Danny Briere will miss at least one month after tearing a muscle in his groin area during the second period of Tuesday's game against Tampa.

It is the third abdominal/groin injury for Briere this season. While the three injuries are probably related in some way, they are three separate and distinct ailments.

Briere has only played in nine games for the Flyers this season. He has scored five goals.

The Flyers expect to recall Darroll Powe from the Phantoms and will decide between Powe and Jon Kalinski as a replacement while Briere is on the shelf.

The one bright spot for the Flyers is Briere will go on the long-term injury list, temporarily giving them an additional $6.5 million in salary cap space.

This will allow for Randy Jones to come off the injured list next week without the Flyers having to make any other roster moves because of salary cap issues.

I interviewed general manager Paul Holmgren as a pool reporter this afternoon, here's what he said:

> What's the update on Danny?

"Danny had an MRI today on his stomach and groin area. There weren't any issues at all with his stomach but there is a significant groin strain in there and we're looking at Danny to be out of the lineup for 4-5 weeks."

> Is this more related to groin injury that he missed the last nine games with, or the abdominal injury from earlier in the season?

"The groin area has more than one muscle so it's probably related to the last groin injury, but this is a different muscle involved now than it was earlier. The injury is significant, so he's going to be on the shelf for a little while."

> Is this the kind of injury that requires rest, or will he be able to start rehabbing right away?

"He'll start his rehab tomorrow, but the explosiveness involved in skating, especially for a quick guy like Danny, is so key, so it's important that he rest it too by staying off the ice right now."

> Stick with Kalinski or something else?

"I still have to talk to John, but we have some options. We're going to call up Darroll Powe who is back in the lineup with the Phantoms and has played well down there. I'll talk to John and we'll make a final decision in the morning - at least for the direction we're going to go for the game tomorrow night."

> There's nothing positive about this injury, but it does open up enough cap room for you for Randy Jones when he comes back, right?

"It's hard to find a pro when you lose one of your top players who would probably be your top scorer if he was playing - that's really hard to swallow, but it is what is is. But yes, when Randy comes back we have some flexibility that we didn't have before."

> Where do we stand with Matt Carle?

"Matt seemed much better today, and we're hoping that he'll be o.k. for tomorrow."

> Randy Jones - next week?

"We're waiting to hear back from the doctor who did the surgery on him to see when he'll be cleared to play. He's still not cleared for full activity. But, Randy did fine today at practice. He's certainly close but Saturday is probably not an option but his return is just around the corner."

More in tomorrow's edition of the Daily Times.