Nick Schultz helps offensively as Flyers win third in a row

PHILADELPHIA – —When he signed with the Flyers in the summer, Nick Schultz saw how general manager Ron Hextall was building a roster.

He knew he’d likely be the seventh defenseman, and if the opportunity presented itself, he’d get a chance to show he can be much more than that.

The first game of the season, Braydon Coburn went down with an injury, and the Flyers needed Schultz to step into an everyday role.

The veteran of nearly 1,000 games has proved he can do a lot of things ... including score.

Thursday night he scored his first game-winner since George W. Bush was in office, helping the Flyers beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2.

“It’s a great feeling, man,” said Schultz, who was honored with the Player of the Game cap hanging in his locker stall. “I’d like to score a lot more. It must be nice to score. You get paid a lot more, too. It’s fun to chip in and be a part of the offense and get an opportunity to put one in. Like I said, the big thing is two points, grinding away and try to get some wins.”

Schultz was the benefactor of rookie Petr Straka, in his second NHL game, pounding away at a rebound in front of goalie Michael Hutchinson. The rebound popped to Schultz, who scored his first goal in 126 games, his first game-winning tally since Nov. 2, 2006.

“I didn’t know how long or how many games he hasn’t been scoring, but he said in the intermission, ‘I think it’s been over 100 games,’ so even better,” defenseman Mark Streit said. “Great to see him getting rewarded.”

Schultz has worked his way up to the top pair, playing with Streit for the last few games. The guy who was signed as a spare part has been the Flyers’ most consistent performer on the blueline this season.

“He’s been in the league forever, veteran guy, really great in the locker room,” Streit said. “Everybody really loves him. We had a lot of injuries at the beginning of the year, and he got the opportunity, and he took advantage of it.”

The Flyers have certainly got their money’s worth out of Schultz, who signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Flyers. The only game he’s missed since coming into the lineup was Dec. 20, when he sat out with an injury.

“I’ve really enjoyed it here,” Schultz said. “My family enjoys it here. It’s been a great team to be a part of. I’m really enjoying it and trying to fit in and be a part of this team. I’d love to stay here. We’ll see what happens.”

In the meantime, he’ll take the win. He helped the Flyers tie a season high with their fourth three-game win streak. This particular one puts them nine points out of playoff contention.

“You can’t give up until you’re mathematically eliminated,” Schultz said. “You’re always a part of it, and stranger things have happened. You see what happens in sports each and every day. I think we’re gonna stick with it and keep battling hard. We’re playing pretty good hockey at home. We’ve got to transfer that over to our road games.”

The 32-year-old blueliner has only 26 games of playoff experience but has shown the calming influence of a player who’s used to winning.

“He’s been such a steady guy that myself personally can count on every single night to be there and cover my butt when I make mistakes,” said Steve Mason, who made 36 saves in his first start since Jan. 10. “He’s extremely valuable to our team, and the fact that he’s just such a steady presence back there, he calms everyone down, and with the injuries we’ve had it’s nice to have that kind of presence back there.”

“He’s been unbelievable steady for us. He’s been unreal,” added Wayne Simmonds, who had a goal and an assist in the win. “He does yeomen’s work on the (penalty kill) and 5-on-5 and every aspect of the game. He deserved that goal. That’s for sure.”

Reach Dave Isaac at disaac@courierpost online.com. Follow him on Twitter @davegisaac.