Shayne Gostisbehere playing with confidence for Flyers
It had been over a year of injuries, inconsistent play, and a battle with COVID-19. And through all of that, Shayne Gostisbehere has come out on the other side. The latter, of course, was an unfortunate direction for a player looking to have a bounce-back year for the Flyers.
The air was cleared before training camp and Gostisbehere was poised to hit the ground running. He was paired with Ivan Provorov for a majority of camp as Alain Vigneault going to hold him back. And then right before the Flyers scrimmage, it was announced that Gostisbehere would be unavailable.
We later found out he was put on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list. He was out for about 10-14 days before he was able to skate on his own a re-join the team. There was only one practice between him and his first game of the season. And by no surprise, he was right beside Provorov the entire night.
"“Ghost is a smart player, reads the game well, moves the puck well. I think yesterday was, yeah, kinda easy to play. We got out of the zone pretty fast, moved the puck through the neutral zone.” Provorov said after their first game together."
Gostisbehere wasn’t held back either and that was due to his play on the ice. The original expectation was for him to play approximately 18 minutes that night. He ended that game second on the team in ice time (21:57). Only Provorov played more, which is always to be expected.
He has only looked better and better as the games have gone on. He looks confident in firing off a one-timer from the point. Gostisbehere is quick to get the puck out and in transition, something the Flyers have struggled with at times. And his skating has improved as he continues to get his legs underneath him.
It also seems as if Gostisbehere isn’t afraid to make a risky play or take a chance to step up if need be. He showed that on Scott Laughton‘s overtime winner against the New York Islanders. Brock Nelson was trying to enter the Flyers’ zone as Gostisbehere made the quick decision to jump up and try to cut his path off.
A risky play that could’ve ended up as a breakaway chance for Nelson ends with Gostisbehere stripping the puck and finding Laughton at the far blue line. Laughton held onto the puck through the middle of the offensive zone and patiently waited for a lane that he found almost at the side of the net.
That play, while holding an incredible amount of risk, shows the kind of confidence that Gostisbehere is playing with right now. It was his first point of the season and the 200th of his career. He became the sixth Flyers’ defensemen with that feat. He has the chance to climb into fifth place by the end of the season.
"“There’s no doubt that the Shayne that I’m seeing on the ice right is one that seems to have more confidence. He’s making more plays, his gap is tighter. So I can only think that it’s going to get better” Vigneault said after Gostisbehere’s third game."
It is a small sample size. But for a player who was in and out of the lineup last season, this is the kind of play that will help him keep a spot this time around. And play that could prolong his career in Philadelphia. The trade rumors have followed him for a few seasons now and he was well aware of them the entire time.
This is reminiscent of the Gostisbehere that we saw back in 2017-18. It was the best season of his career and he was alongside Provorov during it. The chemistry they share may help give the Flyers a formidable top-four for the very near and possibly distant future.
Provorov-Gostisbehere
Sanheim-Myers
Those four players have been looked at as the future of this defense for quite some time. And we may finally be getting that dream. Especially if Gostisbehere is able to keep up his confident play.