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Flyers want points, not revenge

When the Flyers play Boston at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday, will they try to pay back former teammate Zac Rinaldo for his head hit that gave Sean Couturier a concussion in the teams' previous meeting?

When the Flyers play Boston at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday, will they try to pay back former teammate Zac Rinaldo for his head hit that gave Sean Couturier a concussion in the teams' previous meeting?

"I'm sure the game is going to be played hard, physical," Flyers winger Jake Voracek said after Monday's practice in Voorhees. "If someone is going to have a chance to finish Reno [with a hit], they're going to finish him. And I'm sure if Reno is going to have a chance to finish one of us, he will. It's hockey. It's a hockey game."

On. Oct. 21, Rinaldo charged into Couturier near the boards just before the first-period buzzer sounded. Couturier's head snapped back, and he fell to the ice for a few minutes.

"I wouldn't say we're necessarily going to be waiting for him to try to chop his head off or something," Voracek said. "I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt Coots, but it is what it is. You have to be focused on winning two points, not worrying about Rinaldo."

Couturier, who has 12 points in his last 10 games, agreed.

"It's done and over with. It's a long time ago," he said. "What's most important is to get out of this game with two points. We've got to do what we've got to do."

"I think we have to take care of each other, for sure, but I wouldn't say we're looking to go after him," winger Ryan White said. "We need the win. We've got these guys twice this month, and we're four points behind them" heading into Monday.

Rinaldo was given a five-minute charging penalty and a game misconduct for his hit on Couturier. The league did not fine or suspend him. Couturier missed six games with a concussion, and it took him a while to find his timing when he returned.

Couturier had four points and a minus-6 rating in his first 17 games. In his last 17 games, he has 16 points and a plus-14 rating.

"It was kind of disappointing at the time, getting injured and not being able to play and not feeling too well," he said. "Now it's behind me, and I'm just trying to help the team."

After the Oct. 21 meeting in Boston, won by the Flyers, 5-4, in overtime, Rinaldo sent Couturier a text.

"He said he was hoping everything was all right, and he didn't mean to hurt me, and he didn't want to be a dirty player," Couturier said.

Boston, one of the teams the Flyers are chasing for a playoff berth, has had a strange season. The Bruins are just 9-11-2 at home, but they took a 12-3-3 road record into Monday's night's game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull

www.philly.com/flyersblog