Flyers call up Alex Lyon, T.J. Brennan to replace Michal Neuvirth, Brandon Manning

EDMONTON, Alberta — The Flyers recalled goalie Alex Lyon and defenseman T.J. Brennan from the AHL's Phantoms and placed Michal Neuvirth and Brandon Manning on the injured-reserve list Wednesday.

Both call-ups were in Edmonton but weren't in the lineup when the Flyers faced the Oilers on Wednesday night.

Manning had his right hand and wrist wrapped, and he will miss three to four weeks, general manager Ron Hextall said, adding that the injury occurred in the 5-2 win Monday in Calgary. Mark Alt replaced Manning and was paired with Travis Sanheim on Wednesday.

Neuvirth will miss one to two weeks with a lower-body injury suffered in practice in Calgary, Hextall said. Neuvirth has played only eight games and has a 2-5-1 record with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. Brian Elliott played Wednesday and figures to get the start Thursday in Vancouver.

Lyon, a Minnesota native who will turn 25 on Saturday, has struggled with the Phantoms this season, compiling a 3.31 GAA and an .894 save percentage in 16 games. He finished tied for fourth in the AHL with 27 wins last season.

"He's been a little bit up and down," Hextall said. "He was very consistent last year. Consistently good through the start of this season … and then he had a rough stretch for four or five games, and that affects your numbers when you haven't played that many games. He's a quality individual, and his last game, he played well."

Brennan, 28, a Moorestown native who was sidelined by a knee injury earlier this season, had 15 points and a plus-7 rating in 17 games. He had 21 goals and 60 points last season and was a first-team AHL all-star for the third time.

Known for his offense, Brennan has played in a total of 53 NHL games with Buffalo (21), Florida (19), and Toronto (13). If he gets into a game with the Flyers, he would be the first South Jersey product to play with the team, according to the team's public relations staff.

"T.J. is T.J. — a solid veteran player down there for us and a guy who can come up and play games," Hextall said.

Although he might not be here long, Brennan was ecstatic to join the team he rooted for as a youngster. He got into Edmonton at 4:30 a.m. Philadelphia time after a connecting flight through Toronto.

"Everything is new and I'm just excited to be here," he said. "It's a good time to be working hard and kind of take advantage of opportunities. … There's a young kid inside of me that still has a dream. I still follow that and stay true to that."

Brennan could be sent back to the Phantoms when Radko Gudas is eligible to return to the lineup. Gudas served the ninth game of his 10-game suspension Wednesday and will return Tuesday against Toronto.

Rookie Nolan Patrick is off to a slow start — he entered Wednesday with two goals in 18 games — but Hextall is not concerned.

"You're seeing a 19-year-old player who needs to become a pro. He's a kid," Hextall said. "He's played some good hockey for us; he's [also] played some hockey that's not up to the level that he's established even at his age. The consistency part is something he has to get better at, as you can say for most 19-year-olds. There's games we're happy with him and there's games we need more from him."

Coach Dave Hakstol said there is a "window" in the next three or four years for Patrick to improve with a summer conditioning program. He was limited last summer because he was coming off abdominal surgery.

Injured Phantoms defensemen Samuel Morin and Phil Myers are a week or two away from returning, Hextall said. … Flyers assistant Kris Knoblauch coached Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid in juniors. …. On Tuesday, the Flyers will try to end a six-game home winless streak, their longest since 2011. … Jake Voracek said he shaved off his beard on a whim and that it had nothing to do with the Flyers' ending their 10-game losing skid Monday. "I didn't know who the hell it was," Hakstol cracked about the beardless winger.