VOORHEES, N.J. — Recovered from a concussion that had caused him to miss six games, Matt Read was reunited on a line with Vinny Lecavalier and Sean Couturier Tuesday night in Buffalo.




The Sabres might have preferred that he had one more night of rest.




“He did good,” Craig Berube said Wednesday at the Skate Zone. “He skated well. He made a nice play on the game-winning goal. But I thought his skating was really good in the game.”




Read has long had a comfort level with Couturier, with whom he has been paired on a variety of lines. But Berube believes the one with Lecavalier, which combined to concoct the game-winning goal with 14.8 seconds left Tuesday, has a chance to be special.




“Well I thought they had a good game, the whole line,” Berube said. “They had a few chances in the game. I think it is just about getting used to each other. They haven’t really played that much together, with Reader getting hurt. And Vinny was hurt. But they are going to have an opportunity here now to work together and see what is going to happen.




“You’ve got a little of everything on that line. Vinny is a shooter and a scorer. Read’s got the speed and Couturier is a good two-way hockey player, a centerman who can make plays. He is big and hangs onto the puck.




“So it can be a good combination, the whole line.”




Read said he felt comfortable Tuesday. His play did, too.




“I felt good,” he said. “I thought I would be out of shape. But I was well-rested and my legs were good and things kind of went my way a little bit. But it was just one game. We’ve got a lot more to go and I’ve got a lot more things to do to help my teammates.




“You’ve got to do a lot of stuff off the ice when you’re not playing. I took care of my body better than I have in the past, just riding the bike, doing a lot more cardio. I know when I came back, I wanted to play 20 minutes again in all situations. You’ve just got to do everything you can, so when you come back to the lineup, you can be a role player and do your job.”




• • •
The Flyers held a light, optional workout Wednesday. That was followed by a team meeting to prepare for a Thursday visit from the Nashville Predators.




“Nashville is a very good team,” Berube said. “We had a tough game up there in their building. So we expect a tough game. We’ve got to be ready. They have a good team.”




Ray Emery tended goal for about a half-dozen Flyers, including Hal Gill, Erik Gustafsson, Chris VandeVelde, Jay Rosehill and Steve Downie.




“With this many games, a rest is more important right now,” Berube said. “It’s tough that way, but guys have to stay focused. We can do some teaching through video and keep guys fresh.”




• • •
Berube gave a slight indication Wednesday that Scott Hartnell might not play against Nashville. Hartnell injured his ankle early in the Buffalo game while blocking a shot, but returned. He did not skate Wednesday.




“We’ll see tomorrow,” Berube said. “I think he’s OK. We’ll make a better decision tomorrow after the morning skate.”




Officially, the Flyers are acknowledging that Hartnell has a “lower body” injury … not that it prevented him from scoring a goal and contributing two assists to the 4-3 victory.




Said Paul Holmgren, in a statement: “Scott was examined after the game last night and again today for a lower body issue. Scott is day to day.”




If Hartnell must miss some games, it will be at the wrong time for the Flyers.




“He is playing with a lot of energy right now and he is doing a great job around the net, being physical,” Berube said. “And on the power play, obviously, he has a presence in the slot. He scored a goal last night. I think his game has been pretty consistent for a while now.”