up,” Ristolainen said. “It felt fine and it feels even better when you get two points.”

As the Flyers have dwelled near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division this season, suffering through a 10-game losing streak from Nov. 10 to Nov. 26, Tortorella is embracing the morale-boosting moments the Flyers encountered on their successful California trip. For the first time since their first three games of the season, the Flyers have won three consecutive games.

“We haven’t had a lot of those moments,” Tortorella said. “You just don’t have a lot of those when you’ve had some struggles that we’ve had. I think when you get those and you do some of the things you do after wins in the locker room and stuff, I think it’s important for morale.”

But as the 14-17-7 Flyers stare down formidable opponents in the Leafs (second in the Atlantic, 23-8-7), the Buffalo Sabres (fourth in the Atlantic, 19-15-2), and the Washington Capitals (fourth in the Metro, 21-13-6) next week, Konecny isn’t letting himself get too high.

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“I think the best thing is just to put it behind us and restart,” Konecny said. “We’re back home. Got to start fresh and make sure we’re playing the same way we were playing out there. Try not to get overconfident that we did win three in a row. You’ve got to get back to the same things that got us there in the first place and keep working.”

Fletcher recalled forward Kieffer Bellows from the Phantoms on Thursday morning and he was present for morning skate. He will not play against the Coyotes. Bellows, 24, played 12 games for the Flyers earlier this season and did not register a point after he was claimed on waivers from the New York Islanders on Oct. 27. In 11 games with the Phantoms, Bellows has three goals and six assists. ... Defenseman Justin Braun skated with the extras following morning skate, indicating that he will likely be a healthy scratch against the Coyotes. Defenseman Nick Seeler is expected to play.