Couturier logged an assist while Atkinson potted a goal against his former club.
When a player faces off against their former team, it's a lot more than "just another game." But when a player nets their first goal in a year-and-a-half and it comes against that team, that's a memory that lasts forever.
Cam Atkinson, after missing the entire 2022-23 season due to a neck injury, suited up for his first regular-season game in 18 months Thursday night. And in the game's waning minutes, he potted his first goal — an empty-netter — since March 18 of 2022 to help lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in their season opener.
It wasn't a perfect night for Atkinson — a little rust was expected from the veteran winger, especially in the season's early going. But scoring that goal at that time in that arena? That's a special moment.
The Flyers got off to a quick start at Nationwide Arena. Joel Farabee netted the icebreaker 3:33 into the game on a two-man breakaway with Sean Couturier after young defenseman Egor Zamula made an excellent play at the Flyers blue line to break up a Blue Jackets zone entry and create the rush.
Farabee may have potted the marker, but Couturier's primary helper on the goal was just as significant. If not more so.
Like Atkinson, Couturier missed the entire 2022-23 season after undergoing a pair of back surgeries. Couturier's last regular-season action came all the way back in December of 2021, though it's possible he could have appeared in games at the end of last season had the Flyers been in the hunt for a playoff spot.
On top of his assist, Couturier finished the night with 20:39 of ice time and a plus-3 rating. Not bad for someone who hasn't played in nearly two years.
"I felt great," Couturier told the media after the game. "As the game went on, I felt better and better. It's just a lot of fun being back."
Travis Konecny got a front-row seat to Couturier's return, and from his view, not much has changed about his game since 2021.
"It's just so funny, because it's not like he's buzzing around. He's just in the right spots at the right time and you can't get the puck from him," said Konecny. "He just plays the right way, and when you do that you get rewarded."
Konecny, meanwhile, picked up right where he left off after scoring a career-high 31 goals last season. Minutes after a Jake Bean goal caused by a juicy Carter Hart rebound in the first period, Konecny scored the Flyers' second tally of the night with a perfectly placed shot that ricocheted past Elvis Merzlikins off the far post. Konecny later scored an empty-netter with 0.01 seconds remaining in the third period just for good measure.
Aside from his early blemish on the Bean goal, Hart was otherwise outstanding Thursday night. He stopped 31 of 33 Columbus shots and made a number of key stops to protect the Flyers' lead. The Blue Jackets' second goal, scored by Patrik Laine, came with an extra attacker on the ice in the game's final minute.
Outshooting Columbus 37-33 and handily leading them 26-16 in scoring chances, Game 1 of the Flyers' 2023-24 season can only be classified as a smashing success.
"I thought everybody contributed," head coach John Tortorella told the media. "It's a good first win for a team that's starting a new journey here."
The Flyers will return to action Saturday for a matinee game against Claude Giroux and the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. The puck drops at 1 p.m. ET.