The Flyers may be without their captain for a bit.
Sean Couturier did not return after the first intermission Thursday night against the Nashville Predators because of an undisclosed injury.
With 14 minutes, 37 seconds left in the opening frame, Couturier took a sharp wrister by defenseman Noah Juulsen off the torso. He was spotted on the broadcast in pain on the bench and was seen by head athletic trainer Tommy Alva.
However, Couturier skated another four full shifts, including two well over a minute. A key penalty killer, he was on the ice after getting hit by the puck for a 59-second shift when Jamie Drysdale was called for hooking Jonathan Marchessault.
Couturier has been off to a solid start, entering the night with two goals and nine points in the first nine games. Under new coach Rick Tocchet, he had been averaging 19:35 of ice time. It is the most since the 2021-22 season, when he played 29 games before undergoing two back surgeries and missed the entire 2022-23 season.
