Lecavalier out for Saturday's game at Dallas

DALLAS - An ice storm in Dallas melted injured center Vinny Lecavalier's chances of returning to the Flyers' lineup.

The Flyers, coming off an impressive comeback win in Detroit, were unable to practice Friday morning because the storm caused a power outage at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in suburban Dallas.

As a result, Lecavalier was not able to test his injured back and he will not play in Saturday's 2 p.m. game in Dallas. He has missed the last two games.

The Flyers (13-13-2) will be attempting to get over .500 for the first time this season. The Stars (13-9-5) play their home games at the American Airlines Center, located about 15 miles from where the Flyers were scheduled to practice in Farmers Branch.

Officials say Saturday's contest will be played.

As of late Friday afternoon, the Dallas Morning News reported that more than 250,000 homes in the area had lost power and that 680 flights had been canceled.

Because they were off Thursday, the Flyers have not been on the ice since scoring five straight goals in Wednesday's 6-3 win in Detroit.

"We would have liked to have gotten some skating in, but it is what it is," Flyers coach Craig Berube said.

In Wednesday's win, the Flyers finished with their highest total of the season.

"You hope the guys get confidence from it and start producing more," Berube said.

The Flyers have scored two goals or fewer in 21 of their 28 games; they are 27th in the 30-team NHL, averaging 2.21 goals per game. They are allowing 2.39 goals per game, placing them 10th in the league.

Berube expects more 2-1 games down the road than Wednesday's breakout.

"It's going to be tight hockey games on most nights," he said. ". . . That's just the way it is. You have to win those games."

In the Detroit win, the Flyers were outplayed until Matt Read cut the deficit to 3-2 with a goal late in the second period. It served as a wake-up call of sorts.

"I liked the way we skated and moved the puck," said Berube, whose team was led by Sean Couturier's four points. "I thought the 'D' did a great job of handling their forecheck."

But there were things he didn't like about most of the first 40 minutes.

Berube wants better backchecking. "Not just the high forward, but the other two guys," he said. "I want them to get back quicker. I want them understanding that if you wait one second, you're waiting too long."

The forwards, Berube added, need to have "the mind-set of just skating and not resting. There's no resting in today's game. Shifts have to be short, and you have to be reloading all the time. That's when you have the chance" to get the offense going.

Breakaways. Lecavalier will skate Saturday morning and the Flyers are hoping he can play in Ottawa Monday, GM Paul Holmgren said. . . . Dallas, which has lost six straight to the Flyers since 2008, will be without injured defensemen Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas. . . . Tyler Seguin, the 21-year-old center who returned to the lineup Thursday after missing two games with a concussion, leads the Lindy Ruff-coached Stars with 12 goals. . . . Berube is happy with rookie winger's Michael Raffl's defensive work, but said he was going to "push him" to get his offense untracked. Raffl is goal-less in 16 games. . . . The Flyers are 2-4 in games Lecavalier has missed.