Flyers Notes: Bryzgalov starts in goal despite hurt glove hand

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov hurt his glove hand while making a save during the morning skate, but X-rays found no problems and he was able to start Tuesday night's game in Winnipeg.

Bryzgalov left the ice when the puck struck his hand, which became red.

Later, he was back in the net and serenaded with mocking Illllllyaaaaaa chants by Winnipeg fans. They are still upset about the negative comments Bryzgalov made about their city when it appeared that his former team, Phoenix, might move to Winnipeg.

After his previous game, a 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center, Bryzgalov said he would "try to find peace in my soul to play in this city."

Coach Peter Laviolette said he was aware of what Bryzgalov said, but declined to comment.

When the Flyers played in Winnipeg on Nov. 19, backup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky got the call, and his team lost, 6-4, despite two goals each from Matt Read and Scott Hartnell. Bryzgalov heard an earful during warmups, but he diffused the situation by giving his goalie stick to an 8-year-old boy who held a BOO BRYZGALOV sign.

Rinaldo returns

After serving a two-game suspension for charging Detroit's Jonathan Ericsson, winger Zac Rinaldo returned to the Flyers lineup Tuesday.

"Any game you sit out kind of sucks, but I'll just build from the suspension and I'm back at it," Rinaldo said before the game.

He said he would not change his style of play.

"It's a process of walking the line every day and continue to walk the line," Rinaldo said.

Said Laviolette: "That's what makes him an effective player. He puts people on edge because of his physicality."

No brother matchup

With Rinaldo back in the lineup, Flyers winger Eric Wellwood became a healthy scratch. That prevented a matchup with his brother, Winnipeg center Kyle Wellwood, who began the night with 12 goals and 24 assists.

Breakaways

Veteran winger Jaromir Jagr said adding Pavel Kubina's righthanded point shot would make it more difficult for opponents to defend, especially on the power play. Kubina, a 6-foot-4, 258-pound defenseman, made his Flyers debut Tuesday and was paired with Matt Carle. Recently acquired Nick Grossman was paired with Andrej Meszaros. . . . Winnipeg began the night 3-0 against the Flyers and had averaged 5.3 goals in the three games. . . . Hartnell leads the NHL with 14 power-play goals after scoring one Tuesday night. . . . The Flyers visit Edmonton on Thursday, Calgary on Saturday, and San Jose on Tuesday. They began the night with an 18-9-2 road record and a 14-10-5 home mark.

Contact staff writer Sam Carchidi at scarchdi@phillynews.com or @BroadStBull on Twitter.