Surging Flyers to welcome back Gostisbehere on Saturday
The good news keeps rolling in for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Winners of four in a row, the club will welcome Shayne Gostisbehere back to the lineup Saturday afternoon against the New York Rangers. The rookie defender left last Thursday's game with a lower-body injury and has been day to day since.
A third-round pick in 2012, Gostisbehere's emergence has coincided with the Flyers' turnaround after a slow start to the season. The 22-year-old made his debut on Nov. 14, and has seven goals and nine assists in 23 games, while averaging 17:51 in ice time and running the power play.
Since Nov. 26, #Flyers are 12-5-2 for 26 points. Only 3 EC teams (Isles, Carolina, Det.) have more pts. in that span.
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) January 14, 2016
Goals have been hard to come by for the club, averaging only 2.27 per game, which ranks 28th in the league, so the excellent play of goaltenders Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth has been crucial.
Neuvirth, in particular, has been stellar. His .934 save percentage in 18 games ranks second in the league to only Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer (.936). Mason's been inconsistent, but is loving 2016. Check out his splits:
| Month | SV% |
|---|---|
| October | .900 |
| November | .920 |
| December | .909 |
| January | .942 |
With 45 points in 41 games, the Flyers are in the playoff hunt. They're only six points back of the third-place New York Islanders - with two games in hand - in the Metropolitan Division, and are two points away from tying the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot.
Claude Giroux's rounding into form, with 28 points in his last 31 games, and Jakub Voracek has 16 points (four goals) in his last 16 games. Philadelphia's attack isn't taking the world by storm, but it's balanced - five players have 20 points or more.
And Gostisbehere will soon join them.