Pronger and Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski sprinted for a loose puck in the circle after a rebound off Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky on Monday night. Grabovski slapped at the puck, but his stick connected with Pronger's and the blade shot straight up into the defenseman's face.
Pronger screamed in agony and instantly clutched his face. Hunched over, he skated straight to the bench, his hands over his eyes, and went to the dressing room with 8:02 left in the first period.
Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell each scored their first two goals of the season for the Flyers.
Pronger did return after the blow that hushed the crowd. Between periods, Danny Briere said the Flyers hoped Pronger would be OK. Hartnell called Pronger one of the "biggest warriors" in the NHL.
Pronger may have been struck in the right eye. He does not wear a visor. The protective piece is not required in the NHL, though several players have had their careers prematurely end after blows to the face.
Grabovski was not penalized for the play because it came on a shot. He was whistled for high-sticking only 28 seconds into the game when he nailed Claude Giroux in the face on a faceoff.
"It seems like they're swinging their sticks like crazy," Hartnell said.
Pronger's injury overshadowed Jagr's first NHL goal since April 6, 2008. Jagr left to play three seasons in Russia before signing a one-year deal with the Flyers. He split defenders on a breakaway, courtesy of a sweet feed from Giroux, and flipped the puck past Jonas Gustavsson late in the first for the power-play goal.
Jagr removed his right glove and saluted the crowd and his teammates. Flyer Wayne Simmonds leapt into Jagr's arms and the rest of his teammates mobbed him as if he had scored the winning goal. Jagr has become an instant team leader and fan favorite, even as concerns over his scoring slump lingered.
Not any more. Hartnell put the Flyers ahead 2-1 in the second on a great second effort. He shot at close range from one knee, then fell to both to pound in the rebound for his first goal of the season.
Briere had the assist for his 600th career point - a big number for a 5-foot-10 forward once deemed too small to play in the NHL.
Hartnell added the insurance goal in the third, helping the Flyers snap a two-game losing streak. The Flyers and goalie Ilya Bryzgalov allowed nine goals over two straight home losses. Bryzgalov got a breather Monday, and Bobrovsky was solid in net. Bobrovsky won 28 games as a rookie last season, but the Flyers felt they needed a proven veteran winner to get them to the Stanley Cup finals. The acquired Bryzgalov from Phoenix and Bobrovsky was relegated to the bench.
He got beat early by Phil Kessel early in the first period for his NHL-best ninth goal. Kessel fired from the circle and scored on Toronto's first shot of the night. Bobrovsky was perfect from there until David Steckel beat midway through the third that cut Philadelphia's lead to 3-2.
Jagr put any thought of a late-game collapse to rest when he got all alone on a breakaway for the easy score - and one more salute.
Bobrovsky beat Gustavsson in the battle of the backups. Gustavsson got the start with James Reimer out with a neck injury.
The game also had brothers playing against each other: Philadelphia's Brayden Schenn vs. Toronto's Luke Schenn.
Notes: The last time a Flyer played against his brother in a regular season or playoff game was Nov. 29, 2006: Philadelphia's Jussi Timonen vs. Nashville's Kimmo Timonen (NSH), according to the Flyers. ... The Maple Leafs recalled G Ben Scrivens from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
