Nick Cousins gets first NHL point in Flyers loss

WASHINGTON - Nick Cousins' first NHL point was bittersweet.

Cousins, playing in his 17th NHL game - and sixth this season - had several quality shifts and assisted on the game's first goal, but the Flyers fell to powerful Washington, 3-2, at the Verizon Center on Sunday.

"I thought Cousins played pretty well," said winger Wayne Simmonds, who was spared a suspension from the NHL for a retaliatory hit against the Rangers' Ryan McDonagh on Saturday. "He plays simple . . . and takes what they're giving him. You can tell he's a good little player. He plays on that edge."

Cousins, 22, said it was "nice to get the monkey off the back. I feel better every shift I'm out there."

With Sean Couturier expected to be sidelined for four weeks because of an injured right foot, Cousins is getting a chance to center wingers Sam Gagner and Brayden Schenn on the second line.

"I'm not going to fill in what Couturier brings, but I'm going to try to play my game and create energy," Cousins said.

In 10 minutes, 12 seconds of action Sunday, he had three hits, won five of seven faceoffs, collected an assist, and blocked two shots.

It was Cousins' second game since replacing Couturier.

"He quietly goes out and does a lot of little things well," coach Dave Hakstol said. "Plays a good two-way game, and in the last two nights he's created a couple opportunities and had some opportunities."

His best chance came with 13:41 left in the second period. Cousins took a nice feed from Schenn and was in alone, but Braden Holtby prevented what would have been the first goal of his NHL career.

"We had a three-on-one, and Schenner made a helluva play," said Cousins, an AHL all-star who had 12 goals and a team-high 38 points with the Phantoms when he was recalled Friday. "I tried to get it off as quick as I could, and Holtby made a pretty good save.

Flyers goalie Steve Mason, who played his third game in four days, said that he didn't feel fatigued and that he wanted to start Tuesday against visiting Anaheim. . . . The Flyers have scored first in 12 of the last 14 games. . . . Scott Laughton had a team-high six shots. . . . Hakstol said Radko Gudas has had some "inconsistencies in his game" lately and that it was something "he'll address and we'll address and clean it up a bit."

- Sam Carchidi