Emery to have abdominal surgery

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that goaltender Ray Emery will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn muscle in his lower abdominal wall.

He is expected to be out for approximately six weeks, according to club General Manager Paul Holmgren.

Dr. William Meyers, from Hahnemann University Hospital will be performing the surgery.

Emery, 27, has an 11-8-1 record with a 2.83 goals-against average and .901 save percentage, including one shutout, in 21 appearances with the Flyers this season.

Philadelphia also they have recalled goaltender Johan Backlund right wing David Laliberte from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms.

Backlund and Laliberte will be available to play in tonight’s Flyers-Islanders game at the Wachovia Center.

Backlund, 28, has a 6-8-0 record, with a 2.81 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 appearances with Adirondack this season. This is his second recall with the Flyers after he was originally recalled on Sept. 27. In addition to his time with the Phantoms, he also appeared in two contests with the Flyers during the preseason, stopping 14 of 16 shots in 29:27 of play in their game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario on Sept. 17, and 11 of 14 shots in 33:38 of play vs. the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 29.

A native of Skelleftea, Sweden, Backlund signed a one-year contract with the Flyers on March 26, 2009.

Laliberte, 23, has two goals and three points in eight contests with the Flyers this season after he made his NHL debut on Oct. 31 vs. the Carolina Hurricanes, where he recorded a goal and an assist. With the Phantoms, he has four goals and eight assists for 12 points and 10 penalty minutes in 17 games. His 12 points are tied for second on the team in scoring and his eight assists rank third on the Phantoms.

In parts of three seasons of play in the AHL (2007-08 to 2009-10), Laliberte has recorded 69 points (35G,34A) and 66 penalty minutes in 114 games, all with the Phantoms.

A native of St-Liboire, Quebec, Laliberte was originally selected by the Flyers in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and signed a three-year entry level contract with the Flyers on May 17, 2007.