Phil Myers doubtful for Saturday after taking late hit on Thursday night

The Philadelphia Flyers may have been bitten by the injury bug once again. Phil Myers, who missed time earlier this season with a fractured rib, is doubtful for Saturday’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

GIF Rewind: Claude Giroux leads Flyers to four unanswered goals to shock Penguins

Myers took a late hit from Anthony Angello after shooting the puck midway through the second period of Thursday night’s win.

Myers fell hard on his left side. Flyers trainer Jim McCrossin was seen checking on Myers at the bench following that shift.

Myers played 2:28 over the course of four shifts in the second period after the hit. On his final shift of the period (and game), Myers winced and doubled over in pain after taking a slap shot.

Myers’ previous injury was on the right side of his body, while this one appears to be on the left side. The late hit could’ve shaken Myers up and this aggravated something or this could be a separate issue entirely.

The official NHL shift report has him taking a 41-second shift early in the third period, but he was not on the ice at that time. He was not on the bench to start the period, either.

There are only 12 skaters on the Flyers bench. There should be 13 with five skaters on the ice to make up 18 total.

Phil Myers not at practice?

The Flyers were mum on whether or not Myers was on the ice for practice on Friday.

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to comment on that,” Justin Braun said when asked about Myers’ status.

However, based on these pictures of Flyers practice from Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now, Myers was not on the ice.

Myers could be hiding in there somewhere, but it’s hard to miss the 6’5″ defenseman. He was also not visible in any of the B-Roll sent out by the Flyers after practice.

It’s possible that the Flyers were selective with their video and Myers was in one of the corners, but that seems unlikely. It appears that Myers missed Friday’s practice, which makes sense given his doubtful designation for Saturday’s game.

Hopefully, Myers will only miss a game or two at most. The fact that he is doubtful and not ruled out should be a positive sign. However, they could be waiting for a second opinion or results to come back. It could go from a good thing to a bad thing very quickly.

If Myers has to miss time, Erik Gustafsson will likely draw back into the lineup.

The Flyers and Penguins conclude their three-game set on Saturday afternoon.