He walked from his locker stall to meet with reporters limping slightly. Minutes later, Ilya Bryzgalov was seen limping even worse.
The Flyers initially said no one came away from Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay injured. Not so.
The worst news the Flyers could imagine for their starting goalie was announced Tuesday afternoon when general manager Paul Holmgren said that Bryzgalov has a chip fracture in his right foot and will not play Thursday in Toronto. The fracture was revealed in an MRI.
Needless to say, the Flyers' playoff hopes rest solely on Bryzgalov, and if this is something that could spell disaster before the first round even begins.
Late Monday night, Bryzgalov had an X-ray. He was seen leaving the Wells Fargo Center but was not limping as badly as before.
Holmgren was not available for comment, but the question everyone wants to know is whether the fracture is to a weight-bearing bone that would affect his ability to stand and play in a game. This injury apparently happened in warm-ups and Bryzgalov played the entire game without incident.
Bryzgalov is among the hottest goaltenders in the league and unquestionably the hottest in March. He has a 2.46 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.
NHL
Defenseman Kimmo Timonen joins Bryzgalov on the Flyers' injured list, as well. The veteran defenseman is listed as day to day with an upper-body injury.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net