Tortorella: Couturier's celebration on GWG was 'F-you to me'

Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella has no issue with Sean Couturier perhaps sticking it to him with a fiery celebration following Saturday's go-ahead goal against the Seattle Kraken.

Couturier was chewed out by Tortorella on the bench after Seattle's equalizer deflected into Philadelphia's net off Couturier's stick early in the third period. The veteran center scored roughly five minutes later to give the Flyers a lead they never relinquished and let his emotions show.

"That was 'F-you' to me, I'm sure it was," Tortorella said postgame, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. "So be it, that's part of it. That's what I like about him, though. He's a crusty old pro. He's a huge part of this.

"I have tremendous amount of respect for him, how he's handled this year after taking two years off. There's no free passes. We need him, terribly, in games, to be consistent."

Couturier was limited to 29 games in 2021-22 and then missed all of last season following a pair of back surgeries. The 2020 Selke Trophy winner has managed 32 points in 49 contests this season while averaging nearly 20 minutes per.

His return to the lineup has been a big boost to the Flyers, who are third in the Metropolitan Division with 62 points.