VANCOUVER - Evgeny Medvedev, the Russian defenseman playing in his first NHL season, wasn't surprised when Flyers coach Dave Hakstol told him he would be a healthy scratch Monday for the first time.
"Last game, no good. The last game I was minus-1," Medvedev, who is still learning English, said before Monday's game in Vancouver. "I am working. Maybe next time I'll play. I don't know. The coach maybe he'll let me play."
Medvedev, 33, looked like the Flyers' best defenseman in the preseason but struggled at times in the first 10 regular-season games. A four-time all-star in Russia, he was asked if the smaller NHL rinks had affected his play.