Couturier, 25, was a prolific scorer during his junior hockey career, averaging 1.52 points per game in his final two seasons with Drummondville of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but he wasn't getting the chance to showcase that skill in the NHL.
At the end of last season, Couturier told coach Dave Hakstol he wanted to be put in a more offensive role. He got his wish early in training camp, replacing Claude Giroux at center on the No. 1 line. Giroux shifted to left wing on the top line, and the move has worked well for each player.
Giroux, freed from the extra defensive responsibilities that come with playing center, is fourth in the NHL with 55 points (14 goals, 41 assists). Couturier, who can focus on finishing rather than carrying the puck and setting up his linemates, has made a huge offensive jump, setting NHL career highs in goals, points (46), power-play goals (six) and game-winning goals (five).
"I have more confidence coming into games," Couturier said. "Playing with first-line guys (Giroux and Travis Konecny), they're guys that can make some plays. You give it to them, they'll give it right back and vice versa. We try to use each other as much as we can and use the width of the ice offensively; that's when we're at our best. It's a matter of sticking together and just trying to read off each other, and so far it's going well."
Couturier is shooting more this season. He is averaging 3.04 shots on goal per game, up from 1.79 per game his first six NHL seasons.
"I'm getting more chances," he said. "I can't get away from that, got to keep shooting pucks. There's no bad shots in this league. Got to put it on net and create something off of it."
More offense hasn't meant Couturier is shirking his defensive responsibilities. He has a shot attempts percentage of 54.50 percent despite starting 43.50 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone. Of the 68 forwards who had played at least 30 games and had an SAT percentage of at least 54.0 percent, he had started the fourth-lowest percent of 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone.
He also had won 54.1 percent of his face-offs, including 57.0 percent in the defensive zone. And he had been on the ice for 25 5-on-5 goals-against through 46 games, an average of 0.54 per game, better than his 0.56 average from last season (44 in 66 games), according to Corsica.hockey.
But it is Couturier's offense that's helping the Flyers the most right now, and something they're going to ride in their hope to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"When you're hot you're hot, and right now he's pretty hot," defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. "[Couturier] is playing on another level right now. We're trying to match him. He's carrying us."
