Carter Hart still sidelined as Flyers head back to work

The Flyers put down their martinis and their sunblock and got back on the ice Thursday for the first time in more than a week as the stretch drive officially commenced.

Not everyone is ready for the season to resume, however. Goaltender Carter Hart needs another week to recover from his abdominal strain.

While Hart is feeling “significantly better,” general manager Chuck Fletcher said, “he will not return to play for a minimum of seven days.”

Hart, who was injured in practice Jan. 14, skated earlier Thursday before the team’s first practice since beating the Penguins on Jan. 21. Brian Elliott will start Friday in Pittsburgh with AHL call-up Alex Lyon getting the nod Saturday against Colorado. It will be the second start of the season for Lyon, who played well in a Jan. 16 loss to Montreal.

Many of the Flyers bolted the area for warmer climates during the break, in which the team actually dropped a spot in the standings from ninth in the Eastern Conference to 10th without playing a game.

Forward Michael Raffl will be in the lineup Friday. He was put back on a line with Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek.

Raffl was clobbered on a hit by Dustin Brown on Jan. 18 against Los Angeles. He briefly remained in the game, which he regretted later.

“It was nice to have the medical staff take me out of that game,” Raffl said. “I wasn’t myself. I was battling headaches a few days after.”

Raffl’s return bumps rookie Joel Farabee back to Kevin Hayes’ line alongside Scott Laughton.

Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere practiced, but is still a few days away from playing. It was just the third time he skated since having arthroscopic knee surgery a few weeks ago. After an inconsistent start to the season, Gostisbehere had been playing well when he was injured.

“The timing was a little tough, [but] it was something I had to get done,” Gostisbehere said. “I couldn’t put it off anymore.”

Coach Alain Vigneault, who jokingly said he was going to enjoy some martinis on a pontoon boat during the break, indicated that Gostisbehere would be reinserted into the lineup when his conditioning is ready. The Flyers play at Detroit on Monday.

“Let’s get through [Friday against Pittburgh], and if we have decisions to make we’ll make them a game at a time,” Vigneault said.

The Flyers are 12 points ahead of where they were a year ago with a burst of three games in four nights awaiting them beginning Friday. At 60 points, they are on pace for 98, which is exactly the number Columbus got in with last season for the final spot in the conference.

“It might take a few more points [to reach the playoffs] than I originally thought, but that’s how competitive the Eastern Conference is,” Vigneault said. “As a player, as a coach, that’s why you’re in this business.”

The Penguins also haven’t played a game since Jan. 21. Veteran defenseman Justin Schultz (lower body) practiced Thursday and is expected to play for the first time since Dec. 17. ... The Flyers will host a watch party for Friday’s game at the Blue Cross River Rink on Columbus Boulevard, starting at 6 p.m.

Kevin Hayes, who grew up a Celtics fan, was flying home from Miami on Sunday when he heard about the Kobe Bryant tragedy.

“It’s devastating. It brought tears to my eyes, honestly” said Hayes, a Boston-area native. “I never met him, but he was one of my favorite athletes growing up.”

Hayes was 18 when Bryant and the Lakers beat the Celtics in 2010 for the final NBA championship of his storied career.

“The ‘Mamba Mentality’ is something every athlete wants,” Hayes continued. “As a sports fan, it’s devastating. But it goes beyond that. My teammates, our coaches, myself, the fans -- we all want to win every night. But there are bigger things in life.

"For his family, his friends, his daughters, his wife, it’s devastating. I don’t know how I would be able to deal with it. It’s horrible. Like I said, I never met him, but he had a lasting impact on me and a lot of people around this game.”