Flyers lose Pronger for 3 to 4 weeks

Three’s a charm. And a huge, short-term loss.

A third test on Chris Pronger’s injured right hand uncovered a fracture. The Flyers’ top defenseman will undergo surgery today to repair it, following the results of yesterday’s CT scan.

Pronger, who sustained the injury Feb. 24, is expected to miss three to four weeks. He should be able to resume skating next weekend, but won’t miss any time in the playoffs.

“I think he’ll be 100 percent,” GM Paul Holmgren said. “Obviously the reason they want to put the screw in is to make it more stable. Given the timeframe of recovery after the surgery, in three weeks, everybody thinks it’s going to be more stable than it ever was, and it takes away the risk of reinjuring it.”

To take his spot, the Flyers recalled defenseman Erik Gustafsson from the Andirondack Phantoms.