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Mark Alt in Flyers' lineup; Gostisbehere injury not considered long-term

Injuries to Gostisbehere and Morin caused the Flyers to recall Mark Alt from Lehigh Valley, giving them three rookie defensemen Monday against Arizona.

Shayne Gostisbehere, the NHL’s leading scorer among defensemen, missed Monday’s game against Arizona.
Shayne Gostisbehere, the NHL’s leading scorer among defensemen, missed Monday’s game against Arizona.Read moreCHRIS SZAGOLA / AP Photo

Defenseman Mark Alt was recalled from the AHL's Phantoms on Monday to replace the injured Shayne Gostisbehere, whose condition apparently isn't that serious, according to general manager Ron Hextall.

The Flyers used three rookies on defense Monday against Arizona, with Alt being an unexpected call-up from Lehigh Valley.

On Sunday night, the Flyers had announced that Samuel Morin had been recalled and he was expected to replace Gostisbehere.

Unbeknown to Hextall at the time, however, was that Morin was battling a nagging injury — the general manager called it "minor" — suffered in the Phantoms' 5-4 loss to Hartford on Saturday.

Alt, 26, got the late call-up Monday and drove himself from Allentown to Philadelphia to play the second game of his NHL career. He practiced with the Phantoms on Monday morning.

"Any time you get an opportunity to come up here and play, it's an awesome feeling, so I'm excited," Alt said before the game.

Hextall said Gostisbehere and Nolan Patrick, who missed his third straight game, were day to day. They are believed to be sidelined with concussion-like symptoms, though the Flyers will only say that they have "upper-body injuries."

Hextall said he didn't expect either player to miss a lot of time. Gostisbehere led NHL defensemen with 13 points heading into Monday.

The right-handed-shooting Alt, a 6-foot-4, 201-pounder whose father, John, once was a star offensive tackle with the Kansas City Chiefs, had two goals, four assists and a plus-six rating in 10 games with the Phantoms this season.

Selected by Carolina in the second round of the 2010 draft, Alt was acquired with Brian Boucher in a 2013 trade that sent minor-league center Luke Pither to the Hurricanes. Pither never reached the NHL and is now playing in Sweden.

Coach Dave Hakstol liked what he saw from Alt in training camp.

"Altsy moves very well," Hakstol said. "He's a good, solid two-way guy. That's what he prides his game on; he moves the puck pretty well and makes the first pass. Big, strong presence. And he's a guy who has put his time in. He's been at the American League level and has played very well."

Alt, a stay-at-home defender who played in one game with the Flyers in 2014-15, was paired with Brandon Manning on Monday. They were partners with the Phantoms earlier in their careers.

Breakaways

Ivan Provorov replaced Gostisbehere on the first power-play unit. …The Flyers complained about the ice conditions at the Wells Fargo Center after their previous home game, but after the morning skate, winger Jordan Weal said the ice "seemed faster" Monday. … Dale Weise again was a healthy scratch.