WASHINGTON — Shayne Gostisbehere was back in the Flyers' lineup on Sunday against the Capitals after his second benching this season Saturday afternoon in Boston.
He had two shots during a minus-2 showing in which he played 21:22.
While you can question some of Dave Hakstol’s benchings this season from the standpoint that certain players — Andrew MacDonald comes to mind — seem immune to punishment, it’s perhaps reassuring to find that it doesn’t seem to be hurting the confidence level of young players such as Ghost or even rookie Travis Konecny.
At least, from what you can see on the outside and from what they say themselves to the media.
Sunday’s 5-0 humiliation to the Capitals (see game recap) — the Flyers' fourth loss in five games — could call for a full team benching, but that’s another story.
As for Ghost, who sat out Saturday’s 6-3 loss in Boston, he didn’t seem scared by the benching.
“You could let it rattle you,” Gostisbehere said. “You could let it set you back, but I am going out there and going to do whatever it takes to help the team. That’s the biggest thing. If that’s me being in the press box, then that’s me in the press box.
“I’m here to help the team in any way possible. Right now, it’s just getting back to work and doing the little things. It’s not going to come easy. That is something that me personally, and a lot of us have to look at.”
General manager Ron Hextall danced around the question of whether Hakstol’s benching of young players is a good or bad thing.
Hextall did say he thought that Konecny has been a “better” player since his benching, which came in San Jose on Dec. 30, a game in which the Flyers could have sorely used more offense during a 2-0 loss to the Sharks.
Gostisbehere echoed the thoughts of a number of Flyers, suggesting their five-day “bye” week which starts Monday would be a good time to look in the mirror, think about what has transpired recently, come back and be ready to go again with a fresh attitude and clean slate.
The Flyers can’t practice during this period. They will regroup at Skate Zone on Friday afternoon before hosting New Jersey on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center.
A good time for this break?
“Totally,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s huge for us, but it can work against you a little bit. We got to be smart about it obviously and come back hungry and ready to go.”
Gostisbehere correctly picked up on what has become a common thread in many of the Flyers' losses since their 10-game win streak ended. One or two mistakes after a good period and things go completely awry.
“A relapse like that, the puck is in the back of our net,” he said. “It’s just repeatedly happening and something we have to fix. Something we have to focus on during the break and look into the mirror.
“Not just go back to work, but work hard. It doesn’t come to us. It’s something that we're realizing. We've got to get back to doing little things right.”
Shots
The Flyers held Washington to 10 shots in the first two periods on Sunday. That set a season low for shots allowed through 40 minutes. The previous low was 11 to Montreal through two periods on Nov. 5.
Shutouts
This was the fourth time this season the Flyers have been shut out this season. They also became the fourth team to be shut out by Washington since Dec. 31.
Over the Caps' current nine-game win streak, the Flyers are sixth team in which the Capitals scored five or more goals against. That includes a 6-0 win over Chicago and a 5-0 win over Columbus.
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