VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Flyers' "Ghost" headed home Monday on a high note - for a change.
Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere recorded three assists for the first three-point night of his NHL career Sunday as the Flyers edged the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in the final game of a three-game Western Canada road trip (see story). In one night, he matched his offensive output of his previous 10 games played.
He was a healthy scratch for three games in the meantime. On many other occasions, he has struggled while dealing with the NHL's proverbial sophomore jinx following a standout rookie season.
"It's been a while coming," Gostisbehere said. "It's good to get some points, but I thought it was more important to get two points for our team."
The win moved the Flyers (28-24-7) within a point of the eighth and final playoff spot, currently held by Toronto, in the Eastern Conference. With considerable thanks to Gostisbehere, the club's much maligned power play scored on two of three man-advantage opportunities.
"He played great," Wayne Simmonds said of Gostisbehere. "He had his confidence and a little bit of swagger."
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Gostisbehere's first assist enabled the Flyers to get off to a quick start offensively as Simmonds deflected in his point shot only 1:11 into the game. On the Flyers' second goal, Gostisbehere head-manned the puck to Sean Couturier on a rush. Jakub Voracek easily put Couturier's big rebound into a gaping net with Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller caught out of position.
One minute and 27 seconds later, Brayden Schenn took Gostisbehere's pass and put in a shot from the slot. Altogether, Gostisbehere's assists enabled the Flyers to build an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the game's first 23 minutes.
"Ghost has had his ups and downs this year, but he's a heck of a player and has unbeliveable skill," Simmonds said. "He can be a catalyst offensively for us, that's for sure."
Gostisbehere now has four goals and 18 assists on the season. Until Sunday, the 23-year-old had seemed like an apparition of his former self.
He had a less-than-ideal recovery period from offseason hip (labrum) and abdominal surgeries, due to his participation with Team North America in the World Cup. Then he suffered a facial cut in the Flyers' season opener and took a bruise on his right hand in December.
He also struggled defensively to the point where he was scratched - for the first time in his NHL career - in November and was later benched and pulled out of the lineup again. Heading into Sunday's game, he had a woeful minus-22 mark, but he was only on the ice for one Canucks' goal.
He helped the Flyers shut out the Canucks in the first and third periods.
"We don't like how they came back, but we held the lead and, like I said, we got the two points," Gostisbehere said.
Ghost's offensive showing evoked memories of his seemingly other-worldly 2015-16 season. In 64 games last season, he notched 17 goals, the most by an NHL rookie defenseman since Dion Phaneuf, then with Calgary, who scored 20 over a full 82-game schedule in 2005-06. Gostisbehere also enjoyed a historic 15-game point streak in 2015-16, the longest ever for a first-year rearguard, and he was a runnerup for the league's Rookie of the Year award.
His return to form Sunday bodes well as the Flyers face two Metropolitan Division rivals this week, first Washington at home on Wednesday and then the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Saturday in an outdoor game that will pack plenty of hype and pressure.
After those games, the Flyers face a more compressed schedule than they have lately. The Feb.12-27 portion of their calendar contains only five games. But starting Feb. 28, they will play their final 21 games of the regular season over 41 days as they push to make the playoffs.
"We definitely know we're a playoff team, for sure," Gostisbehere said. "It shows. It's a big test for us (this) week, playing these really good teams."
