After the Philadelphia Flyers’ 5-3 win vs. the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, the team hit the ice for practice at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, New Jersey, on Thursday.

There were three absences at Thursday’s skate. Rasmus Ristolainen never joined the team for practice, which makes sense. He only skated with the team for the first time since his injury on Wednesday. The timetable for his return is still a bit unknown, but they are not going to rush the Finnish defenseman back. His absence on Thursday makes sense.

Cam York was also not at practice on Thursday, which again makes sense. York exited Wednesday’s game in the second period with an upper-body injury, with the team officially tabbing him as day-to-day.

Travis Sanehim is the only absence from Thursday’s practice that came as a bit of a surprise. Earlier in the season, Sanheim was eating heavy minutes on a nightly basis. It seemed more surprising if he was at practice during that stint. Recently, his minutes have been managed a lot better. He only skated 23:42 vs. Buffalo, which, for Sanheim’s standards, is a light game. Head coach Rick Tocchet said it was maintenance for Sanheim and that he was a little banged up.

As for what happened on the ice, it was a relatively short practice. The Flyers worked on some rushes and incentive drills. Most notably, a shootout competition at the end of practice, with the losing team doing a few laps.

Flyers lines & pairs at practice

Trevor Zegras–Christian Dvorak–Travis Konecny
Matvei Michkov–Sean Couturier–Owen Tippett
Nikita Grebenkin–Noah Cates–Bobby Brink
Carl Grundstrom–Rodrigo Abols–Garnet Hathaway

Emil Andrae–Jamie Drydsale
Nick Seeler-Noah Juulsen
Egor Zamula-Nick Deslauriers

Yes, you read that right. Nick Deslauriers was taking defensive reps. The Flyers’ fourth-line forward was filling the hole in the Flyers’ lineup with both top-pair defensemen not at practice, and the roster still sitting at 22, so the team has just an extra forward and an extra defenseman.

That said, it is an early indicator that Carl Grundstrom will make his second appearance with the Flyers on Sunday and that Noah Juulsen will return to the lineup. However, with York day-to-day, we may see both Juulsen and Zamula vs. Colorado.

The shootout drill at the end of practice was a fun watch, especially with the talent that the Flyers possess. The team split into two groups, each paired with a goalie. It was a simple competition; whichever team scored the fewest took a few spins around the rink.

Sam Ersson did what he does best and was an absolute beast vs. the shootout attempts. He did face the bottom-six player. Nonetheless, he looked sharp in the shootout. One surprise was that he was ALMOST beaten by Nick Deslauriers, who certainly had the goalie beat, but could not finish.

In the other net, things did not go so well for Vladar, who visibly showed his frustration. To the same point made with Ersson, Vladar was facing the top-six lines, making his task much more difficult. After being beaten by a couple of shots, Vladar slammed his stick into the post, but settled back in and stopped Trevor Zegras, who we all know is one of, if not the best, shootout players in the league.

Once practice was over, Vladar stayed on the ice for a little extra work. Once he got to the locker room, he was in his typical self, talking to the media and his teammates with a smile.

What’s next

The Flyers will have a day off on Friday, with the Flyers’ Charities Casino Night on Thursday night. There will be a practice on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the Colorado Avalanche.

Read More: Flyers Blog: Team Shows Encouraging Sign in Wednesday Win