NEWARK, N.J. - Scott Hartnell skated Friday, but there is no change to the timetable for the injured left winger.
Hartnell suffered a broken bone in his left foot Jan. 22 and was expected to miss four to eight weeks. Three weeks have passed since Hartnell underwent surgery. He met with a doctor Friday.
Hartnell led the Flyers with a career-high 37 goals last season, and his absence has been felt this month as scoring has become an issue for the team.
"He's a big part of our locker room. He's a guy that really provides some continuity for the players," coach Peter Laviolette said. "Certainly the game he plays on the ice, he was our leading goal scorer last year, so we miss him in a lot of different aspects."
Sean Couturier returned to the Flyers for Friday's contest against the New Jersey Devils after missing two games with the flu. The second-year forward centered the Flyers' fourth line, evidence that he'll be eased into his return to allow his conditioning to improve.
"The first couple of shifts will be important to me to get my jump again," Couturier said Friday morning. "We'll see from there."
Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov started his ninth consecutive game Friday. The Flyers are amid a six-game road trip that includes back-to-back games against the Devils on Friday and the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Bryzgalov started both games in a back-to-back earlier this week.
The goalie was not on the ice with the team during the morning skate. He entered the game 6-6-1 this season with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.
Michael Leighton (upper-body injury) is still not ready to return, according to general manager Paul Holmgren. Leighton is still seven to 10 days away.
Contact Zach Berman at zberman@phillynews.com. Follow on Twitter @ZBerm.
