Injury Sidelines Ragnarsson

Philadelphia Flyer defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson will sit out the rest of the playoffs after breaking his left index finger in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Ragnarsson, who underwent surgery Friday afternoon, played only three shifts Thursday night in Philadelphia’s 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning that put the Flyers behind, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series.

“It’s the same thing that has been going on all year. We’ll have to get over it and get used to it,” Flyer Coach Ken Hitchcock said.

Rookie Joni Pitkanen, a healthy scratch the last two games, will take Ragnarsson’s spot for Game 4 today. Dennis Seidenberg will be called up from the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms to be a backup, and forward Sami Kapanen will remain on defense for the rest of the series.

Kapanen first moved to defense when Kim Johnsson missed the first three games of the first-round series against New Jersey because of a hand injury. He returned to his usual spot at right wing against Toronto in the second round, then went back to defense when Hitchcock decided to bench Pitkanen for Game 2.

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A federal judge in East St. Louis, Ill., ordered St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton to cease all contact with his agent, David Frost, the man federal prosecutors say he wanted dead.

Danton’s attorney, Robert Haar, told the judge that Danton would “very much” like to speak by phone to Frost, whom he regards “as the closest person to him.”

“He has a very small circle of people close to him,” Haar said. Reagan’s order does allow indirect contact between Danton and Frost on business matters, but Haar must serve as a go-between.