Thursday, February 6, 2014

Timonen back in, Meszaros out again for Flyers

PHILADELPHIA - With one eye planted firmly on the Sochi Olympics and hoping another foot really is stable enough to play before then, Kimmo Timonen will suit up tonight for the Flyers as they take on the Colorado Avalanche at Wells Fargo Center. Timonen has missed two consecutive games after taking a shot off his left foot. Perhaps coincidentally, Andrej Meszaros took his place and the Flyers promptly posted a couple of impressive road victories in Los Angeles and San Jose. "I feel pretty good but when it comes to the lineup, but obviously it's a coach's decision," Timonen said. "The last five or six days have been tough because I want to play and obviously the Olympics are coming. I want to get a couple of games in, or at least one. It's going the right way and I feel pretty good, so it's a good feeling." Coach Craig Berube confirmed Timonen will play, so he promptly put Meszaros back on the healthy scratch list for tonight. "It is what it is," Meszaros said. "I don't know. I just have to accept it; there's nothing else I can do about it and go with it, I guess. I'm finally healthy, I'm feeling good. And not playing it's always hard. You think about it all the time. Obviously, I missed a lot of games because of injuries (in recent seasons), now I have few. I'm healthy again and I'm not playing and it's hard on any player who's not playing and is a healthy scratch. I'm just trying to work hard in practice and stay with it, I guess." l l l NOTES: Former Flyer Max Talbot has been in Colorado since being traded there Oct. 31 for Steve Downie. He's called his Avalanche experience, "Great. It's been a blast." Talbot and his fiance Cynthia are day-to-day waiting for the birth of their child. Talbot has had an emergency flight booked at every city on this road trip. ... Steve Mason will start for the Flyers.