Flyers waddle past Ducks; get back to hockey .500

The Philadelphia Flyers took on the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 28 to start their road trip out west and a set of back-to-back games. They got back to hockey .500 with a 3-1 win, and Noah Cates continued to stay hot. The Flyers are now 16-16-4 on the season.

The Flyers got the game's first power play at the 7:30 mark of the first period as Cutter Gauthier got called for hooking. They struggled to get set up in the offensive zone and turned the puck over too much. The Ducks also got a great scoring chance while shorthanded.

Matvei Michkov got called for high-sticking at the 10:25 mark of the first period which gave the Ducks their first power play of the game. The Ducks only recorded one shot on net but it was a dangerous one. Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson had to make a big save.

The Ducks received their second power play of the game at the 1:45 mark of the second period as Garnet Hathaway got called for tripping. The power play only lasted five seconds because Troy Terry got called for tripping Cates. This made it four-on-four.

Cates took advantage of the four-on-four and scored at the 4:03 mark of the second period. This was the fifth straight game that he's scored a goal for the Flyers. Bobby Brink took the puck around the Ducks net, found Cates in front, and put it past Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal. Brink and Cam York picked up assists.

The Flyers got their third power play at the 7:07 mark of the second period as Radko Gudas got called for holding. It was another lackluster power play as the Flyers only got one good shot on net and the Ducks yet again got a good chance while shorthanded.

Terry tied the game up at one for the Ducks at the 15:38 mark of the third period. The Flyers gave him way too much space and his snap shot beat the blocker of Ersson. Gudas and Jackson LaCombe tallied assists.

Tyson Foerster got called for slashing at the 15:55 mark of the second period which gave the Ducks their third power play. They didn't capitalize on the opportunity, but Ersson had to make some huge saves to keep the game tied.

Morgan Frost gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead at the 5:57 mark of the third period. He crashed the net and his backhanded shot took a lucky bounce off of Dostal's stick and into the net. Frost also made a great move to get around the Duck defender. Scott Laughton collected the lonely assist.

Drew Helleson got called for high-sticking at the 13:38 mark of the third period. This gave the Flyers their fourth power play of the game. With only nine seconds left, the Flyers got caught with too many men on the ice. This made it an abbreviated four-on-four.

Joel Farabee gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead just as he left the penalty box. The Duck defenseman didn't know he had left and Farabee stole the puck and sent it into the empty net. This would put the game away. No assists were given.

Frank Vatrano got called for roughing at the 18:57 mark of the third period which gave the Flyers their fifth power play. The Ducks would pull their goaltender in favor of the extra attacker but they didn't capitalize.

The Flyers went 0 for 5 on the power play but killed off all four of the Ducks.

Ersson kept the Flyers in the game all night long and put together a solid performance. He saved 32 of 33 shots, giving him a .970 save percentage.

Goal Summary

1st Period:

No goals

2nd Period:

Cates (7) Assists: Brink (12), York (5)

Terry (10) Assists: Gudas (7), LaCombe (6)

3rd Period:

Frost (7) Assists: Laughton (12)

Farabee (5) (Empty Net) Assists: none

Flyers Next Game

Flyers next game is Sunday, Dec. 29 in Los Angeles against the Kings.