Flyers center Sean Couturier making progress but still not ready to return

Sean Couturier, the Flyers’ top-line center, is making strides as he recovers from a rib injury suffered Jan. 15 against Pittsburgh.

For the first time since he was injured, Couturier skated Monday and did some drills with skills coach Angelo Ricci. Nolan Patrick, who had a maintenance day and did not practice with the team, and injured defenseman Phil Myers also skated with Ricci. The session was held on a sheet of ice opposite the one used mostly by the regulars during practice.

Couturier, the team’s MVP the previous two seasons, said he was feeling a lot better, but no date was set for his return. When he was injured, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said Couturier would miss a minimum of two weeks.

“Today was s step forward by skating and trying to get my game shape back together,” Couturier said.

Couturier said the check by Pittsburgh’s Jarred McCann “was one of those hits I take every game. I’ve probably taken 1,000 of those hits in my career and probably have gotten hit a lot harder and nothing happened. I just didn’t feel right coming bench to the bench and it kind of got pretty sore afterward.”

He said there was a lot of pain the first few nights, but he is now able to do “normal things, like skating today. Hopefully it gets better and better.”

Couturier said he had to “be careful pushing it too much. I feel I can do a lot of stuff on the ice, but I can’t really push. I have to let it heal.”

The Flyers are 1-2-1 without Couturier in the lineup.

“It’s tough watching when you can’t help your team,” he said. “Obviously we’re not playing that good. There’s some things we need to clean up in our game, but it’s early in the year and we’re going to make sure we fix those things moving forward.”

Brian Elliott will get the start Tuesday in New Jersey. In his only start this season, Elliott blanked Buffalo, 3-0, and made 40 saves.

Carter Hart has allowed a total of 10 goals in the last two games, losses in Boston.

Hart’s uncharacteristic Ron Hextall impersonation caused some good-natured comments in the locker room Monday. At the end of Saturday’s 6-1 loss in Boston, Hart slammed his stick several times against his goal until it broke and he heaved it across the ice.

Elliott said teammates were asking Hart if he had any sticks left.

Claude Giroux took a different approach.

“I almost joined him and smashed my stick,” he said about Saturday’s blowout.

New Jersey is tied for third in the NHL, allowing 2.00 goals per game; the Flyers are allowing 3.50 goals per game, tied for 25th in the league. … The Flyers will not have a morning skate Tuesday. Instead, they will bus to Newark.