After falling victim to the team-spread viral infection that knocked out half of the orange an black immediately following the All-Star break, Flyers’ captain Mike Richards and Scottie Upshall are set to make their return from the illness Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators.
“I feel pretty good,” said Richards. “I’m starting to get my energy back and trying to put some weight back on. The aches are gone.”
Richards lost eight pounds due to the severity of the virus.
“I’m starting to get my energy back and put weight back on,” Richards continued. “The headaches are gone, the sore throat, the coughing is gone and I’m feeling pretty good. I’m congested a little bit, but hopefully that will be gone by Thursday.”
The sickness, similar to the flu, is not actually the flu, but a viral infection that violently expels everything from the body, while making the person very weak. Richards and Upshall each missed three games and were sick for the St. Louis game, in which the Flyers lost 4-0.
“I’ve never been sick like this,” Richards said. “I don’t think I’ve ever missed a game being sick and now missing three is disappointing.”
Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle each had bouts with the bug immediately after the All-Star break. Coburn returned on Saturday, after missing two games. He also lost close to 10 pounds and was working to regain his strength.
The Flyers are getting healthy at the right time. After going 3-2 in their last five games, the Flyers have a two-game win streak and have an opportunity to pad their point total, heading into a contest against the lowly Senators, followed by a league battle against the NHL’s worst New York Islanders and sinking New York Rangers.
Phila.Bright 