It’s just two weeks, so if the Flyers are able to advance beyond the first round, Sean Couturier could be ready to come back in round two.
But the Flyers announced on Friday that their best defensive forward is indeed out for the next two weeks with an upper-body injury. We know it’s likely a sprain of his shoulder or his arm in that area.
Scott Laughton seems likely to check into the lineup in Couturier’s place, although it’s unclear whether coach Dave Hakstol will put Laughton on the second line as center or whether he’ll otherwise mix up his lineup.
Couturier was the Flyers best hope at matching up against Alex Ovechkin in this series, and it’s not necessarily a coincidence that it was a hit from Ovechkin that knocked him out. Couturier is also a key piece on the penalty kill, and in Game 1 the Capitals throttled the Flyers with the man advantage, only scoring one goal thanks to the brilliant goaltending of Steve Mason.
An uphill battle just got a lot steeper.
