Flyers likely to be without Pronger again vs. Canadiens

When the Flyers host Montreal on Friday afternoon, they will try to build off the momentum gained by their 4-3 overtime win over the New York Islanders on Wednesday.

But they will probably have to do it without captain Chris Pronger. The star defenseman did not participate in the team's practice Thursday in Voorhees and probably will not play on Friday, a club source said. He has missed the last two games because of a virus.

The Flyers will be trying to avenge a 5-1 loss to the Canadiens in Montreal on Oct. 26. In that game, Max Pacioretty scored a pair of goals against Ilya Bryzgalov.

That was the first game Pronger missed this season, as he was sidelined by an eye injury.

The Flyers are 4-3-1 without Pronger this season, and 8-3-2 with him. A year ago, they won just 16 of the 32 regular-season games he did not play.

In Wednesday's win on Long Island, the Flyers overcame a 3-1 deficit.

"I'm really happy with the way we fought back," coach Peter Laviolette said, adding he was "impressed with the fight" and "the resiliency to keep coming and stay with it. We got some real good performances from guys in the second and third period."

It was the first time this season the Flyers won when trailing entering the third period. They are now 1-6-1 in those games.

In relief of the struggling Bryzgalov, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had probably his best game of the season, turning aside all 23 shots he faced.

"There was a shift near the end of the second period where he stopped two breakaways back-to-back," center Danny Briere said. "That could have been the turning point of the game. That's two big saves, and it's not easy when you come in relief like that, trying to keep your team in the game."

Bobrovsky, now 6-0 with a 1.83 goals-against average in his career against the Isles, got help from a strong penalty-killing effort in overtime. Led by Max Talbot and Sean Couturier, the Flyers killed a four-on-three power play before Briere scored the winner.

"It can be a game-changer," Talbot said of the PK, "and I think it was."

Briere had tied the game with 5 minutes, 42 seconds left in regulation. He had scored just one goal in his previous eight games.

"The last few games were tough for me, personally," said Briere, who, with new linemates, has struggled to regain the chemistry he had with former linemates Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino last season. "I was trying to find my way closer to the net and get more pucks on net. It always seems you need a lucky bounce to get going again."

He got one when Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro swatted a bouncing puck out front that went right to Briere before he scored the equalizer late in regulation.

Trailing by 3-1 after the first period, the Flyers appeared headed to their third straight loss - to the Eastern Conference's three worst teams: Winnipeg, Carolina, and the Islanders.

Instead, they produced their best comeback of the season.

Breakaways. Bryzgalov's goals-against average has climbed to 2.89, and his save percentage has sunk to .897. . . . In his last four games, Montreal goalie Carey Price is 3-1 with two shutouts and a 0.99 goals-against average. . . . Rookie Matt Read leads the Flyers at plus-9, followed by Couturier and Hartnell, each at plus-8. . . . The Flyers set a franchise record when they and the Islanders were tied at 1 after 37 seconds. The previous record for the Flyers and an opponent scoring quick goals was in 1980 against the Atlanta Flames; the teams scored in the first 58 seconds.