First test for Flyers defenseman Pronger's knee

IN THE LAST 3 weeks, Chris Pronger put his knee through the gauntlet.

He skated, took a week off, skated more, reintroduced it to on-ice contact and even toyed with the idea of returning to the Flyers' opening-night lineup in Pittsburgh last Thursday.

He spent the last two games in Pittsburgh and St. Louis faking out reporters, teammates and opponents who were all awaiting news on his return.

Last night, Pronger finally decided his knee was battle-tested enough to return to the ice, just in time for the unfurling of a banner he made possible as the Flyers' MVP of last season.

Pronger eased into the season by skating 20:26, almost a full 6 minutes under his career average. He said the game plan was not necessarily to monitor his minutes but to get everyone involved.

"We said we were just going to roll three [defensive] sets and that's what we did," Pronger said.

Pronger, who turned 36 on Sunday, underwent right-knee surgery on July 27, which might have been a tad more intricate than what the Flyers originally labeled as a minor procedure to remove loose bodies.

Last week, Pronger referred to his knee as being "reconstructed."

All the while, Oct. 7 was the date circled on Pronger's calendar for a return.

Instead, the player who skated more minutes than anyone else in the NHL last season decided to play it conservatively and not rush back to the lineup before he was ready.

Pronger said he felt good, he was not tired by the game's end and he was pleased with his overall game.

"I felt good," he said. "As good as could be expected. It's nice to get a win, first and foremost, but it's nice to get back out there and kind of zip around a little bit."

The Flyers - and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in particular - were thrilled to have Pronger and his noticeable presence back in the lineup. Just last week, Sports Illustrated named Pronger one of the 25 greatest defensemen in NHL history.

"He was really solid," coach Peter Laviolette said. "He moved the puck really well. Every time the puck was in his hands, things seemed to settle down for us. It was pretty amazing because he missed all of training camp and we played a fast team. Colorado's fast and the game happened really fast."

Strange situation in New Jersey yesterday, with the Devils playing a Columbus Day matinee. But the issue wasn't with the game time - but rather the Devils' roster.

The Devils were unable to fill a roster and fit under the NHL's $59.4 million salary cap, so GM Lou Lamoriello decided to dress 17 players, three under the normal limit. New Jersey has been cash-strapped since signing Ilya Kovalchuk to a 15-year, $100 million contract in September.

"It's never something you like to see," Lamoriello told the Bergen Record. "That's what it will be."

There might be repercussions for the Devils, according to article 16.4 of the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement:

"Except in case of emergency, there shall be no reduction of the required minimum Playing Rosters of the Clubs, below eighteen (18) skaters and two (2) goaltenders."

That doesn't sound like an emergency.

Goaltender Michael Leighton had surgery yesterday at Methodist Hospital to relieve a herniated disk in his lower back. Leighton, who was resting at home, was one of the few members of the 2009-10 team not present last night. Leighton's timetable for return is still 6 to 8 weeks, according to GM Paul Holmgren . . . The Flyers have considered changing Saturday's 7 o'clock start time against Pittsburgh to an afternoon game to better accommodate fans interested in the Phillies' Game 1 of the NLCS. Any move would require approval from the Penguins and the NHL, since Pittsburgh has a home game at 7 o'clock on Friday night.

For more news and analysis, read

Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at

http://go.philly.com/frequentflyers. Follow him on Twitter at

http://twitter.com/DNFlyers.