Flyers’ Top Prospect Scores First Goal (But Flyers Lose)

After a morning where he and the Flyers practiced with an Aramark employee in goal, Shayne Gostibehere scored his first NHL goal. The Flyers lost in a shootout.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (53) celebrates his goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Photo | Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (53) celebrates his goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Photo | Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Flyers had an interesting Tuedsay. Backup goaltender Michal Neuvirth was late getting to the ice, and then — after skating for a few minutes — was declared out for that night’s game with an “upper body injury.”

As a result, an Aramark employee had to fill-in at morning skate. To be fair, Justin Musciano — division manager of concessions at the Wells Fargo Center – wasn’t just a random schlub pulled onto the ice. He played in Flyers CEO Peter Luukko’s morning games as a goaltender, and played in college.

“If you haven’t played with professionals and you just see it on TV, you get a totally different respect for what they do and [how they play] the game,” Musciano told the Delaware County Times in 2012 after he filled in then. “How hard they actually shoot the puck? It’s just amazing.”

Lehigh Valley Phantoms goaltender Anthony Stolarz was called up in time to back up Steve Mason during Tuesday night’s game. Another interesting thing happened there, but it had nothing to do with goaltending: Phenom prospect Shayne Gostisbehere scored his first NHL goal.

Gostisbehere and another 2012 draft pick, winger Taylor Leier, are only up because Mark Streit needed surgery after he suffered a painful-sounding pubic plate detachment. (The pubic plate is a wad of tissue that “connects adductor muscles and fascia lata of the lower limbs to the tendons and pyramidalis muscle of abdominal wall.” One book calls the pubic plate detachment a “serious core injury.”)

That injury opened up enough salary cap space to call up both Gostibehere and Leier, who are 22 and 21 respectively. And a game after getting his first NHL point at even strength, Flyers rookie defenseman Gostibehere scored his first NHL point on the power play.

In the morning, Gostibehere gave a nice bit of foreshadowing: “If they tell me to shoot, I’m going to do whatever they say,” Gostisbehere told reporters after the morning skate. “Last game [Claude Giroux] said, ‘I want 10 shots from that place.’ I’m going to shoot the puck every chance I get because I don’t want to get yelled at by G and again, I’ll do whatever he says.”

Gostibehere’s goal gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead in the first period. Then, if you’ve been following the team this season, you know what happened next: The Flyers gave up a goal in the final minute, after the Kings had pulled goaltender Jonathan Quick. After a scoreless overtime, the Flyers lost a 1-0 decision in the shootout.

The Flyers are 6-8-4 this year, already 14 points behind the division-leading New York Rangers and 5 points out of a wild card spot. They may have some hot prospects, but the Flyers could be headed for another year on the outside looking in come playoff time.

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