After missing practice on Monday, Couturier looked like his old self at Wells Fargo Center.
Veteran forward Sean Couturier looked just fine in the Philadelphia Flyers' home opener after missing Monday's practice with an unspecified injury.
The Flyers defeated the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 2-0 Tuesday night, and Couturier had his fingerprints all over the dominant victory while Carter Hart logged his sixth-career shutout.
Late in the opening stanza, Couturier was awarded a penalty shot after drawing a slashing penalty on a breakaway (created by a nifty little feed by Cam Atkinson at the blue line). On his attempt, Couturier turned his back to Thatcher Demko, spun forward and snapped the puck past the Vancouver netminder's pad to give the Flyers the 2-0 lead.
Couturier's successful penalty shot was his first goal in nearly two years. His last regular-season goal came on December 10, 2021 before sitting out the next season-and-a-half while recovering from back surgeries.
After showing a fair amount of rust throughout the preseason, and even in the Flyers' first two regular-season games, Couturier looked a lot like his old self Tuesday night.
"He's a huge part of our team and a leader. He's been here for a long time, and we look to him for leadership. He's done an amazing job. His tremendous work ethic to work all the way back after not playing for that long, he's come in like he hasn't missed a beat," Hart told the media after the game.
Hart, meanwhile, was virtually perfect against the Canucks, stopping all 25 shots fired in his direction. He did allow a puck to get past him in the third period, but the goal was overturned after head coach John Tortorella successfully challenged it for goaltender interference.
Funny enough, despite earning the shutout, Hart may not have even been the best goalie in the game. Had it not been for Demko, who made 40 saves on the night, the Canucks likely would have been laughed out of the building.
The Flyers came fast and furious out of the gate, generating several quality scoring chances in the game's opening minutes. Just 1:45 in, defenseman Egor Zamula broke the ice with the first goal of his NHL career — a point wrister through traffic after Travis Konecny whiffed on a feed from Scott Laughton.
Zamula did not dress for the Flyers' Saturday tilt against the Ottawa Senators, but he's looked strong since training camp. It will be surprising if he isn't a regular in the lineup in the near future.
The first period was productive for the Flyers, but they began to truly dominate in the middle frame. The Flyers outshot Vancouver 22-3 in the second period, and while they were unable to extend their lead, they did generate a smorgasbord of quality scoring chances — many of which involved youngster Bobby Brink.
Brink, after watching Saturday afternoon's game from the press box, returned to the lineup for the home opener and all but validated his place in the Flyers' lineup. While he was unable to register a point in the tilt, he created a host of scoring chances and ended the night with 16:01 of ice time.
While Brink was turning heads on the ice, fellow forward Morgan Frost was watching from afar in the press box. Frost was a healthy scratch for the home opener after a pair of uneven performances to start the campaign. Despite finishing the 2022-23 season as one of the Flyers' better point producers, it appears he still hasn't earned the trust of the coaching staff. Given Brink's stellar showing, it's unclear when Frost will draw back into the lineup.
Frost signed a two-year, $4,200,000 in September.
The Flyers will wrap up their miniature homestand Thursday night against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. They'll then hit the road for a two-game road trip with stops in Dallas and Vegas.