Carter to play; Pronger scratched
Daily News Flyers blog
Carter to play; Pronger scratched
BOSTON -- Flyers center Jeff Carter will play in tonight's crucial Game 3 against the Bruins in Boston, but injured defenseman Chris Pronger will not.
Carter skated this morning with the team and it was announced he would be a game-time decision.
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Jeff Carter skated for approximately 20 minutes at the Flyers' pre-game skate at TD Garden before tonight's Game 3, nearly doubling the length of time he spent on ice alone on Tuesday.
Carter, the Flyers' leading goal scorer during the regular season, said he "didn't know" about his availability for tonight's game. Officially, the Flyers upgraded Carter's injury status from day-to-day to game-time decision, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.
Carter did recognize, however, the added urgency to try to test his right knee since his team is already in a two-game hole against the Bruins. He hurt his knee after awkwardly colliding with Buffalo defenseman Tyler Myers in Game 4 of the first round on April 20.
Today, Carter was one of the first Flyers off the ice at the morning skate. He appeared to be cautiously testing the knee when he first entered the ice, but seemed to do more and more as participated in a few drills.
"He's been our leading scorer the past couple years," Claude Giroux said. "It would be great to have him."
Carter could possibly test his knee in a limited role for the Flyers, as Chris Pronger did in Game 6 of the first round against Buffalo with his fractured right hand. If Carter were to return, he could give the Flyers the scoring boost they've desperately needed - and would help fill out their three lines to make them a tougher team to defend again.
Still, coach Peter Laviolette wasn't ready to throw out any hypothetical hints to the Bruins on Wednesday morning.
"I think I am going to pass on all theoretical questions this morning," Laviolette said. "Jeff Carter looked good this morning."
The official word from Flyers is that all other injured players, including Pronger, Andreas Nodl (eye) and Michael Leighton (back), are on day-to-day timetables.
For the first time on Wednesday, the Flyers called Pronger's injury a lower-body injury. It is believed to be a hamstring strain. Pronger did not skate with the Flyers today and a return to the lineup does not appear imminent.
Daily News sports columnist Rich Hofmann contributed to this report.For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
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I challenge both Carter and Pronger to a 2 on 1 handicap match. I'll tell Carter my intentions at the OD this summer.— cps147- I can't imagine Pronger sitting out with a minor injury. He has to be hurt. As for Carter, I'm starting to doubt his playoff credentials. But Carle is really starting to annoy me.
@Bateman, maybe it's the TV angle, but there have been a few times where a shot was the better choice when they passed. They have to keep the pressure up like they did last game. If that doesn't work, then they have to take Thomas out (just kidding).— vipers53 - I agree that there have been a few situations where they should have shot rather than passed. I was referring to the ingorant fans who yell "shooooooot" throughout the entire power play while the team tries to set something up through moving the puck along the boards and on the point. I was at the game last Saturday and it was just so frustrating to hear them boo one second and cheer the next. Sometimes I think Flyers fans don't even like the Flyers. There's never any support, just booing until they score. — Bateman
- If they play tonight the way they did in the OT last game, they will win. Got to get in Thomas' head. JVR is a monster on the ice!!!— dogman5
- 90% of Flyers fans are horrible. The things being yelled at the games are laughable to anyone who has ever played a minute of ice hockey in their lives ("shoot!", "Pass!", "skate!", "kill him!", "Booooo!", "you suck!"). It's one thing to yell these words at a game but it's another thing to actually know what you're talking about. Those morons are the same ones commenting on here about Pronger being a sissy. I agree 100% about carter not being clutch and shooting wide most of the time, but Pronger is a beast and still has a lot of years left in him. He got hurt a lot this year...get over it morons. Reactionary idiots. I love the Flyers but I hate their fans. I denounce every single one of you morons as being real fans.— Bateman
- The Carter-haters are out in force today. And now Pronger is a sissy, according to some real manly people hiding behind their keyboards. I'll say it again, the so-called "fans" on this site suck.— Ernie D
- I think Carter at 60/70% is a hell of alot better than Jody Shelley & Zac Rinaldo at 100%.— CarterRocks
- I think Carter at 60/70% is a hell of alot better than Jody Shelley & Zac Rinaldo at 100%.— CarterRocks
- I think Carter at 60/70% is a hell of alot better than Jody Shelley & Zac Rinaldo at 100%.— CarterRocks
- Somehow nobody seems to think we outplayed the Bruins last game. Which is incredible because thats exactly what happened. We just ran into an extremely hot goalie that got into a groove after two early goals. However, if Briere gets that knock in at the end of regulation no one has anything but great things to say about the flyers right now. I think they'll be fine. Have to win this one and things are going our way.— mundiff
- Carter returning or not returning makes no difference - it may actually hurt us. I've said it here a million times...carter does not have the type of game that translates into the postseason. His lack of defensive responsibility the last few years also doesn't help. At this point they have zherdev, going down to block shots and back checking a little bit and that's 100% more than what I saw from carter in the few games he played against buffalo. Unless he is absolutely, positively 100% AND they get another injury - leave him upstairs during the game.— rock12
- I have my eyes to tell me but his back checking has been great this year.
Not sure he is physically up to the task and he usually comes back fairly tentative from long term injuries but to say his D is questionable is wrong.
— CarterRocks 
Comment removed.- Fortunately, they're off home ice. UN-fortunately, that's a good thing.— uncle meat
- Carter ? Pronger ? What difference does it make. Exhibit G : Goaltender. The puck stops here. We don't have one.
— Gino D. - The understatement of the year: this IS a must-win situation.— Nicher
- gotta get down 3-0 to come alive again— section707
- Carter making a return to the line-up is a juicy storyline. It's not over. 2-0 against this Bruins team seems insurmountable but how many people wrote-off the Flyers after game 5 against Buffalo BOOOOOOM! lol— 2rowsfromtheice
- Looks like Pronger has lost the respect of an awful lot of Flyers fans over the past few weeks.— drbob1
- jsavino- these are the same people that wanted jvr traded. he now is our best forward in the playoffs. its all a bunch of hypocrites that post. there sitting in there moms basement and now that they cant complain about jvr anymore they decide to bash pronger- its laughable
— randall0012 - Carter showed up last year for the playoffs but even before his injury he was conspicuously inept. Hard to believe he'll make a difference in the Boston series.— matteo
- The next line of that old Carole King song after "one of us is changing or maybe we just stopped trying" accurately describes the Flyers situation.— drbob1
- Stay away, Carter. You contribute nothing. Pronger is a big loss. But this series is over anyway.— UncleEddie
- LMFAO pronger is a sissy? i mean will you morons stop it— jsavino
- I won't go so far as to call Pronger a "sissy", but by comparison, Jason Smith DID play an entire postseason, into the conference finals, with not one, but TWO, separated shoulders. — uncle meat
- Only 6 more years of Pronger @ 5 mil/ year and he already looks like Darren Hatcher.— theeutmost
- tough to figure who is a bigger sissy- Pronger, Carter, or Crosby.
if bobby clarke were dead, he would be turning over in his grave over the lack of toughness in modern day players.— Ouwachon - Pronger = cry baby. I'm tired of this.— ragecage22
- I would love to see you tell him that face to face, and if you're tired of it, don't read and don't watch.
- Well Carter, its time you showed Flyer fans your toughness and gut it out and play and score a goal. Otherwise, your label of soft and disinterested will carry on! Flyers win tonight 3-1!— Fabulous
- Dead in the water.— n62
