Opportunity quickly arrives for Gostisbehere following his bout with COVID-19

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As hockey returned and the Flyers opened their 2020-21 season with four games at the Wells Fargo Center, Shayne Gostisbehere didn't leave his house. He couldn't do much for the Flyers other than watch them on television just like the eager fans following along from home.

Gostisbehere was at standstill after testing positive for COVID-19. With the help of his fiancee Gina Valentine, the 27-year-old defenseman recovered at home. He had to miss the Flyers' first six games before rejoining his teammates in practice Monday for the first time since Jan. 8.

"Thankfully I’ve got a great fiancee to take care of me and go through the quarantine, I didn’t have to go through it alone," Gostisbehere said. "I think the mental part of the quarantine is more hard than the physical part. For me, thankfully my symptoms didn’t hit me too hard, I was probably out for three or four days, cold-like symptoms and other things. Dealing with it mentally for two weeks, you’re stuck in your house, I’m just thankful it didn’t hit me too hard.

“I feel really good actually. ... You’ve got to take all the precautions. I’m just happy I’m feeling good and I’m more happy it didn’t affect other people and it was just myself.”

Gostisbehere has gone from being housebound to quickly needed on the ice by the Flyers, who are struggling to create shots and prevent them. Gostisbehere has the makeup to help in both of those areas. The Flyers entered Monday putting up the NHL's fewest shots per game (23.7) while allowing the third most (35.5). Without Philippe Myers (fractured rib), the Flyers are shorthanded on the back end and missing some of that offense-is-the-best defense mantra from the position.

Gostisbehere, who last Wednesday started skating again on his own, was paired with No. 1 defenseman Ivan Provorov in Monday's practice and also took reps on the power play. Meanwhile, Erik Gustafsson skated with taxi-squad defenseman Nate Prosser.

All of the above signal Gostisbehere making his season debut Tuesday against the Devils in Newark, New Jersey (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). Gostisbehere said he felt good and was hoping to play Tuesday. With the door open for Gostisbehere, he likely wants to jump on the opportunity now and not miss any more games. It's difficult to simulate game shape, but a player can build it up by playing.

"He skated three times last week, the last two times hard," Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said after Monday's practice. "He’s got no remaining effects from COVID as far his health, so it’s just a matter of him feeling that his conditioning and his timing will permit him to play. I have not spoken to him post-practice, I will here once I’m done. But he did tell me prior to practice not to rule him out, that he considered himself a possibility depending on how he would feel today at practice.”

Following the Flyers' 6-1 loss to the Bruins last Saturday, Gustafsson seems to be the obvious choice to come out of the lineup. The offseason acquisition hasn't shown much of his offensive strengths since the season opener and has had lapses in the defensive zone. The Flyers are not asking for shutdown qualities from Gustafsson, but they simply need more from him in the defensive zone if he's not transitioning the puck as well as he can.

“I believe Erik coming into a new environment, a new group of players, you always need a little bit of time to adjust. I’ve talked to him a little bit lately, I don’t think that he’s quite found his game yet, that puck-moving, steady defenseman that can help us spend a little less time in our zone," Vigneault said. "Defensively, I don’t expect him to be over-physical, but I do expect him to have a good stick and kill plays and stop plays when the opportunity is there. I don’t quite think that he has found his game, he’s aware of it, he knows and believes that he can play much better than he has so far.”

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