Flyers To Miss Defenseman Timonen For Rest Of Playoffs

Philadelphia, PA (AHN) - The Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday received discouraging news on defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who may be shut down for the rest of the playoffs due to a blood clot in his left ankle.

The Flyers will open the Eastern Conference finals on the road at Pittsburgh starting Friday night and it is unlikely that the All-Star Timonen will suit up. The nine-year veteran suffered the injury when he was hit in the Flyers' Game 4 victory over Montreal.

Timonen's absence will put a glaring hole in Philadelphia's bid to stop the Penguins' high-scoring duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The defenseman helped contain Washington's Alex Ovechkin and Montreal's Alex Kovalev in the first two rounds.

"It's the most disappointing thing in my hockey life, for sure," Timonen told the Associated Press. "How many times in your lifetime do you get to play in the conference finals or the Stanley Cup finals?"

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren expects the team to rise to the challenge and play as if no one is missing in their roster.

"We have to view this that he's not a player for us in the series, and march on," Holmgren said, though admitting that no one can "replace a player that does what Kimmo does for us."