Flyers lose Sean Couturier for month in big blow to playoff chase

Sean Couturier will miss up to four weeks with a lower-body injury, which is not very good news for the Philadelphia Flyers. 

How much does Couturier mean to Philly?

According to Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Flyers are 2-6-1 without the center, getting outscored 31-20; when he’s played this season, they’re 20-12-7, with a goal differential whittled down to a minus-5.

So he means a lot. Especially when you consider how thin the Flyers are at forward this season.

The real bummer here for Couturier is that he was starting to put it all together. He’s played at a Selke level as a defensive forward for the last two seasons, but he was starting to find an offensive groove this season: 12 points in his last 12 games, and giving the Flyers valuable minutes on their second line with Brayden Schenn, as the Flyers loaded up their top line with Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds some time ago.

The Flyers remain in the playoff race with 54 points, which are four in back of the New Jersey Devils.

How optimistic are Flyers fans now that Couturier is hurt for up to a month? Wrote Travis Hughes of Broad Street Hockey: “Welp, hockey season was fun while it lasted.”

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.