Flyers rookie shows another side to his skill

It hasn't been the recent goal-scoring splurge by Flyers rookie center Sean Couturier that has caught the attention of his teammates. That's more for the public.

Couturier, who turned 19 in December, has impressed his teammates almost from the beginning, coming in as the eighth overall selection of last year's NHL draft and quickly finding his niche.

His calling card is defense, but a growing goal-scoring streak shows that the 6-foot-3, 197-pound center can generate his share of offense.

Couturier has 10 goals and seven assists in 40 games, but his shorthanded goal in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the visiting Minnesota Wild gave him five consecutive games with a goal. He also was 8 for 12 on faceoffs against Minnesota.

"Lately the bounces are going my way, and it seems like everything I touch is going in," Couturier said after Wednesday's practice in Voorhees.

He credits his teammates for getting him the puck in opportune situations, but his teammates return the praise.

His two shorthanded goals are half the Flyers' total, yet Couturier's hockey acumen and poise are most impressive to his teammates and coach Peter Laviolette.

"The first thing that sticks out is his hockey IQ," Flyers forward Danny Briere said. "He is very smart, has a very good stick, and he doesn't play like [a 19]-year-old; his maturity level is already impressive."

Briere has a unique perspective, since Couturier lives with the winger and his three sons in his South Jersey home.

"He's just as impressive off the ice," Briere said.

In addition to the goal-scoring flurry, a statistic that tells much about Couturier's all-around game is the plus-minus rating. He is a plus-13, tied for second on the team with veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen. Scott Hartnell leads the Flyers with a plus-18. Entering Wednesday, Couturier led all NHL rookies at plus-13.

Laviolette marvels at Couturier's ability to fit into the Flyers' system. As a result, his role has expanded.

"[It's good] when you don't have to worry about a player on the ice and don't think he is overmatched or overpowered," Laviolette said. "I think that has opened our eyes, and he has done it since training camp."

Even though he has earned his early reputation on defense, Couturier insists that he strives to make an impact at both ends of the ice.

"I have always had some offensive skills," he said. "I take pride in defense, and the offense will come along after that."

Right now, it surely is coming along.

Islanders again. The Flyers (27-13-4, 58 points) resume action Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center against the New York Islanders (17-21-6, 40 points).

There may be bad blood after the Flyers' 3-2 win last Thursday at Nassau Coliseum. In the third period, Flyers forward Max Talbot took an elbow to the head from Islanders defenseman Steve Staios. Talbot appeared stunned, left the ice, but returned and earned an assist on the Flyers' third goal of the game, a shot by Couturier that gave them a 3-1 lead. No penalty was called, and Staios hasn't been disciplined by the NHL.

When asked Wednesday whether he was surprised that Staios hasn't been disciplined, Talbot said, "A little."

Talbot said he had no idea whether there would be a carryover effect in Thursday's game.

What the Flyers hope to carry over is their recent dominance of the Islanders. The Flyers have won eight games in a row against the Isles and 23 of the last 24.

Is it Bob? Laviolette didn't name his starter in goal, but Sergei Bobrovsky is 7-0-0 in eight career games against the Islanders with a 1.86 goals-against average. Bobrovsky was in goal for last week's win.

Clarification. Couturier and Matt Read are the first pair of rookies to each have a five-game goal-scoring streak in the same season. Rick Tocchet and Peter Zezel had five-game point streaks in 1984-85.