Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Chris Pronger suffers lower body injury against Montreal

Chris Pronger; Mathieu Darche;

Philadelphia Flyers Chris Pronger, top, smothers Montreal Canadiens’ Mathieu Darche during second period NHL hockey action in Montreal, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

AP

If you’re thinking it seemed out of character for the Flyers to blow a 3-1 lead in the third period against Montreal last night before rallying late to win the game 5-3, you’d be right. You’ll also need to know there’s a good reason for the lack of defensive presence as well because Chris Pronger didn’t play in the third period thanks to a lower body injury.

It’s unknown how serious, if at all, the injury is but Pronger is playing on a surgically repaired right knee and is also 36 years-old to boot. With Pronger’s health being key to the long-term success of the Flyers, expect the Flyers to be careful with him. Should Pronger have to come out of the lineup, the team doesn’t have any salary cap flexibility to make a move and will go with Oskars Bartulis to take his spot in the lineup.

For now though, the Flyers got a taste of what life is like without Pronger in the lineup in the third period and that’s a future they’d like to avoid if at all possible. While they were still able to pull out a win over Montreal, seeing the Habs roar back into the game at home had to be distressing to head coach Peter Laviolette.