Flyers coach Peter Laviolette cannot explain the rash of concussions that have hit the NHL.
On Sunday, center Danny Briere became the sixth Flyer to miss a game this season because of a concussion. The Penguins have had nine players sidelined with concussions.
"I don't know the reason. I think there's more awareness to it," Laviolette said after his team salvaged a point with a 6-5 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday.
"The detection of them and the treatment - and the process that you go through once you've been diagnosed - I think that factors into it."
Briere and teammates Chris Pronger and James van Riemsdyk are out with concussions. Matt Read, Brayden Schenn, and Claude Giroux have returned from concussions.
"It's more prevalent in hockey now," said winger Scott Hartnell, who scored a hat trick against the Bruins. "It seems like almost once a week a new guy has a concussion. They're better diagnosed now than they were 10 years ago."
Added Hartnell, referring to the Flyers chairman: "If I'm Ed Snider, it's frustrating to see guys out, but it's more important to get them healthy and get them back at 100 percent. We want those guys to get healthy. Obviously, Prongs is having a tough time with it. We're thinking about him every day he's not here."
In Sunday's game, Boston forward Nathan Horton may have suffered a concussion. He was hit in the head by Tom Sestito in the second period and did not play in the third period. Horton has a history of concussions.
As for the Flyers' injuries, Laviolette prefers taking a glass half-full approach.
"Today was a great game for our rookies to be in because it was a tough game. It was a man's game out there - it was physical, you had to fight for every inch of space and every inch of ice out there," he said.
Partially because of injuries, the Flyers used eight rookies: Schenn, Sean Couturier, Ben Holmstrom, Erik Gustafsson, Read, Harry Zolnierczyk, Sestito, and Marc-Andre Bourdon.
"Like they have all year, the young players, the rookies, proved their worth," Laviolette said.
"I have absolutely no hesitation to throw those guys out there under any situation or any circumstance that comes up on the ice. I think that's really the only way that you get better and that you learn."
He even had an all-rookie front line on several power plays: Couturier, Read, and Schenn.
In addition to Briere, van Riemsdyk, and Pronger, Jaromir Jagr sat out with a groin strain on Sunday, and Zac Rinaldo was sidelined by an undisclosed upper-body injury.
Breakaways. Hartnell, who fired nine shots on goal, had the Flyers' first natural hat trick in one period since Mikael Renberg in 1994 (third period). . . . Giroux had three assists in a period for the second time this season. . . . Boston defenseman Andrew Ference sat out the first game of a three-game suspension.
Contact staff writer Sam Carchidi at scarchidi@phillynews.com or @BroadStBull on Twitter.
