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Flyers' Weise, trying to get on track, will replace injured Weal

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - This is not the kind of season Dale Weise envisioned when he signed a four-year, $9.4-million free-agent deal with the Flyers in the offseason.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - This is not the kind of season Dale Weise envisioned when he signed a four-year, $9.4-million free-agent deal with the Flyers in the offseason.

The 28-year-old winger has just two goals and five points in 46 games. In his last 29 games, he has one point, an assist. He was a healthy scratch in seven of the last 12 games.

"Extremely frustrating," Weise said after practice Saturday in Vancouver, where the fading Flyers will face the Canucks on Sunday night at Rogers Arena. "Mentally, this has probably been the most difficult season I've ever had. I've never been scratched this much before in my life."

Because of an injury to Jordan Weal, Weise will be inserted onto the second line against one of his former teams, the Canucks. He will play alongside Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek.

"You never want to see a guy get injured. He had his first couple games and was playing well," Weise said. "But I'm obviously happy to be back in the lineup and try to make the most out of it."

Weise hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 23.

"Mentally it's been difficult because I feel like I'm playing good hockey. I just can't get a bounce to go into the net," said Weise, who scored a career-high 14 goals with Montreal last season. "I'm getting chances, but it's just not going in. It seems like that's the way it's been going for our whole team. I feel like I'm starting to get some traction for a few games, and then I'm out of the lineup.

"It's been extremely tough to try to get into a rhythm," he added. "I'm just hoping to get in and find a way to contribute."

Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said Weise has a "great opportunity to go in and help our team. Sometimes, it's all about the timing of an opportunity, and then taking advantage of that opportunity."

Weal is sidelined with what the team is calling an upper-body injury, which may be a concussion. He will be examined when the Flyers return Monday.

In two-plus games before being injured Thursday in Edmonton, Weal - a Vancouver native who will have several relatives and friends at Rogers Arena on Sunday - was one of the Flyers' most effective forwards.

"He added something every game," Hakstol said. "He added a dynamic element and had the puck quite a bit. He looked like what we had hoped" when he was promoted from the AHL's Phantoms.

Breakaways. The Flyers will go back to using six defensemen and 12 forwards Sunday. Based on Saturday's practice, it appears Andrew MacDonald and Nick Schultz will be the D-men who are scratched. The other pairings Saturday: Ivan Provorov and Brandon Manning, Shayne Gostisbehere and Mark Streit, and Radko Gudas and Michael Del Zotto. . . . Provorov worked on the first power-play unit, and Voracek was on the second unit. . . . Voracek, who has just two of his 14 goals on the road, called Sunday's matchup "the biggest game of the year." . . . A life-size statue of the late Pat Quinn was unveiled Saturday night outside Rogers Arena. The Canucks and Flyers were among the teams he coached.