Carter Hart (sick) will not start vs Ducks as Nic Deslauriers plays in No. 600

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Carter Hart return will wait another day.

Less than 24 hours after John Tortorella said that Hart would be back between the pipes for the Flyers, the bench boss said his No. 1 goalie was sick and would not start Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. Hart, who was a full participant in practice on Thursday in Irvine, Calif., had missed three games with a back injury but had previously said he was feeling a lot better. There was no information regarding his status for Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

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Sam Ersson will get the start with Cal Petersen serving as the backup. Ersson went 1-2-0 with a 1.79 goals-against average and .900 save percentage during Hart’s absence, including getting the loss after Hart left the game against the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 1 halfway through the first period.

Ersson, who is known for having big rebound games, will be aiming for some revenge on Friday night. He was on the receiving end of a seven-goal outburst by the Ducks in October.

Suiting up for just one NHL game meant everything to Nic Deslauriers; playing in No. 600, against a team for which he wore the jersey for 169 games is that much more special.

“We all wish that we could score a goal and be that skill guy and I had to find a way to stay in the league and that’s how I ended up being that guy that was not afraid,” said Deslauriers, who has 50 goals and 99 career points to his name.

“I think 600 means more than a regular 600 of somebody else. But, you know, it’s special, and I treat every game the same way, so I think that’s why maybe I am sticking around.”

If you ask Tortorella, there’s more to Deslauriers’ game than just being a fourth-line banger with a penchant for dropping the gloves. The coach appreciates what he brings into the locker room as a mentor to the younger players on the team — and as a guy who rolls into his office for monthly chats on a wide range of topics including “animals and everything except hockey.”

“He’s a throwback, right?” Tortorella said. “He’s part of the game that I think we have forgotten. ... I think one of the biggest foundation blocks of the National Hockey League is just hard work and someone that’s gonna look out for his teammates. I think the league misses that and Nic’s been a huge part of that for us.”

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Deslauriers, who actually was an offensive defenseman growing up in Quebec, considers himself a late bloomer as a tough guy. He credits the likes of former NHL fighters likes John Scott, Zenon Konopka, and Justin Johnson for helping him develop his skill set.

“I don’t consider myself the toughest guy,” said Deslauriers, who dropped the gloves with Givani Smith on Tuesday night in San Jose. “It’s just my mindset that I’m not scared.”

Cam York will have a suite packed with people at the Honda Center as the Anaheim Hills, Calif., native plays at his hometown rink. The defenseman was in Section 313 when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007. ... The “PHD line” will become the HDL line (”The Good Cholesterol Line,” as coined by Brian Boucher) as Ryan Poehling comes out of the lineup and Scott Laughton moves down to play with Garnet Hathaway and Deslauriers. Morgan Frost is back in, centering Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny. Frost, who has been in and out of the lineup, will have a chance to showcase his skill on the power play and alongside Tippett, with whom he played last season and on Canada’s 2019 World Junior team. “He brings a lot of excitement,” Tippett said. “Obviously, some of the plays he makes, a lot of other guys can’t make and he’s really smart with the puck and can make a lot of plays in high-pressure areas.”