Professional hockey teams can go entire seasons without having a goalie get injured. The Flyers aren’t that team.
Flyers GM Paul Holmgren announced yesterday that goalie Brian Boucher could miss up to a month after sprained the MCL in his left knee on Monday night.
Michael Leighton, who just returned from an injury of his own after seven weeks off, gets the nod.
“It’s too bad for Brian, but it’s a tremendous opportunity for Michael,” said Holmgren.
Johan Backlund will be the backup.
Leighton isn’t exactly an unknown. He took over when Ray Emery and Brian Boucher got hurt in the regular season and went 16-5 with a sparkling 2.48 GAA.
“Michael [did] a great job when he was given the opportunity beforehand. Now, he gets that chance again,” said coach Peter Laviolette. “There’s a lot of confidence in the room, and there’s a lot of confidence with him in the net.”
Meanwhile, playmaking center Claude Giroux is expected to play through a shoulder injury tonight.
