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Read (concussion) back for Flyers, Downie scratched again

mattreadgetty

James OBrien

Matt Read will return to the Philadelphia lineup tonight.

Steve Downie won’t.

Read, who has missed the last six games with a concussion, will draw back in when the Flyers take on the Sabres in Buffalo on Tuesday -- but Downie, who was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s loss to the Rangers, will again find himself in the press box.

Parked because of what Flyers head coach Craig Berube called a lack of intensity, Downie finds himself in an odd spot. He’s clearly not having the same effect he was prior to returning from an upper-body injury in late December -- in his last eight games, Downie has zero points and 10 penalty minutes and has struggled to find chemistry with a variety of linemates.

That said, it’s strange that Downie is a scratch for a second consecutive time, especially since the Flyers looked flat and listless at the start of Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Rangers.

As for Read, he’ll be looking to regain the form shown prior to getting concussed. He had five points in eight games (more like seven, given he was hurt against Calgary on Dec. 31) and received over 20 minutes of ice time in shootout wins over the Oilers and Canucks.