Foerster misses morning skate, status uncertain after blocking shot

Foerster misses morning skate, status uncertain after blocking shot originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

VOORHEES, N.J. — Tyson Foerster was not on the ice at morning skate Monday after taking a puck to his right foot two days ago in the Flyers’ 3-2 win over the Kraken.

Head coach John Tortorella said he was “not sure” about Foerster’s status for the Flyers’ home game Monday against the Coyotes (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The rookie winger blocked Jamie Oleksiak‘s shot with 1:50 minutes left in Saturday’s game as the Flyers nailed down their third straight win. Foerster was seen favoring his right foot after the play.

The 22-year-old has been playing well on a line with Ryan Poehling and Noah Cates coming out of the extended break. In three games, the trio has combined for four goals and two assists, while the Flyers have outscored opponents 9-4.

“He has been playing great hockey,” Poehling said about Foerster after morning skate. “He’s a great player. He plays fast, he plays hard, he plays the right way. You know where he is at all times. I thought we were playing well together.”

Nicolas Deslauriers took Foerster’s place on the third line at morning skate. However, Deslauriers stayed on the ice for extra work with backup goalie Cal Petersen, an indication the veteran winger may be a healthy scratch tonight.

Travis Sanheim filled in for Foerster on the Flyers’ second power play unit, which also featured Cam York, Cam Atkinson, Morgan Frost and Scott Laughton.

In his team’s win over Seattle, Tortorella went back to the traditional 12 forwards and six defensemen. But if the Flyers are to miss Foerster, they’ll have further reason to play 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Since the addition of Jamie Drysdale last month, the Flyers have had more depth on the back end.

“We’re not going to go away too long from 11 and seven just because I have to play the defensemen,” Tortorella said at morning skate. “There are eight D that I really want to play.

“There are going to be seven D on there most of the time unless something happens at the [trade] deadline. We’re not moving away from 11 and seven too much. It’s not like I want to do it that way; it’s kind of a necessity now when we made that deal with Jamie.”

It would be a loss for the Flyers if Foerster is to miss any period of time. The 2020 first-round pick has arguably the best shot on the team and has been very reliable in his 200-foot play.

“I saw something, just like his analytics on defense are so good,” Joel Farabee said after morning skate. “You really watch for that kind of stuff. For a guy playing his first year in the NHL, he does all the little things away from the puck really well and I think that helps his game a lot, too.

“It’s one of those things when he scores one, he tends to get a lot more chances right after. He’s a really big part of the team. Obviously he blocks a shot at the end there. He kind of plays like a veteran in a way with just the little things he does away from the puck. I think that’s a reason why he’s having a lot success in the NHL right now.”

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