Flyers lose Kimmo Timonen for remainder of playoffs

The Flyers hopes to get past the Penguins and into the Stanley Cup Finals took a huge blow today when their best defenseman, Kimmo Timonen, was diagnosed with a blood clot in his ankle, effectively ending his season. Timonen's ankle felt sore ever since he was hit by a shot during the series with the Canadiens, so he went in for an exam today and the blood clot was discovered.

This is a big setback for the Flyers. Timonen and Braydon Coburn have done an excellent job neutralizing their oppositions best offensive players throughout the playoffs. It's the worst timing possible with the Flyers preparing to play a team with the offensive firepower that the Penguins feature. Expect more playing time for Randy Jones and Derian Hatcher and for Jaroslav Modry to get back on the ice after missing most of the last series.

Unfortunately, my prediction of the Penguins getting past the Flyers looks even better now. The Flyers are a resilient team and they will fight through this, but losing their top defenseman at this time of the year is a massive blow that will be difficult to overcome. You also have to feel for Timonen, who worked so hard to get the team to this point and now he will be forced to watch helplessly from the sidelines.