Sean Couturier out after last minute lineup change.

The Philadelphia Flyers will have to play without their captain on Saturday night.

In an official announcement, the Flyers have revealed that captain Sean Couturier will not play in tonight's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Flyers have revealed that Couturier is out for what the team is describing as "personal" reasons but no additional details have been provided regarding his absence.

Obviously in a situation like this the hope is that both Couturier and his family are alright and that the absence will not prove to be a prolonged one.

Couturier is obviously a huge part of what the Flyers do on the ice, not only as their captain but also as an important two-way forward in their offense. The veteran forward has 6 goals and 11 assists over 32 games this season for a total of 17 points thus far.

Tonight is a big night for both the Flyers and the Columbus Blue Jackets with the recent tragedy involving National Hockey League star Johnny Gaudreau still fresh in the minds of all of those involved in tonight's game. In fact the Flyers entered the arena by paying tribute to both Johnny and his brother Matthew Gaudreau by wearing the Gloucester Catholic jerseys as they arrived ahead of the game on Saturday.