Sean Couturier’s big night lifts Flyers in home opener

PHILADELPHIA — Sean Couturier wrestled with a bad back and slogged through a strained relationship with his former coach in recent years, and — at times — it was too close to call which hurdle irked the Philadelphia Flyers’ captain more.

Feeling healthy and starting the season with a clean slate under new coach Rick Tocchet, Couturier flashed a reminder of just how productive he can be for a Flyers team itching to move out of a rebuild and into the playoffs.

Couturier had two goals and two assists to make Tocchet a winner in his home coaching debut and lift the Flyers to a 5-2 win over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Monday night.

“I think he trained hard this year. He came into camp in really good condition,” Tocchet said of Couturier. “When your captain comes in in good condition, it helps the coach out. It was nice of him to come in real good shape for us.”

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The 32-year-old Couturier has been sidelined with back issues and was even a healthy scratch under former coach John Tortorella. Two seasons ago, Tortorella benched Couturier only 34 days after he was named team captain. Couturier was on the fourth line for the home opener last season — seemingly a lifetime ago and now anchored by a strong relationship with Tocchet.

“I’m starting to find my confidence back,” Couturier said.

Couturier, who was a rookie in the 2011-12 season, became the longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia sports once Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham retired at the end of last season.

Tocchet easily received the loudest cheers from fans during pregame introductions ahead of the home opener. The Flyers hired the former fan favorite as coach in hopes his return would push them out of an extended rebuild and into playoff contention. Tocchet, who played more than a decade with Philadelphia in separate stints at the start and end of his career, is at the start of his fourth head-coaching job after time with Tampa Bay, Arizona and Vancouver.

Tocchet took over months after the Flyers fired Tortorella with nine games left in another losing season for a franchise that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2020.

“Love the first win type of thing but I’m just happy the guys for the guys, the way they’ve been working on the concepts,” Tocchet said.

Philadelphia, once a model franchise in the league, has one of the longest championship droughts in the NHL.

The Flyers have failed to win the Stanley Cup since going back to back in 1974 and ’75. Those Broad Street Bullies teams have become a cherished part of the franchise’s past but also a reminder of how much time it has been since the Flyers won: They last played in the final in 2010.

The Flyers opened with a somber nod to those Bullies teams with a tribute for Bernie Parent. Parent, who died in September at 80, won Conn Smythe and Vezina trophies in back-to-back seasons for the Stanley Cup champions. The Flyers painted his retired uniform number “1” behind each net and chose to bypass a moment of silence for fans to instead “show the same passion he lived for with a standing ovation.” They will wear a “1” jersey patch this season.

“It was a great effort in his honor,” Couturier said. “He’ll definitely be missed around here. We used to always seem him around at the games. He always had that quality of just light, lighting everything up and putting a smile on everyone’s face.”

The Flyers gave the player of the game a goalie mask in the style of Parent’s version that he wore in the 1970s and netted the goaltender the cover of Time magazine. Dan Vladar had 24 saves on 26 shots to earn his first win with the Flyers and become the first player to wear the mask.

Vladar helped hand the Panthers their first loss in four games — which included a win in Florida over the Flyers last week.

“Every single guy had goosebumps during the ceremony,” Vladar said. “It was a sad thing but what a hell of a player and a hell of a person he was.”