VOORHEES, N.J. — The Flyers won't have their captain and most experienced forward for a critical weekend in the team's playoff push.
Sean Couturier has an upper-body injury and will be unavailable when the Flyers visit the Sabres on Friday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP) and the Blue Jackets on Saturday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). The 31-year-old center is considered day to day.
The positive for the Flyers is they have six games remaining and Couturier's injury doesn't appear to be a long-term issue. Couturier suffered the injury Monday night in the first period of the Flyers' 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders.
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Here were the team's line combinations at practice Thursday:
Tyson Foerster-Morgan Frost-Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett-Scott Laughton-Bobby Brink
Olle Lycksell-Ryan Poehling-Garnet Hathaway
Joel Farabee-Noah Cates-Cam Atkinson
Nicolas Deslauriers-Denis Gurianov (extras)
The Flyers have lost five straight games and entered Thursday clinging to third place in the Metropolitan Division. They're one point up on the Capitals, who have played two fewer games. Washington hosts the Penguins tonight.
The Flyers and Capitals meet April 16 at the Wells Fargo Center in the regular-season finale for each team.
NHL
John Tortorella's club, a rebuilding one entering the season, has dropped 15 of its last 22 games (7-10-5).
"I guess now the narrative out there is, because I've heard from other people, 'They're young, they're not supposed to be here.' Bulls--t, we're here. We're here. Face it. And let's be better," the Flyers' head coach said Wednesday. "And I don't think we're ready to be better and that's my problem with us right now. And it is my job. I have not done a good enough job to get them over the hump."
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