Flyers' defenseman out with ankle injury

PHILADELPHIA, May 8 (UPI) -- Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen is out indefinitely because of a blood clot in his left ankle.

The injury, which occurred April 30 in the Flyers' 4-2 victory against Montreal in Game 4 of the club's Eastern Conference semifinal series, likely will cause him to miss a majority of the East final against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The team said on its Web site late Thursday that the serious nature of the injury was discovered by Dr. Ronald Fairman, a vascular surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

"It's a huge disappointment, obviously," Timonen said during a conference call. "It's the most disappointing thing in my life, hockey wise."

The Flyers begin their series against the Penguins Friday at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.

Timonen played in pain in Game 5 May 3, when the Flyers won the series with a 6-4 victory. He was expected to be a big factor against the high-scoring Penguins.