The Philadelphia Flyers are on the road tonight against the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes. Captain Sean Couturier was mysteriously benched by Flyers head coach John Tortorella for the team's last game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which Philadelphia won by the score of 4-3. The Flyers have been one of the surprise stories of the NHL this season, holding onto a playoff spot and sitting at third in the Metropolitan Division when they were expected to be in lottery contention before the season started. Couturier was frustrated with the healthy scratch and lack of communication from Tortorella. The question that Flyers fans are asking today: Is Sean Couturier playing tonight vs. Hurricanes?
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Sean Couturier's status vs Hurricanes
Sean Couturier will reportedly be a healthy scratch once again for the Flyers as they take on the Hurricanes tonight, according to Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period. It is a curious decision from Tortorella, who has not given any clarity on why the Flyers' captain has not been in the lineup.
This season, Couturier has disappointed statistically. He has scored 11 goals with 25 assists for 36 total points in 64 games played, according to NHL.com. This is far below his pace in past seasons. He reached a career-high of 76 points in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons. His current production is well below that pace, and it seems as if Tortorella is frustrated with that.
It has been interesting to follow the Flyers this season. They have operated as a team that did not plan on competing this year, and is surprised they are doing so. The majority of the reporting ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline indicated that the Flyers wanted every excuse to sell to continue building their long-term vision, but did not have a way to justify doing so.
Now, there are 13 games left for Philadelphia this season, and they are in a dead heat for either third place in the Metropolitan Division, or a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers currently have 78 points this season, while the Washington Capitals sit three points behind them with 75, and the New York Islanders sit five points back of Philadelphia with 73 points on the season.
Whether or not the Flyers make the playoffs this season will likely not greatly change the team's long-term outlook or plan. The team would be a heavy underdog in any first-round playoff matchup at this point.
Still, Tortorella will fight tooth and nail down the stretch to get his team into the playoffs. With many crucial games against strong Eastern Conference teams in the coming weeks, it will be interesting to see if and when Couturier gets inserted back into the lineup.
Couturier is under contract with the Flyers through the 2029-2030 season, so this relationship will have to improve at some point.
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