What a week it’s been for Sean Couturier. It’s been a slow start to the season for him, and one which has only been compounded by some less than optimal usage through these early goings. All of this came to a head when his minutes were cut initially in the Flyers’ final game on the road in Seattle, and when he was officially demoted to the fourth line for last weekend’s home opener against the Canucks — a game with was also Couturier’s 800th in the league.
It was an almost staggering lack of respect shown for a veteran in the league, and this team’s captain, but also a clear indication of the level of frustration — a level also certainly and loudly echoed by portions of the fan base — head coach John Tortorella has had with his play.
But this was a configuration that wasn’t going to be continued in the long run, and now with his status in the lineup restored and the message from the coaching staff made clear, Couturier has been unleashed to begin to build his game back up again. And for this Saturday’s matinee against the Wild, Couturier was given linemates Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov, and the results were little short of pure magic.
Altogether, each member of this line was able to get on the scoresheet (though Konecny’s goal did come away from these linemates, on the power play). They controlled 58.73 percent of the share of shot attempts and 66.95 percent of the Expected Goals while they were on the ice, all but dominating from a possession standpoint. And while all of this is well and good and their emerging chemistry as a line has been encouraging to see, the big exclamation on the game was Couturier’s individual efforts.
He was the one to first get the Flyers on the board, early in the first period.
And when the game started to look like it was getting a bit out of hand, and the Wild were starting to make things interesting, Couturier stepped up again for his second goal of the game to put the Flyers back into the lead.
The Flyers held a somewhat tenuous lead as the third period wound down, and the Wild were pushing for another equalizer, a chance to force overtime, and it should come as no surprise that Couturier was the one to get the empty netter and seal the win for the Flyers — picking up the hat trick and his fifth point of the game in the process.
His first goal of the game also marked his 500th NHL point, and made him just the 16th player to do it in a Flyers uniform, and this point feels key. Couturier, for all he’s been through (and perhaps, indeed, because of it) has already reached legendary status in the organization. His accomplishments and his dedication to the team are inarguable. And despite the bumps in the road and any slights thrown his way, he’s always going to find a way to show up for his team, this much is for certain.
