Flyers Notes: Rib injury sidelines Flyers winger Matt Read

Flyers' goalie ILya Bryzgalov starts to throw his stick after Panthers' Jonathon Huberdeau scored a penalty shot during the first period at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Thursday, February 21, 2013. (Steven M. Falk/Staff Photographer)

GALLERY: Flyers' goalie ILya Bryzgalov starts to throw his…

By Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: February 23, 2013

The Flyers continue to be stung by injuries to key players.

Top-line winger Matt Read, who led the Flyers with seven goals entering Thursday's game, will miss six weeks with a muscle tear in his ribs, the club announced.

Read was hurt late in the first period of Wednesday's 6-5 win in Pittsburgh.

Rookie Tye McGinn replaced Read in Thursday's lineup against Florida.

"You never like to see an injury," McGinn said before the game. "It's unfortunate, but I'm just going to go out and do my best. Keep working hard and stay positive."

Despite playing well in 13 appearances (three goals, plus-3), McGinn had been a healthy scratch in the previous two games.

Watching from the press box, "you get a different perspective of the game," McGinn said, adding that the wild win in Pittsburgh "was something crazy. It was an unbelievable game. It was exciting and you want to play."

The Flyers are also without two of their top players, left winger Scott Hartnell (broken foot) and Andrej Meszaros (shoulder). Hartnell may return Wednesday.

Read, 26, should be back around April 4. He led NHL rookies with 24 goals last season.

Will the latest injury cause general manager Paul Holmgren to make a deal?

Stay tuned.

Hartnell healing

Hartnell admitted he is not a good spectator.

"Since I've been in Philadelphia, I haven't missed hardly any games, and to see it on TV, I've definitely thrown the remote across the room a couple times," a smiling Hartnell said after he skated with some Phantoms and a handful of Flyers in Voorhees on Wednesday. "But then I forgot I had to hobble and get it."

Hartnell, who led the Flyers with 37 goals last season, said that he's still "a little rusty" and that the foot isn't 100 percent, but he's getting there.

Breakaways

Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov is on pace to start 43 of the 48 games. . . . The AHL's Phantoms will face the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night, and a handful of single tickets remain.