Sean Couturier returns, Morgan Frost scratched again for Flyers vs. Sharks

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sean Couturier is ready to go.

The first-line center will slot back into the lineup when the Flyers take on the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at SAP Center after missing two games with a lower-body injury.

“I got banged up,” the 30-year-old said. “It [ticked] me off missing those two games. It’s something that, I have to listen to my body, and [it] didn’t feel right, didn’t feel good enough to help the team win on those two nights. So I thought it was better to rest and get the extra couple of days and make sure it doesn’t get worse.”

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Couturier, who knew halfway through practice on Monday he was good to go, participated in the team’s optional morning skate.

Couturier’s return means that Morgan Frost once again will be watching from the press box. The 24-year-old forward has played in just six of the Flyers’ first 12 games this season without scoring a point.

Frost did suit up for the past four and was plus-2 with six shots on goal while averaging more than 16 minutes of ice time. A good chunk of that was power-play time, but it didn’t seem to be enough to force coach John Tortorella to keep him in the lineup.

Last season, Frost finished fourth in scoring for the Flyers with 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) in 81 games. From Dec. 9 to the end of the regular season, he scored 40 of those points to lead the Flyers down the stretch.

With Carter Hart still sidelined with a “mid-body” injury, the Flyers again will turn to Sam Ersson in net. The netminder is 1-2-1 with a .815 save percentage in four games (three starts) and is coming off a strong performance in a 5-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday when he made 21 saves.

Cal Petersen will serve as the backup.

Hart participated in practice on Monday in San Jose and skated with the team during its optional morning skate on Tuesday. He remains listed as day-to-day.

Hockey players need short memories, and Cam York will certainly need that on Tuesday.

The defenseman did not play in the third period against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Although he played a hearty 15 minutes, 22 seconds across the first two periods, he rode the pine after he was on the ice for three goals in the team’s 5-0 loss. He also earned two minutes in the penalty box after sending a puck over the glass that resulted in a power-play goal by Arthur Kaliyev.

“That slate is clean after the game,” Tortorella said Monday. “I’d do the same thing if the same situation came up, I’d do the same thing. But it’s not a personal thing. It’s a decision a coach makes in the game if the same circumstances happened, but then we move right by it.”