Philadelphia Flyers’ Sean Couturier and Jamie Drysdale to miss game vs. Jets

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere announced that center Sean Couturier and defenseman Jamie Drysdale will miss Saturday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Couturier, 31, is apparently dealing with a minor injury, which has caused his unavailability for the night. It’s unclear what the injury is or how it was caused, as he played all of Friday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, including an almost two-minute shift in overtime.

Couturier has been having a resurgent season after nearly two years away from hockey. He has 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 40 games, and has also been playing himself into the Selke Trophy conversation.

Winger Bobby Brink will enter the lineup in place of Couturier after being a healthy scratch for Friday’s game. Brink has 7 goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 36 games this season.

Drysdale, 21, will be missing Saturday’s game due to an illness. While it’s most likely not a long-term concern, it’s unclear as to if this will be the only game that he will miss.

Drysdale has been solid since joining the Flyers, with 2 assists in 2 games with Philadelphia and 1 goal and 6 assists for 7 points in 12 games on the year amidst an injury-riddled season. He was dealt to Philadelphia on Monday in a deal that sent Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks after the Flyers’ draft pick decided he wouldn’t sign with the team.

Defenseman Marc Staal will enter the lineup in place of Drysdale after being out of the lineup for the past four games. Staal has 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points in 16 games, and missed the early chunk of the season due to an upper-body injury.

The Flyers will look to build on their stretch of three wins in their last four games when they play the Jets in Winnipeg on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST. They currently sit in third in the Metropolitan Division with a 22-14-6 record.