Grossmann practices, return still unknown

VOORHEES, N.J.Nick Grossmanns absence was palpable Friday night in Game 5 of the Flyers Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With Grossmann out of the lineup, the Flyers struggled to block shots, clear the space in front of Ilya Bryzgalov and kill penalties. His loss put added pressure on defensemen Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn too, forcing them to play elevated minutes in the teams 3-2 loss.

Grossmann is day to day with whats believed to be a concussion suffered in Game 4but he participated in the Flyers optional practice Saturday afternoon at Skate Zone, a very encouraging sign that he could return to the lineup at some point soon.

Hopefully, Scott Hartnell said. I dont know the situation, but he has played great since the trade coming over to Philly. With his contract signing, obviously the guys upstairs love him too. Hes a big body. He hits, he can block shots and make the first pass as well.

Grossmann skated in two separate sessions Saturday, first with a few scratches and AHL call-ups, and then with a handful of regulars. Though both practices were brief and light, Grossmann did participate in all of the drills with his teammates.

Neither general manager Paul Holmgren nor Grossmann himself were available to discuss his status, however, and theres no reason to believe hell be back in the lineup for Game 6, Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center. That said, if the Flyers are able to close out the series in Game 6 or Game 7 and move on, having Grossmann return to the lineup would be a huge boost to the blue line.

When we went to get Grossy this year, hes been great for us, Claude Giroux said. Defensively, he plays against the best lines on the other side. Hes a solid teammate. Hes a guy we rely on on the PK. He racks up a lot of minutes on the ice, so obviously its good to have him on the ice.