Though they eventually lost to the Florida Panthers in a shootout, the Philadelphia Flyers picked up an important point as they continue to push toward a playoff spot, and it was their rookie defenseman who, once again, came through when it mattered most.
Shayne Gostisbehere, a native of south Florida, scored the game-tying goal in Sunrise with under two minutes left in the third period, sending the game to overtime.
"When the game is getting tighter, he elevates his game," captain Claude Giroux said, per Philly.com.
Though the end result didn't go the way he hoped, the 22-year-old certainly won't forget his goal in front of 50 relatives and friends at BB&T Center.
"That was awesome," said Gostisbehere. "Of course, we wanted a better result at the end, but it's kind of a dream come true. You grow up watching all the games in this building, and to go out there and score a goal is pretty cool."
It was the 15th goal of the season for "Ghost," which leads all rookie defensemen. Incredibly, all 15 have either tied a game or given his team the lead - including his rookie-best four overtime winners, which only trails the five scored by Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews league-wide.
That's 15 goals for Shayne Gostisbehere. Last rookie defenseman with 15 goals was Guy Lapointe in 1970-71
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) March 13, 2016
The Flyers now have an incredibly tough week ahead, scheduled to host the two teams currently sitting in wild-card spots in the East - the Detroit Red Wings (Tuesday) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday). Those games will be split by a visit to the Cup champion Blackhawks on Thursday.
| Rnk | Team | GP | W | L | O | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | 68 | 34 | 23 | 11 | 79 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | 67 | 35 | 24 | 8 | 78 |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 67 | 32 | 23 | 12 | 76 |
| 4 | Carolina | 69 | 31 | 26 | 12 | 74 |
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Mike Smith didn't miss a beat in his first appearance in the Arizona Coyotes' cage after more than three months of inaction Saturday in Edmonton, making 44 saves on Oilers shooters to record his second shutout of the season.
His 44 saves - which serves as the second-most required for a clean sheet among goalies this season - came 40 games after having to undergo surgery to repair an abdominal muscle.
Sneak peek at tonight's game belt winner 😏 pic.twitter.com/1YvnpAEOmy
— #ARIvsEDM (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 13, 2016
It was the 29th shutout of his career, and helped Arizona extend its 22-game point streak over the Oilers - dominance that extends nearly five years.
Viktor Tikhonov, Antoine Vermette, and Alex Tanguay scored for the Coyotes, who will return home after taking four points in two nights, and five in total on their four-game road swing.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.