It's just seven games in, but already the wear and tear of playing hockey is taking its toll on the Flyers' roster.

As of yesterday morning, three regulars were sidelined and two extra players from the Phantoms were being called up.

Center Andre Savage and left wing Guillaume Lefebvre will make their season debuts to fill the holes left by left wings Radovan Somik and Todd Fedoruk and center Marty Murray.

Against Montreal on Thursday night, Murray suffered a groin strain and Fedoruk sprained a thumb when he was jammed against the boards late in the game. Neither injury should have a real impact, because neither is long term.

"So long as we don't take a whole slew of penalties, we should be all right," president and general manager Bob Clarke said. "It's not like we're playing back-to-back."

Clarke said the decision to bring up Savage and Lefebvre and not Patrick Sharp, who started the season with the team, was based on performance.

"I think it's more important to keep Sharp playing at this stage, and Savage is playing much better right now," Clarke said.

Somik has a groin pull and a right hip flexor and is a cause for concern. He was hurt against the Islanders in the preseason and reinjured his groin Saturday against Washington. He was placed on injured reserve yesterday.

Somik was a surprise in training camp. The Flyers hope to get him back into the lineup soon to see whether he is as good as they think he will be, and because of the effect on the rest of the lineup.

"It's hurting him because he's not able to get into the league," coach Ken Hitchcock said, "and it has a whole domino effect, especially killing penalties. He and [Michal] Handzus are such a good pair, but they're not able to play together.

"It has a big effect. It means that we're not able to get a proper evaluation on a good, young player right now."

The Flyers also are concerned about an injury that never properly healed. Somik hasn't skated this week, but has been working to strengthen the injured area.

Somik was to undergo testing yesterday. If he is strong enough, he will skate today. If everything works out, he will practice tomorrow and Monday with the Flyers.

"Then we'll see where he's at," Hitchcock said. "I don't think we're concerned about it to the point that we're worried about it. It's a different area, but it's the same side. So that's a weakness there and that's what concerns you. So that's what they're working on right now. They're really building a foundation of strength right now, so that it never happens again. So that's why we're taking all this time right now."

Revenge

The last two games against the Islanders have not been pretty. They beat the Flyers on the Island in the preseason, then came back to tie them, 3-3, at the First Union Center on Oct. 17. So the Flyers should be on guard tonight.

"They have a good, young club," defenseman Chris Therien said. "They obviously have players that you have to watch out for, like [Alexei] Yashin, and they have some defensemen who are very good. So we have to be ready for them."