Couturier’s injury alters coach’s plans

would be one option; another would be bumping promising rookie Nolan Patrick up to the top line.

With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan down the middle, the Penguins already enjoyed a significant advantage in the matchups at center. Their edge would grow considerably if Couturier doesn’t play.

In addition to reuniting Couturier and Giroux with Voracek — Voracek had been taken off the line in December in an effort to develop offensive depth — Hakstol deployed Patrick between Travis Konecny and Wayne Simmonds on the second line and had Valtteri Filppula centering Michael Raffl and Jordan Weal on the No. 3 unit.

The fourth line, with Jori Lehtera between Scott Laughton and Matt Read, remained intact.

“We just wanted to have a fresh look in a couple of different areas,” Hakstol said.

Simmonds suggested the personnel shakeup could “bring an extra spark” to the Flyers.

“Obviously, we didn’t play our best in the first three games,” he said. “The coach is saying something when he changes the lines. He expects more out of us. We have to bring it.”

That’s particularly true of the Giroux-Couturier-Voracek line, if it’s together for Game 4.

“We just have to make sure we play with the puck, have the puck on our stick,” Voracek said. “We don’t want to give it up too often, especially to the Crosby line.”

Crosby leads the Penguins in goals (4) and points (7) in this series and was dominant in Games 1 and 3. Finding a way to limit the damage he does will be a key challenge for whichever line Hakstol sends out against him.

“Don’t give him the puck,” Voracek said. “If he doesn’t have the puck, he can’t score. I think that’s the best defense.

“But it’s hard to do sometimes because he’s so dominant, he’s so good. He’s always in the right spot. He doesn’t have to have the puck very often to be dangerous.”