Flyers' Couturier to return from six-game absence to face Flames

Center Sean Couturier will return the lineup on Thursday as the sputtering Philadelphia Flyers face the Calgary Flames.

Couturier has been sidelined for six games after suffering a concussion following a high elbow from Boston Bruins agitator Zac Rinaldo on Oct. 21.

"He's a big part of our team," general manager Ron Hextall told the Philadelphia Inquirer of Couturier, who will center Matt Read and Wayne Simmonds. "He's not the most noticeable player. He’s not the guy who steams down the ice on an end-to-end rush, but he does all the little things well. He’s a complete player."

The 22-year-old Couturier skated with a tinted visor on Tuesday prior to the team's contest versus the Edmonton Oilers. Philadelphia dropped a 4-2 decision to Edmonton to extend the club's winless skid to five games (0-4-1).

Couturier has collected one goal and two assists in six contests this season. The eighth overall pick of the 2011 draft, Couturier has scored 46 goals and set up 75 others in 293 career games.