PHILADELPHIA -- Already depleted by injuries, the
Philadelphia Flyers will be without NHL goals leader Simon Gagne
for two weeks.
The All-Star forward, who leads the league with 23 goals, has a
groin tear.
"It's tough news to take right now, especially with the start I
have had and everything was going well," Gagne said after an MRI
on Friday confirmed he had a tear. "Right now, we're going through
so many injuries and my turn came. I felt so bad the last two games
that I knew something was wrong."
The Flyers also are without top defenseman Eric Desjardins for
eight to 10 weeks because of a partially dislocated right shoulder,
and defenseman Joni Pitkanen is expected to miss about a month with
a torn abdominal muscle. Captain Keith Primeau has been sidelined
with a concussion since last month, and forward Turner Stevenson is
bothered by a hip injury.
However, Philadelphia expects to get leading scorer Peter
Forsberg and goalie Robert Esche back for Saturday's game against
Minnesota.
Forsberg has missed the last six games with a groin strain. He
leads the team with 39 points (eight goals, 31 assists).
"I feel good and I feel confident that everything is going to
be OK, and I have no hesitation going out there," Forsberg said.
Esche hasn't played since beating New Jersey 2-1 on Nov. 30
because of a groin injury that was feared to be a sports hernia at
one point. He is 10-4-2 with a 3.18 goals-against average this
season. Coach Ken Hitchcock said Esche will be the backup for
Antero Niittymaki against the Wild.
Despite the injuries, the Flyers are second behind the New York
Rangers in the Atlantic Division with a 16-7-3 record and 36
points.