from Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News,

During practice Wednesday at SkateZone in Voorhees, Shayne Gostisbehere returned to his role of playing the point on the Flyers power play. This would appear to signal the end of a three-game exile designed to clear his head and hone his game, an exile that reflected head coach Dave Hakstol's renewed emphasis to the defensive sellout that characterized last season's playoff surge.

From the moment the puck dropped in October until he was removed after an ugly 5-1 loss to Carolina, Ghost had become the symbol of teamwide permeability at the back end. His team-leading minus-19 this season reflects many things, not the least of which is the continued undependability of their best offensive players. Whether you're talking about Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Brayden Schenn or even Wayne Simmonds, the Flyers' offensive impotency has put their blue line and goaltending under the hottest of lamps, and left burn marks all over the Flyers' 23-year-old defenseman.

"It's definitely motivating,"' Gostisbehere said of his forced sabbatical. "It actually sucks. But you have to take positives from it. Be a good teammate about it. Can't feel bad for yourself and expect people to feel sorry for you.

"I don't take it personally at all. I look at it as my coaches are doing the best for me in my development as a young player. I know we have 19-year-olds on this team and I'm turning 24 this April. But I still look at myself as a young guy."

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