BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Kimmo Timonen says he tries to keep up with training advances in athletes and hockey.
He says he is always looking for an edge. This March, the Flyers veteran defenseman will turn 37.
So perhaps with an eye toward advancing age, Timonen cut some weight off his 194 pounds this season.
He is noticeably thinner and lighter and says its deliberate.
I lost some weight, a couple pounds but not too much, Timonen said at the morning skate, prior to tonights game against the Sabres. Ive done more cardio. I didnt lift as much weights as I usually do. I havent changed much from previous years.
He appears to be down about five pounds though he wont say for sure.
Earlier in his Flyer career, Timonen tended to wear down at seasons end. It wasnt like that last season and its certainly not that way now, either.
NHL
Still, he and Matt Carle average 21:59 per gametops on the club among active Flyers. Chris Pronger is out (kneevirus) and averages 22:28. Last season, Timonen averaged 22:28.
I wanted to be a little lighter, Timonen said, adding that because the Flyers had played so many games since 2009-10, he felt that fewer pounds would benefit him in terms of games played and minutes played.
The older you get, you dont need to build more muscle. Its more about endurance and that kind of stuff.
And the minutes?
Thats all right, Timonen replied. Myself and Im sure everybody wants to play a lot of minutes. The more you play, the better you play. It doesnt matter who you are. I thought weve been doing a pretty good job and we hope to keep it going because theres a lot of games coming up.
He said that he likes to change things up from one season to the next and this past summer decided to change his cardio training.
Every summer I do something new and I wanted to try this and it seems to work, he said. Im not using any trainer. Its all in my head. I like to try new stuff in-season and off-season. It keeps me motivated.
Says coach Peter Laviolette, I dont know if it is something you necessarily see, but I can see his durability. Kimmo looks good out there and he looked good last year, too. I think its more personal on how you feel on the ice.
Schenn out
Brayden Schenn did not make the trip to Buffalo. General manager Paul Holmgren said he is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He had missed 11 games earlier with a fracture in his left foot so this would be a new injury for the hard-luck forward who cant seem to stay healthy or in the lineup.
JVR back
James van Riemsdyk, who has missed four games with an upper-body injury, returns to the lineup tonight against Buffalo. He said his injury is still impacting his ability to shoot and that he may have to make some minor adjustments.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanoch@comcast.net