Flyers D Andrew MacDonald Out 4-6 Weeks with Lower-Body Injury

Late in Saturday's game, Wayne Simmonds was the Flyers player that managed to be the hero with on the scoresheet. But one of the more valuable players down the stretch was Andrew MacDonald, who had six blocked shots in the game, including one that hobbled him on the power play.

That shot block comes at a cost for MacDonald. The defensemen will be out for four-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury. GM Ron Hextall announced the injury on Sunday afternoon with the team off from practice.

MacDonald has consistently played big minutes for the Flyers on a pairing with Ivan Provorov, averaging 19:35 of ice time per game. He also has one goal in eight games this season.

The injury to MacDonald could open the door for Sam Morin to return to the Flyers. The Flyers have Brandon Manning on the roster, but will need a seventh defenseman to be available in the event anything further happens.

This week has been a bit rough on the Flyers in terms of health. Jordan Weal has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury. Taylor Leier was out of the lineup on Saturday, also with an upper-body injury. Both are day-to-day.

Simmonds was also a game-time decision for both Thursday and Saturday, but played in both games. He left the Flyers 5-1 win over Florida on Tuesday with a lower-body injury, then took a stick to the face on the bench on Thursday.

The Flyers are back in action on Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks at 7 p.m.

Kevin Durso is Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.