Kevin Hayes records a hat trick as the Flyers rebound against the Anaheim Ducks, 5-2
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With offensively gifted, viral-goal-scoring Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras sitting on the visiting bench on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center, center Morgan Frost issued a reminder that the Flyers boast some skill of their own.
Frost’s between-the-legs goal at the side of the net highlighted the Flyers’ 5-2 victory over the Ducks, a resounding rebound against one of the league’s worst team’s after suffering a 6-0 drubbing by one of its best in the Boston Bruins the day before. Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk, known for his slick stickhandling with the puck at the front of the net, watched on in appreciation as Frost scored his ninth goal of the season.
“I grew up watching the Leafs, just being from Toronto,” Frost said. “I saw [van Riemsdyk] do that a bunch when he was there. I was just telling him that I’ve seen that from him before. It was an ode to him.”
The Flyers never trailed against the lowly Ducks, thanks to the first career hat trick by forward Kevin Hayes (one power play, one even strength, one empty net), plus goals from defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (shorthanded) and Frost. They dominated the Ducks in the first period, outshooting them, 17-4. Through 60 minutes, the Flyers outshot the Ducks, 39-27.
Ducks winger Frank Vatrano scored a late power-play goal on a tip past goalie Samuel Ersson, but his efforts weren’t enough to dig the visitors out of the hole. Now, the Flyers have won eight of their last 10 games and are five points out of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
Before the game, defenseman Ivan Provorov did not participate in warmups, during which the Flyers wore Pride Night-themed jerseys. Postgame, Provorov said it was his choice to stay “true to [himself] and [his] religion” by not wearing the jersey. He confirmed after the game he is Russian Orthodox.
Pouncing on penalties
The Ducks were called for three minor penalties in the first period alone, challenging the Flyers’ power play to capitalize on their mistakes. Two of those penalties overlapped — too many men, served by winger Max Comtois, and a Vatrano tripping penalty drawn by Frost as he attempted to enter the offensive zone. The Flyers squandered all 43 seconds at five-on-three, failing to register a single shot on goal in that span and allowing a shorthanded breakaway when Comtois came out of the box.
However, Comtois shot wide, and the Flyers regrouped on the man advantage. Winger Travis Konecny fanned on a one-timer, and while Comtois collected the stray puck, van Riemsdyk forced a turnover to keep the puck in the Flyers’ zone. The sequence ended with Hayes firing a wrist shot from the right circle past the glove of Ducks goalie Anthony Stolarz to put the Flyers up, 1-0. Through three periods, the Flyers went 1-for-5 on the power play, generating 10 shots total.
“It just shows the resilience that we have,” Hayes said of the team’s rebound. “At this point of the season, you don’t want to keep losing games. It’s very important to kind of nip it in the bud right when it happens.”
Putting the power in power kill
The Flyers got a bit loose in the second period, allowing the Ducks a couple of high-danger scoring chances after holding them without one in the first. Ducks center Adam Henrique scored point-blank on Ersson when the Ducks had numbers entering the Flyers’ zone. The Ducks earned an opportunity to pull ahead when Patrick Brown was called for tripping just four minutes after Henrique’s goal to put the Flyers on the penalty kill.
But the Flyers took advantage of the Ducks’ 30th-ranked power play, killing their momentum and getting back on the attack. Center Scott Laughton collected a rebound in the slot, then skated up the ice on a two-on-one with hard-hitting Ristolainen. Laughton put a perfect pass on Ristolainen’s tape, and he scored on a backhander to put the Flyers back up, 2-1. The goal marked Ristolainen’s first of the season and the Flyers’ ninth shorthanded, the league’s high.
“It was nice to see everyone excited and kind of being happy with me,” Ristolainen said. “It was an important moment to score the leading goal.”
Ersson earns fifth straight victory
While Ersson faced just four shots on goal in the first period, the Flyers let the Ducks back in during the second, as they generated nine more. There wasn’t much he could do about the Henrique goal, but he came up with key saves on other Ducks scoring chances. Before Ristolainen’s shorthanded goal, Ersson made a glove save on Ducks center Ryan Strome through traffic to keep the Ducks from capitalizing on their power play.
Ersson, tested infrequently, stood tall through 60 minutes, finishing the night with 24 saves on 26 shots. With his victory over the Ducks on Tuesday, Ersson became the third goaltender in Flyers history to earn wins in each of his first five decisions with the club (5-0-0). He joins Bob Froese (8-0-0 from Jan. 8-27, 1983) and Antero Niittymaki (5-0-0 from Feb. 4, 2004-Oct. 14, 2005).
What’s next
The Flyers continue their two-game homestand on Thursday when they face off against the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia).
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