Flyers’ Sean Couturier to miss Game 4 with lower-body injury

Ron MacLean, Nick Kypreos, Kelly Hrudey and Elliotte Friedman discuss all the news and notes from around the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Philadelphia Flyers centreman Sean Couturier will miss Game 4 of his club’s series with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, the club announced.

Couturier was injured in practice Tuesday after colliding with teammate Radko Gudas, who appeared to clip the forward’s right leg, sending him tumbling to the ice.

With Couturier out, head coach Dave Hakstol figures to have a tough decision ahead regarding who slots in as the number-one centre—the leading candidates appearing to be rookie Nolan Patrick, the club’s second-line centre through the first three games of the series, or captain Claude Giroux, a centre by trade who shifted to the wing during what ended up being a career campaign.

Couturier posted three points through the Flyers’ three post-season games against Pittsburgh, after a career-best regular season that saw him amass 31 goals and 76 points.

Philadelphia trails Pittsburgh 2-1 in their series.

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