Larry Henry JrThe Philadelphia Flyers head on the road for the first time this 2021 NHL season, but are not expecting veteran defenseman Ryan Ellis to play in Wednesday’s opener.
Ellis remains out for Wednesday’s date with the Edmonton Oilers due to an undisclosed injury, which leaves a hole in the defensive corps this week. The 30-year-old was acquired this past offseason in a trade with the Nashville Predators, but did not play in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers and isn’t expected to feature tomorrow.
“This is lingering a little longer than we originally thought and planned,” Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said about Ellis’ availability.
“Not exactly sure if that’s exactly the same injury that he’s had [earlier in the season],” Vigneault said. “But obviously, he had something there that’s been on his mind and bothering him since the beginning, and hopefully we can get a handle on it and fix it so that he can play.”
Ellis has contributed one goal and three assists through his first three games with the Flyers, but his absence has seen Nick Seeler continued to dress on the blue-line. The veteran was acquired to help the Orange and Black clean up their defensive issues from last season, one that saw them allow a league-high 201 goals in 56 games.
The Flyers will have a busy week with games against Edmonton (Wednesday), Vancouver (Thursday), and Calgary (Saturday).
You can follow Larry Henry on Twitter (@lhenry019) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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