At this point, as general manager Paul Homgren puts it, the Flyers have lost about a player a game to injury.
The latest victim is defenseman Andrej Meszaros, who will miss about a month with a left shoulder injury suffered late in the second period of Thursday's 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers. The affected area is the muscle around Meszaros' acromioclavicular (AC) joint.
The loss is a tough one. Meszaros has averaged over 18 minutes on the ice a night in this young 2013 season, and is one of the team's more versatile and mobile defensemen.
Holmgren, however, is electing to remain optimistic.
"As far as being snakebitten with injuries ... I'm not sure we're much different than a lot of teams that are in the league," he said. "We've just got to fight through it and take the approach that it's opportunities for other players. ... That's just the way it's going to be. We've got to deal with it on a day-to-day basis, and I think the coaches have done a good job of that to date. But hopefully we can break this stream of losing a guy a game, and stay healthy."
Meszaros suffered a similar injury in March 2009 and missed significant time. He played just 52 games in the 2008-09 season.
LILJA RECALLED
Also accompanying the team on the trip is defenseman Andreas Lilja, who has been recalled from the team's AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, so that the team will travel with seven healthy defenseman.
Lilja appeared in four games with the Phantoms, posting two assists and six penalty minutes.
"He's played very good with the Phantoms," said Holmgren. "He's a good guy; he's got a lot of life to his game. I think he was real good for our young players down there and they got a chance to play with a guy who has been on a Stanley Cup Champion and been around a long time. He shows enthusiasm and a real good attitude for the game."
Well, crap, I thought Meszaros played quite well in these first four games, so it sucks seeing him go down with an injury. Especially after he battled back from a serious one for the start of the season. I'm not as pessimistic about Lilja as most here, though
