Flyers Hope Vinny Lecavalier can be a Wild Card

VOORHEES – Craig Berube wanted to get more ice time for the player the Flyers made a five-year, $22.5 million commitment to last offseason.

Few would have thought that when that contract was signed, Vinny Lecavalier would be a fourth-line center in the playoffs. If you’re looking for the Stanley Cup winner to complain about that, don’t hold your breath.

“Of course I want to be out there and produce and do things,” Lecavalier said. “I believe in myself. Any time I go on the ice, I’ll try to do my best.”

Recently, that’s been with Adam Hall and Zac Rinaldo on the fourth line. For a lot of the third period Sunday, he was with the linemates he began the year with: Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds.

“I thought he played a real good third period for us,” Berube said. “I had him up there with Schenn and Simmonds, and he did a real good job on the power play.”

Lecavalier took a shot from the point Sunday, allowing a rebound for Jason Akeson to knot the game. The veteran of 15 seasons, who turned 34 Monday, was calling for the puck. He saw an opening and wanted to get the puck on net, where he knew a couple teammates would have a good shot at helping beat Henrik Lund­qvist on the power play.

Plays like that in the postseason are meaningful, especially from guys in a depth role like Lecavalier seems to be in these days. When he won the Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning 10 years ago, that team had depth, too. He just happened to be higher on the depth chart.