PHILADELPHIA – Ahead of the Anaheim Ducks’ four-game road trip finale, Joel Quenneville charged his squad to “do anything and everything to win the hockey game” in an effort to correct a winless trip.
Anaheim did a bit of everything in coming back twice from down two goals and giving up a shorthanded goal to surge back over the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-4, on Saturday afternoon at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The Ducks (5-6-0, 10 points) snapped a five-game losing streak with their first comeback victory of the season.
Leo Carlsson got the Ducks on the board in the second period with his first five-on-five goal since the season opener. AJ Greer tied the game up on a video-reviewed squeaker, 2-2, and Judd Caulfield brought the Ducks even again later in the middle frame, 3-3.
Tristan Luneau put Anaheim ahead in the third period, and Beckett Sennecke broke an 0-for-17 power play stretch for the Ducks for a 5-3 lead.
Matvei Michkov opened the scoring around traffic on a five-on-three power play, and Porter Martone cashed in down low on the ensuing five-on-four for a 2-0 first-period lead. After the Ducks leveled, Tyson Foerester whipped in a shorthanded strike to go back ahead 3-2.
Michkov scored his second of the game jamming in a loose puck in front to cut the Ducks lead, 5-4.
Lukáš Dostál stopped 28 of 32 shots in his eighth start in 11 games for Anaheim. Joseph Woll made 21 saves for the Flyers.
Anaheim next returns to Orange County to kick off a three-game homestand, beginning with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.After the previous two losses of the road trip on Long Island and in New Jersey, several Ducks had preached a stronger start and being the initiator not the reactor.
That effort was present in the opening shifts in Philadelphia, but by the end of the first 20 minutes, Anaheim was where they’ve been all road trip–behind.
Sam Colangelo picked up a roughing penalty after retaliating to a hit along the boards, and AJ Greer stepped in to challenge Hunter McDonald to a fight. Despite both players dropping their gloves near simultaneously, Greer was assessed an extra penalty for instigating.
The Ducks were down two men, and in short order, they were down two goals.
Just 18 seconds into the five-on-three, Matvei Michkov fired a puck around traffic for the opening strike, 1-0, and one minute later, Travis Sanheim threaded a pass between Tim Washe and both of Anaheim’s down low defenders (Jackson LaCombe and Noah Warren) to Porter Martone at the far post, 2-0.
Former Duck Trevor Zegras picked up secondary assists on both power play markers. Anaheim has allowed a power play goal in each of its last five games.
It was an all too familiar position for Anaheim on this trip, but slowly–and more than once–the Ducks fought their way back.
Carlsson got on the board as he finished a feed from Cutter Gauthier in the slot for his first goal in five games.
This was Carlsson’s first trip to Philadelphia since signing Flyers’ NHL-record offer sheet that the Ducks matched in July. There was curiosity in what the reaction would be to the Swede, but it wasn’t much.
“I don’t really have any expectations on how it’s going to go. We’ll see,” Carlsson said before the road trip. “I think the focus is going to be on Cutter still.”
It was the third time back for former Flyers draft pick Gauthier, and the fans did indeed gave him their familiar Broad Street Bully welcome every time he touched the puck and when they announced his assist on Carlsson’s goal.
Five minutes later, AJ Greer got a quick shot off that rung off the far post, deflected parallel to the goal line toward Woll’s skate and then slowly over the line. It was initially ruled no goal, but after video review–extremely similar placement to Ryan Poehling’s overtime winner against Edmonton last playoffs–Anaheim was awarded the equalizer, 2-2.
Philadelphia went back ahead with a shorthanded sharp-angle squeaker, as Tyson Foerester whipped a shot around a sliding Carlsson on the backcheck that Dostál let just slip under his stick and pad, 3-2.
Just over a minute later after the power play expired, Anaheim was level again, as Judd Caulfield drover the center lane and popped an Alex Killorn feed over the falling Woll, 3-3.
The Ducks surge continued into the third period, where they finally got a gift their way.
Similar to Foerester’s go-ahead marker, Tristan Luneau went down the right side and fired a puck outside the circle along the boards that found a hole in Woll for the lead, 4-3.
Anaheim continued to roll and finally came through on the power play.
Mikael Granlund kept the play alive with tight stick skills on the wall and tapped out to LaCombe, who found Carlsson on the left side. Carlsson zipped the puck to Sennecke in front for the two-goal lead, 5-3.Anaheim was scoreless on its previous 17 power plays dating back to the first period against Calgary six games ago.
The Flyers did not go quietly and pulled one back one minute later, as Michkov jammed in his second finding a loose puck in a netmouth scramble, 5-4.
After giving up that shorthanded stinker, Dostál made key saves down the stretch to preserve the win.