Flyers' Elliott out 5-6 weeks after core muscle surgery

Philadelphia Flyers netminder Brian Elliott will miss the next five-to-six weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery Tuesday, the team announced.

Elliott was injured during a shootout win Saturday over the Arizona Coyotes. He played the entire 65 minutes and faced the first two shootout skaters before taking Clayton Keller's stick to the mask in the third round and falling awkwardly.

With Elliott now out for the majority of the playoff drive, the Flyers' postseason hopes lay in the hands of career backup Michal Neuvirth, who will temporarily form a tandem with Alex Lyon who was recalled from Philadelphia's AHL affiliate Tuesday.

In Elliott's first season with the Flyers, he's posted a respectable 21-11-7 record go along with a 2.72 goals-against average and .908 save percentage through 41 games.