Staying with Flyers suits Bourdon just fine

WESTMINSTER, Calif. - When Marc-Andre Bourdon left Glens Falls, N.Y., on Nov. 21, he decided to pack light. With Chris Pronger and Braydon Coburn out of the lineup against Carolina that night, Bourdon assumed he would play a game or two and be shipped back to Adirondack.

More than a week later, Coburn has since returned to the lineup. Pronger is still out, with Andreas Lilja joining him on the injured reserve, and Bourdon has remained in the lineup.

And with slim pickings on the remaining injury-depleted rosters in the NHL, the Flyers will be sticking with the hard-hitting Bourdon for the time being. General manager Paul Holmgren told the Daily News in a text message that free-agent defenseman Bryan McCabe was not a consideration to sign.

It's safe to say Bourdon, a third-round draft choice in 2008, has reworn his favorite suit a few times over the last 8 days.

"Injuries came, so I might have a little more time here than I thought," Bourdon said yesterday after practice at the Ducks' Westminster Ice. "So, I'm just going to play hard, practice hard and try to prove that I can maybe stay here for a little bit."

Bourdon, 22, admitted that he was nervous when he made his NHL debut last week. Those nerves lasted for two more games, but they've finally started to dissipate.

In his first four games, Bourdon has averaged 13:16 in ice time and is a plus-1. He also has six hits and four blocked shots.

"I was pretty nervous for the first three games. And against Montreal, because I knew a lot of [friends and family] were watching [in Quebec]," Bourdon said. "But now I'm not as nervous. We've been here all week and I know a little bit more about the team."

Bourdon has bent the ear of frequent defensive partner Matt Carle since his arrival, asking the veteran nearly any question that pops into his mind.

"Some things are different here than [the AHL]," Bourdon explained. "I just want to make sure that I know everything I can. I don't want to be in a position that I'm not supposed to be in on the ice."

Now, with an increased role and more familiarity, Bourdon is expected to help shoulder the load without Pronger and Lilja. Fellow rookie Kevin Marshall, who also made his debut on Nov. 21 and has played two games, might not have the same expectations.

The Flyers put defenseman Matt Walker on recall waivers yesterday. Walker, 31, arrived in Southern California last night. If he clears waivers by noon (Eastern Time) today, Walker could bump Marshall from the lineup.

The move itself was not surprising - but the timing of it all was mind-boggling. Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle was fired 40 minutes after winning on Wednesday night, as the Ducks snapped a seven-game skid. And Bruce Boudreau, who was fired in Washington on Monday, was plucked from the job line just 66 hours after being canned by the Capitals.

Boudreau's quick turnaround was the fastest from one team to another in league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He was in Anaheim yesterday to run practice with the Ducks for the first time.

And the Flyers, well, they aren't really sure what to expect from the Ducks.

"Guys will be fired up, a lot of desperation, in survival mode," Danny Briere guessed. "It will be their own survival mode. Players will want to prove that they deserve the ice time. They want to play. It's like starting over."

Briere said he believed it would be tough for Boudreau to institute his system in less than 48 hours and with just one practice. That makes it tough for Peter Laviolette's crew to game plan, having to mix between player tendencies, Carlyle's old habits and plays, and Boudreau's familiar tactics.

"It's really hard to tell," Laviolette said. "You can go back and look at what personnel is in the lineup, maybe check what Bruce was doing in Washington. He used to use a 1-3-1 forecheck in the neutral zone, then he switched to the trap. I'm not sure what to expect. We'll have to adjust on the fly."

More than a week after sitting out for four games with a virus, Chris Pronger said yesterday that he is still "not himself." He had surgery on Tuesday to clean out loose bodies in his left knee.

"It's been a bit of a mystery with what exactly is going on," Pronger said. "I've just never felt like this where you get lightheaded, you have headaches, you're nauseous."

Pronger said he took and passed a concussion baseline test. The wonder is whether these symptoms are caused by the high-stick that nearly cost him vision in his left eye on Oct. 26. He has undergone blood work to "try and get to the bottom of what's going on."

With regards to his knee, Pronger said Dr. Peter DeLuca was "pretty pleased" with what he saw during surgery. The 4-week timetable for Pronger's return, though, is just a ballpark figure.

"It could be 3 weeks, it could be 6 weeks," Pronger said. "Once I get my rehab going, I'll know a bit more."

Pronger said he expects to start light rehab activities today in Voorhees.

Jaromir Jagr likely will play tonight against the Ducks . . . James van Riemsdyk was on the ice with his Flyers teammates yesterday for the first time in a week but did not participate in any drills and remains doubtful to play at all this weekend . . . The Flyers held their annual "rookie dinner" on Tuesday night in the Newport Beach, Calif., area with the team's seven first-year players picking up the tab . . . Even with the Flyers' mediocre 6-4-2 record at home this season, the Wells Fargo Center was voted the NHL's toughest place to play by Sports Business Journal. Philly edged out Montreal, Detroit, Boston, the New York Rangers and Chicago.