The Flyers bounce back from their worst loss of the season, beating the Ducks 5-2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Kevin Hayes had his first career hat trick, Rasmus Ristolainen and Morgan Frost also scored and the Philadelphia Flyers bounced back from their worst loss of the season with a 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.
The Flyers lost 6-0 at Boston in an afternoon game a day earlier that proved nothing more than a speed bump in their recent modest hitting streak. They still only have 19 wins, but have won four of five. They are 8-2 since an overtime win on Dec. 29 in San Jose and are playing hard under coach John Tortorella.
However, the more the Flyers win, the more it will cost them a better shot at winning the draft lottery. Philadelphia came in with just a 5% chance of winning the No. 1 pick, per Tankathon Tracking.
Torts doesn’t care.
He wants to win, now.
Hayes, selected to the NHL All-Star Game, made up for a turnover that led to a missed Anaheim breakaway when he scored his 11th goal of the season on a freebie from the Ducks in the opening period.
After Adam Henrique tied the game for the Ducks early in the second, the Flyers got going.
They scored the kind of unique goals that seemingly only happen when a team is on a streak. Ristolainen scored on a two-man rush for his first goal since January 22, 2022. It was the Flyers’ ninth-best NHL goal.
Frost made it 3-1 in the dying seconds of the period when he scored his ninth goal of the season through the legs of Anthony Stolarz.
Hayes scored again in the third for a 4-1 lead, the 30-year-old forward on pace for one of his best offensive seasons despite spending time in Tortorella’s dugout. Hayes was a healthy scratch earlier this season and has been benched for long stretches during games. He helped the Flyers go 10-3-1 since Dec. 5 when they scored more than three goals.
Hayes’ empty netter in the final seconds made it 5-2 and sent the Hats onto the ice.
Kevin Shattenkirk scored late in the third for the Ducks, who lost 4-3 in overtime a night earlier in Pittsburgh.
Samuel Ersson made 25 saves for the Flyers.
NOT ON ICE
Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov, the subject of recent trade speculation, did not participate in pregame warmups when the Flyers wore Pride-themed jerseys and used warm-up sticks wrapped in rainbow Pride tape .
UNTIL THE NEXT
Ducks: Play at Columbus on Thursday, the third stop on a six-game road trip.
Flyers: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
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