The Philadelphia Flyers face a must-win game tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are hoping to get a key player back in the lineup with their season on the line. Centre Sean Couturier, who missed Game 4 with a lower-body injury, was skating at the team’s morning skate. He is expected to take warm-up and will be a game-time decision to suit up for the key match-up. The Flyers, lacking depth down the middle without Couturier, were no match for the Penguins in Game 4, falling 5-0. The Penguins have a three-games-to-one lead in a series, where things have never been close.
Sean Couturier says he is hopeful of playing. He did more in the skate today than he did the other days. He’s not sure yet. He will skate in warmups.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) April 20, 2018
Philadelphia Flyers Sean Couturier is a Game Time Decision for Game 5
So far this series, he has a goal and two assists in three games. Couturier scored 31 goals and 45 assists for 76 points in 82 games this year. He also added 31 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 53.2 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 5.6. In his seven-year NHL career, all with Philadelphia, Couturier has 101 goals and 166 assists for 267 points in 498 career games.
Couturier centres the Flyers top line with Claude Giroux, and Jakub Voracek. A key defensive presence, he also lines up against Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin whenever possible in the series. He was nominated for the Selke Trophy, for best defensive forward this year. In his absence, the Flyers made a number of lineup changes, including promoting rookie Nolan Patrick to the top line.
Game 5 goes tonight at 7:00 pm EDT from the PPG Paints Arena in downtown Pittsburgh.
Main Photo: PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 30: Sean Couturier #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates in the first period against the Arizona Coyotes on October 30, 2017 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
