PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Philadelphia Flyers netminder Michael Leighton will undergo back surgery on Monday and be out six to eight weeks, the team said Friday.

The Flyers announced last week that Leighton was suffering from a bulging disc in his lower back and was expected to return in a month.

He will now have a partial discectomy, the Flyers said on their website (www.philadelphiaflyers.com).

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; editing by Steve Ginsburg)