On January 28, 2021, Nate Prosser was the next man-up for the Flyers. Prosser was blown away with getting another shot in the NHL, which turned out to be a magical night for Prosser:
“I never gave up hope. Not playing until tonight was an eye-opening experience. My game is keeping it simple and smart and I wanted to do a good job of that. I played for Mike Yeo for a lot of years. He knows what I bring to the table. They put the trust in me.”– Nate Prosser
This happened to be Prosser’s first game in the NHL since January 17, 2019 against the Anaheim Ducks, while he was a member of the Minnesota Wild. Prosser tallied his first goal of the season in the first period to tie the game at one, and it happened to be his first goal since April 5, 2018 against the Los Angeles Kings, just who is this guy:
“Absolute legend in the locker room,” Michael Raffl said on Prosser following the game, “The Processor” says Claude Giroux following the game. Head Coach Alain Vigneault and his experienced coaching staff trusted Prosser to suit up in an all important game against the New Jersey Devils. Not only did this decision make them look good, it appeared to give the Flyers life after the game. Player after player talked about the importance of Prosser in that locker room. It’s no wonder he was a member of the Taxi Squad.
The 34-year-old in Prosser moves the puck efficiently and can sometimes be consistent with it. He plays a safe game, but can be trusted. Prosser isn’t a minutes eating defenseman but is efficient. He even played four minutes on the penalty kill last night, “He brings experience,” Head Coach Alain Vigneault said before the game, “I liked his training camp,” as he gave a reason to the media for inserting him into the lineup.
Whatever the case maybe for Prosser on one special night he logged 13:12 of ice time, potted a goal, blocked three shots, and registered one hit. Quite the line for Prosser in just his first game as a member of the orange and black. On one special night he stabilized the backend enough to earn the Flyers a much needed two points in the standings.
