Too little, too late? Gagne returns for the Flyers

With their season on the brink, the Flyers are in full-on desperation mode. Facing a 0-3 hole in the playoffs, the Flyers are going to need a miracle to avoid being eliminated by the Bruins in the next few days.

While it isn't the miracle they need, the Flyers will get some help with the return of Simon Gagne for Game 4. According to CSN Philly, after a recent MRI determined that he had no further injury to his toe, Gagne resumed skating and will suit up Friday night to help the Flyers avoid elimination.

Will Gagne make all the difference and carry the Flyers past the Bruins? Not likely. Remember, Gagne wasn't exactly tearing it up in the Devils series, where he managed just 2 assists and 8 shots on goal in 5 games. Considering he hasn't played since April 20th, Gagne also will have plenty of rust as he tries to ramp up to game speed. Where a returning Gagne does help is he can push the minutes back that the Flyers have been forced to give the lesser players and help keep tired legs on the bench.

With the return of Gagne and the exit of David Krejci from the Bruins lineup, the Flyers should be the healthier team for once in this series. Unfortunately, it looks like nothing short of an injury to Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask is going to keep the Flyers from being ousted.