The Philadelphia Flyers held practice at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, New Jersey, on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s showdown with the Edmonton Oilers.

At the practice, an injured forward took the ice as a full participant. That helped bring some balance to lines that had been shaken up. The team practiced as usual; however, it was not just any other practice.

The team and the United Heroes League partnered to provide 30 active-duty military members with a unique experience.

Read More: Getting Things Straight With Michkov and Couturier

Injury update

Flyers forward Tyson Foerster has missed the past four games with a “lower-body” injury. Foerster took a point-blank shot off his left skate/ankle against Toronto, and despite finishing the game, has not played since.

He has skated a few times since the injury. But most of which have been during optional skates or before practice.

On Tuesday, Foerster was a full participant in practice, including some power play work with his typical unit after practice. Rick Tocchet would not commit to Foerster’s availability for Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers.

Tocchet said there will be discussion Tuesday night as well as Wednesday morning, putting the player’s health ahead of rushing him back. However, all signs point towards Foerster returning to the lineup on Tuesday.

Flyers lines at practice

With Foerster’s return as a full participant at practice, you could take a pretty good guess as to who he was playing with. The Flyers’ lines were shaken up a bit in the absence of Foerster. Now, we see a bit of a return to normal. Here are the lines the Flyers ran at practice on Tuesday.

Forwards
Trevor Zegras–Sean Couturier–Matvei Michkov
Owen Tippett–Christian Dvorak–Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster–Noah Cates–Bobby Brink (Carl Grundstrom rotated in)
Nikita Grebenkin–Rodrigo Abols–Garnet Hathaway (Nick Deslauriers rotated in)

Defensemen
Cam York–Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler–Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae–Noah Juulsen
Adam Ginning–Egor Zamula

I am very intrigued by the top line and think it could generate a lot of scoring chances. It’s a well-balanced line in my opinion as well. Pairing the responsible centerman with two highly-skilled wingers is never a bad idea. If they can generate lots of offensive zone time, Couturier in front of the net with these two could be dangerous.

With the second line, I think you could see even more from Travis Konecny, who is still looking to really get going this season. Playing with Owen Tippett seems like a good fit. Both players have generated tons of chances, but have not always been able to finish.

With Wednesday’s game coming against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, I’d expect the Cates line to mirror the time of McDavid’s line.

Flyers United Heroes League Skate

At the conclusion of Tuesday, the Flyers partnered with the United Heroes League to host 30 active duty military members and bring them on the ice for a skate with the team after practice. The active military members were able to join the Flyers players and take to the ice. They took some shots on a goalie from the United Heroes League.

It was a pretty cool thing to watch.

Head coach Rick Tocchet spoke about the event after practice. “We’re asking for a sacrifice for a lot of things (from the players), but these guys (military members), that’s the ultimate sacrifice. Anytime that stuff comes our way, we welcome it with open arms.”

“It’s always special,” said Flyers’ captain Sean Couturier. “They do everything for this country, so to give them a day like this, it’s fun to be around and get to hear their stories.”

The active duty military members at Tuesday’s event will be in attendance during Wednesday’s Military Appreciation Game at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

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