SAN JOSE — Michael Del Zotto took one drill with the Flyers at Sharks Ice on Monday afternoon and was about to take a second when he left the ice abruptly.
Why?
“From pain,” Del Zotto replied.
Del Zotto remains questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Sharks. He has either a hand or wrist injury. All he’ll say is that it happened during the St. Louis game before the Christmas break.
“I felt pretty good today and went on the ice and got in the first drill,” Del Zotto said. “It went well and then I took a pass in the second drill and that gave me a lot of discomfort and pain.
“I decided it wasn’t the smartest idea to battle through the pain in a practice two days away from the game. Hopefully, tomorrow it feels better.”
The Flyers list him as day to day. Brandon Manning replaced Del Zotto in the lineup during Sunday’s 4-2 loss in Anaheim.
“[Del Zotto] wasn’t comfortable enough to skate through the day,” head coach Dave Hakstol said. “So day to day and nothing has changed there. I am not reading anything into it. I don’t think his status has changed.”
Nor has Mark Streit’s situation.
The veteran defenseman is still on target to come off long-term injury either Tuesday or Wednesday. Once the Flyers do that, they need to lose about $860,000 in salary cap money.
“He looked good again today,” Hakstol said. “We will make the final decision over the next 24 or 36 hours.”
Either one player must go or one player has to be placed on long-term injury.
“I’ve been skating a while now and it’s been good progress,” Streit said, adding that the long practice on Monday — nearly 90 minutes — was a good test for him.
“I felt better and better. The three extra days at the Christmas break helped me a lot to feel more comfortable and have a lot of confidence in my skating and movements out there.
“It feels really good. It feels strong and my skating is strong. There are no restrictions at all and I feel comfortable. It’s just a matter of getting timing back.”
Rookie Shayne Gostisbehere replaced Streit during the six weeks the Swiss defenseman has missed recovering from pubic plate dislocation surgery.
Hakstol said on Saturday that Gostisbehere would remain on the first unit power play and Streit would move to the second unit once activated. That implies the Flyers already have a plan in place to make a roster move that doesn’t involve Ghost.
In other words, Gostisbehere stays.
“You think about it, but it’s the same thing I said before,” Gostisbehere said of his situation. “It’s not in my control. I’ve got to focus on playing the game and make it hard for them to send me down. I just have to focus on what is in my control.”
The Flyers were 10-4-4 with Ghost in the lineup prior to the Christmas break. He has 14 points in 19 games and has made an impact on the team.
“Ghost has done a good job for us,” Hakstol said. “He has added an element. He has things he has to continue to improve upon. ... Certainly, he has been a good player for us."