Flyers could be without Couturier in crucial Game 4 vs. Pens (Apr 17, 2018)
On Sunday, the urinals in Wells Fargo Arena featured photos of Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby.
If the Flyers don't find a way to stop Crosby and Company on Wednesday night, it will be their season on its way down the drain.
Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead with Sunday's 5-1 win meaning a victory in Game 4 sends them back home with a chance to clinch the series and take a step toward their third straight Stanley Cup.
Already in trouble, the Flyers got bad news during Tuesday's practice when Radko Gudas and Sean Couturier collided. Couturier was helped off the ice and his status is in doubt for Wednesday night.
"You don't like to see that. Coots is playing 20 minutes a night for us right now, is a big piece to our team," Flyers captain Claude Giroux told the Courier Post.
Couturier is playing over 24 points per game and has a goal and two assists in the series.
The Flyers' leading scorer, Giroux is also a big piece of the team. He totaled seven goals and 11 assists in the final 10 games of the regular season as the Flyers drove to a playoff spot, finishing with a career-high 34 goals and 102 points.
He has one assist through the first three games of this series and two goals in his last 16 postseason games.
Scoring more is only half the equation for the Flyers. Holding the Penguins to a more manageable number of goals is the other. The Penguins had seven power play chances in Game 3 and scored three goals.
"We took six minor penalties in a 30-minute span in the middle of this hockey game," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol told NHL.com. "You're not going to win hockey games (that way)."
Making Crosby a 'target' off the ice on Sunday didn't do anything to slow him down as he notched a goal and three assists.
"It's not the first building that's happened in," Crosby told USA Today of the photo placement. "I don't know if they stole that idea from somewhere else. But yeah, it's not the first time that's happened."
Crosby has 30 points in 20 career playoff games against the Flyers, including 15 points in nine career playoff games in Philadelphia.
"I just think it's an indication of how competitive he is," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan told USA Today. "I think he thrives in that environment. I think he has a comfort level in that environment. When the stakes are high, if we're in an away building and they're important games, Sid tends to play his best."
Evgeny Malkin had a goal and an assist, and Matt Murray made 26 saves for Pittsburgh in Game 3. Murray is 9-1 in games after a Penguins loss in the playoffs.
Travis Sanheim scored for the Flyers, and Brian Elliott made 21 saves.
On the Pittsburgh side, it's Phil Kessel who is struggling, with one assist in the first three games. Kessel is expected to again be on a line with Malkin and Carl Hagelin.
"You look at the last couple of games, he had one that just missed the short-side off his stick," Crosby told nhl.com, "and then last game, he had one low on the far-side that was a really good look. When he gets looks in those scoring areas, he doesn't miss many of them. So I like his chances."
The Penguins will be without a heart-and-soul player in rugged winger Patric Hornqvist. The team announced on Tuesday he will miss the game because of an upper-body injury.
"Horny's not an easy guy to replace," Sullivan told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He's a unique player for us, and he brings a lot. I think we're just going to have to, by committee, pick up the pieces and make sure that the opportunities that are given to others that Horny normally fills, they're going to get a great opportunity to help this team win a game."
