Giroux bypassed; Timonen back in lineup

Flyers center Claude Giroux was bypassed for Team Canada's Olympic team.

Again.

Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis was named as a replacement Thursday for the injured Steven Stamkos.

"Good for Marty," Giiroux said after the Flyers' morning skate on Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center.

"It's a tough decision for them to make; it's not easy (because) there are a lot of great players," Flyers coach Craig Berube said. "We all feel bad for G."

St. Louis, 38, has 25 goals and 54 points and a plus-16 rating.

Giroux, 26, has 18 goals, 55 points and is minus-1. He has 14 goals and 37 points in his last 30 games.

"I didn't give myself hope," Giroux said. "I didn't want to be disappointed again. That's unfortunate for Steven. He worked hard to come back and wanted to make the team and come back and play. It's too bad for him."

On Twitter, some fans were saying Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, Team Canada's captain, swayed the brass from picking Giroux because of his dislike for the Flyers.

That's laughable.

In other news, Kimmo Timonen will return to the lineup Thursday against Colorado. The veteran defenseman has missed the last two games with a bruised left foot.

Timonen will be paired with Braydon Coburn, and Andrej Meszaros _ who has played well _ will be a healthy scratch.

Timonen, who turns 39 next month, plans to play for Finland in the Olympics.

Steve Mason (2.53 GAA, .916 SP) will start on Thursday. It will be his sixth straight start, matching his longest stretch of the season. Ever since he had a conversation with Hall of Famer Bernie Parent, Mason is 3-1 with a 1.51 GAA and .949 save percentage in his last four games.

Tilger named. Shawn Tilger was named the Flyers' Chief Operating Officer of business operations, and he will serve as alternate governor for the NHL.

Breakaways. Colorado's Max Talbot, a former Flyer, said his fiancee is expecting their first child in a few days and that it will be a home birth.  "I just hope it looks like me," Talbot cracked.....Semyon Varlamov, who should battle Sergei Bobrovsky for Russia's starting job in the Olympics, start for the Avs; he is 28-10-5 with a 2.49 GAA and .924 save percentage.....

(more coming)

Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitetr @BroadStBull.