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At the Rink blog

Flyers' Rinaldo to stay on line with Couturier, Read

Sunday, 04.06.2014 / 6:10 PM
2013-2014 At the Rink Blog
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2013-2014 At the Rink Blog
Flyers' Rinaldo to stay on line with Couturier, Read

PHILADELPHIA -- Zac Rinaldo tried to provide the Philadelphia Flyers with a spark Saturday and coach Craig Berube hopes that energy carries over to their game Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2).

Berube said Rinaldo would be back on a line with Sean Couturier and Matt Read to start the game Sunday. Rinaldo started Saturday on that line and opened the game with an open-ice hit on Boston Bruins power forward Milan Lucic. He then kept his composure when Lucic tried to goad him into a fight, with Lucic being sent off for roughing. The Bruins won the game, 5-2.

Rinaldo is eighth in the League with 137 penalty minutes, but in the past 10 games he's taken four minor penalties while still playing a physical style. That maturation process is something Berube has harped on with Rinaldo all season, and now he's seeing the fruits of that labor.

"You can't continually take penalties because you put the team in tough spots and he's smarter about it now," Berube said. "Smarter about his hitting, picking his spots, picking his spots for big hits. He's playing more with the puck. He's becoming a more complete player."

Berube will switch two other lines from Saturday, with Vincent Lecavalier going back to center the fourth line after being in the middle on the second line Saturday. Michael Raffl will move into the second-line center spot, flanked by Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds.

Raffl has played in just about every forward spot on all four lines, so another switch isn't new to him.

"Makes no difference," Raffl said of where he plays. "Mindset is the same: Do whatever you have to do to help the team win. ... I've played with those guys before but not at center. I'll do my best out there. They're really talented. Hopefully we can create some more offense."

Here is what the Flyers' lineup likely will look like Sunday; we had the Sabres' lineup earlier:

Scott Hartnell - Claude Giroux - Jakub Voracek

Brayden Schenn - Michael Raffl - Wayne Simmonds

Matt Read - Sean Couturier - Zac Rinaldo

Jay Rosehill - Vincent Lecavalier - Adam Hall

Kimmo Timonen - Braydon Coburn

Mark Streit - Nicklas Grossmann

Andrew MacDonald - Luke Schenn

Steve Mason

Ray Emery

Scratched: Hal Gill, Erik Gustafsson, Tye McGinn

Injured: Steve Downie (upper body)

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