The Philadelphia Flyers were without forward Sean Couturier for the third period of Game 1 against the Washington Capitals due to an upper-body injury he suffered on a hit from Alex Ovechkin.
Now, the question becomes: How severe is the injury?
According to Tim Panaccio of CSN Philadelphia, it looks bleak for both Couturier and the Flyers.
Couturier has an A/C sprain to left shoulder. Done for series
— Tim Panaccio (@tpanotchRET) April 15, 2016
Now, it’s worth pointing out that Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol didn’t offer much information on the status of Couturier following Philadelphia’s Game 1 loss to the Capitals.
Hakstol on Couturier: "We had to go without him for the rest of the game tonight. Won't go any further than that."
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) April 15, 2016
Couturier did not return because of an upper-body injury, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall announced, and will be re-evaluated Friday. An official update is expected Friday.
However, league sources tell CSNPhilly.com’s Tim Panaccio Couturier will miss the remainder of the series with an AC sprain in his left shoulder.
If -- and we stress if -- Couturier is done for the series, that would be a huge loss for the Flyers, who already entered this series as the underdog and now trail 1-0.
A strong defensive presence up the middle, Couturier was also having a good season offensively, producing at a 2.0 points-per-60-minute clip at even strength, as per War-On-Ice.