Lindros Leaves Game 7 With Apparent Head Injury PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - In the worst-case scenario for the Philadelphia Flyers, superstar center Eric Lindros left Friday night's Eastern Conference final with another apparent head injury. Just one game after Lindros made a return from a series of concussions, he was the victim of open-ice hit by New Jersey defenseman Scott Stevens with 12:10 remaining in the first period of Game Seven. As he was skating across the blue line, the 6-4, 238-pound center had his head down when Stevens clobbered him with a shoulder-to-head check. Lindros was sent sprawling and as he went down smacked his head against the ice, almost knocking his helmet off. Lindros needed to helped off the ice by two teammates and has not returned since the hit occurred. There has been no official announcement as to the extent of his injury, nor whether he will return. Lindros was cleared to play for the first time in over two months and he played a limited role in Wednesday's 2-1 loss. His role was minimal, although he did score a goal with 30 seconds left. The sharpness of the 27-year-old Lindros was a major question for the Flyers. He had been sidelined since March 12, eight days after suffering his fourth concussion in a year. The sellout crowd at the First Union Center already had been somewhat silenced by a power-play tally from the Devils' Patrik Elias, which opened the scoring. After the hit on Lindros, the crowd grew hush, wondering what had happened to its much-maligned center. It was the second major hit by Stevens in the series. One of the heaviest hitters in the NHL, Stevens knocked out Flyers center Daymond Langkow out with a concussion in Game Two on a similar open-ice check. After claiming team physicians misdiagnosed his injury, Lindros was stripped of his captaincy, since given to Eric Desjardins. With Desjardins handling the role, the Flyers snatched the top seed in the East and defeated the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins to reach the conference finals. Before his return, there had been speculation that Lindros had played his final game in a Philadelphia uniform. His contract expires at the end of the season and he would become a restricted free agent on July 1 unless the Flyers tender him an offer, which could lead to a trade. On Monday, Lindros flew to Chicago to see concussion specialist Dr. James Kelly, who cleared him to participate in full team practices. He had been participating in vigorous on- and off-ice conditioning for six days prior to visiting Dr. Kelly. Lindros was recovering from a Grade II concussion when he suffered another during a controlled scrimmage on May 4. He accidentally was hit by minor league defenseman Francis Lessard and suffered a bruised lower lip and a laceration on his upper lip that required 20 stitches. Team physicians insisted Lindros suffered a Grade I concussion after he was checked by Boston Bruins defenseman Hal Gill on March 4. The diagnosis of a more serious Grade II concussion came after Lindros was examined by Kelly. One of the most imposing players in the NHL, Lindros also has proven to be one of the most brittle. He missed 27 games this season due to concussions, post-traumatic migraine headaches, back spasms, a bruised left hand and a viral infection but still ranked third on the team with 59 points in 55 contests. A six-time All-Star, Lindros also missed the final seven games of the 1999 season and all six playoff contests after suffering a collapsed lung on April 1 at Nashville. He has missed at least nine games in each of the past four seasons, sitting out the first 23 contests in 1996-97 with a groin ailment. Two seasons ago, Lindros sat out 18 games due to post-concussion syndrome. His younger brother, Brett, was forced to retire after the 1995-96 season due to multiple concussions.