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Lowly teams will test Flyers down the stretch

DENVER - Though they still have three sets of back-to-back games, the Flyers' remaining schedule isn't as unforgiving as it might appear.

DENVER - Though they still have three sets of back-to-back games, the Flyers' remaining schedule isn't as unforgiving as it might appear.

Four of their final nine games are against weaker teams that are virtually out of the playoff hunt: Arizona, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Toronto. (Yes, the Flyers were beaten by going-nowhere Columbus on Tuesday, but they have generally played well against lowly teams in the season's second half.)

In addition, all three teams they will face on the back end of back-to-back games - Pittsburgh, Toronto, and the Islanders - will also be playing on consecutive nights. In other words, fatigue shouldn't be a determining factor.

"It's on us and how we play," captain Claude Giroux said.

The Flyers' biggest challenge appears to be the four games they play in the season's final five nights. The teams they are battling for the two wild-card spots, Detroit and the Islanders, also have tough end-of-year schedules, though not as difficult. The Isles play four games in the last six nights; Detroit plays four games in the last eight nights but has three games in the last four nights.

VandeVelde returns

Winger Chris VandeVelde returned to the lineup after missing three games - one as a healthy scratch, two for a league-mandated suspension - in Colorado on Thursday.

Scott Laughton was a healthy scratch.

The Flyers were 1-2 without VandeVelde.

Coach Dave Hakstol said it was a difficult decision to bench Laughton, "but we're coming off a pretty good run here, and Vandy's been a big part of what we're doing. There's just certain aspects Vandy adds for us - No. 1, five-on-five with his two linemates. That group's been really important for us, and we add that element back, and to also put him back together with Belly [Pierre-Edouard Bellemare] penalty killing. That's a role Laughts has also been doing a pretty good job in, but Vandy and Belly have done it long-term."

Breakaways

Steve Mason started for the ninth time in the last 10 games. . . . Hakstol is mum on the subject, but there is a chance Anthony Stolarz will make his NHL debut Saturday in Arizona. . . . Giroux entered Thursday with 32 points in his last 31 games, and he needed four points to pass Reggie Leach for 12th on the Flyers' all-time list. . . . Sean Couturier began the night with 24 points and a plus-12 rating in his last 28 games. . . . The Flyers' revived penalty-killing units were 32 for 35 (91.4 percent) in the last 13 games before Thursday. They were 9-2-2 in those games. . . . Columbus forward Jared Boll was suspended four games for an illegal hit to Bellemare on Tuesday.