HOCKEY DAILY REPORT : After Long Layoff, Game Tires Dafoe

It had been more than two weeks since goaltender Byron Dafoe started a game, so he was feeling the layoff immediately after Thursday’s 5-4 overtime loss in Philadelphia.

“I’m really tired,” said Dafoe, who last played in an exhibition on Sept. 24. “My legs are heavy. It doesn’t matter how much you practice, there’s nothing like being in a game.”

Dafoe was worked so hard last season, he seemed to be melting away as he lost a lot of weight early on. This season, his workload will be sharply reduced because of the arrival of Stephane Fiset. Which means he has to stay even sharper.

“I felt like I was seeing the puck and felt strong on my feet tonight,” Dafoe said. “I felt good. I’ve been bearing down every practice, treating it like a game. If you’re not playing a lot, that’s when you really have to stay ready.”

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Forward Dimitri Khristich has played with a sprained knee and a broken nose, so 12 stitches across the bridge of his nose didn’t bother him. Late in the first period, Khristich was checked into the boards by Flyer defenseman Karl Dykhuis and cut his nose.

He received the stitches between periods and went on to set up Ray Ferraro’s game-tying goal at 15:01 of the third period. As it turned out, the helmet did more damage than the hit.

“It hit my head, and the helmet hit my nose,” Khristich said. “That’s where I felt the pain in my head and neck and there was some stiffness.”

No penalty was called, and Khristich agreed it wasn’t a penalty.

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The healthy scratches were defenseman Aki Berg and right wing Kai Nurminen. Berg had played in two games, and it was the first time Nurminen has been scratched from the lineup in four games. Nurminen had one goal and a defensive rating of minus-three.