The Philadelphia Flyers were looking to get back in the win column following their 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday. However, following the Stars game as the Flyers prepared for Anaheim, head coach John Tortorella announced at morning skate Saturday that Joel Farabee would be scratched. Replacing Farabee’s place in the lineup was Olle Lycksell.
Flyers updates
Saturday’s morning skate was optional, with only six Flyers taking the ice, including Joel Farabee, Ollie Lycksell, Sean Couturier, Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov. Following the workout, Lycksell touched on playing his second game for the Flyers this season, “Nice to know you’re playing tonight on the morning skate. A little more fired up.” Lycksell said having a fellow Swedish player with him was also lovely as he looked over at Sam Ersson.
The Cutter Gauthier effect
While the Flyers and the Ducks were never rivals, last night’s game differed. This was the first time Philadelphia fans were able to see Cutter Gauthier. The Flyers drafted Gauthier fifth overall at the 2022 NHL Entry Level Draft. With Gauthier’s promise, Flyers fans were over the moon about having him wear the orange and the black. However, last year, on January 9th, 2024, it was announced during the Flyers Penguins game that the Flyers traded Gauthier to Anaheim in return for Jamie Drysdale.
This shocked the Flyers fanbase as Gauthier never took the ice as a Flyer. However, Gauthier didn’t want to play in the City, so he put Danny Briere and Keith Jones in a challenging position to get a player who showed his value. While Gauthier wanted out of Philadelphia, he never presented a reason as to why, but then made remarks a few weeks back that he had the game circled in his calendar. Flyers fans were angry, not only because of the loss of potential talent but because of the lack of respect he showed the organization, such as Patrick Sharp, who flew out to Europe to talk to him, which he ignored.
Flyers fans were eager to give Gauthier a Philly welcome. Before warmups, the booing had already begun. It didn’t stop as it continued throughout warmups, after warmups, when Cutter took the ice for his first shift, and whenever he touched the puck. Chants included “F*** you, Cutter” and “Jamie’s better.”
While this gave the building a massive burst of energy, the tremendous game the Flyers displayed made the night one to remember. The Flyers had something to play for: to show Gauthier what being a Flyer is all about.
Flyers vs Ducks recap
Morgan Frost started the scoring after a great feed from Travis Konency to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Philadelphia maintained a solid amount of puck possession in the offensive zone. However, the most cinematic goal happened on the Flyers’ second power play of the night. The former Anaheim Duck Jamie Drysdale, who was traded due to Gauthier wanting out of Philadelphia, was able to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead. The Wells Fargo Center erupted with “Jamie’s better” chants, but this time even louder.
This was Drysdale’s second goal of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Drysdale talked about the chants following the game, “It was pretty special to hear the crowd going like that. Unbeleive fans and they were rocking tonight.” After 20 loud minutes, Philly led the Ducks 2-0.
There was a lot of chippiness on the ice as, at one point, there were three Anaheim Ducks in the penalty box. However, the home team would maintain their composure in this playoff-like environment. Konency recorded his second assist as Tippett tipped in Konecny’s shot. The home team now led the Ducks 3-0 after 40 minutes. The environment only grew louder as fans knew the final frame would be chaotic, and it was.
Seconds into the third period, Ryan Poehling increased Philadelphia’s lead to 4-0. Poehling played aggressive hockey throughout the night and had a few shot attempts before his goal. After Matvei Michkov served a two-minute minor for roughing, he was able to redeem himself with a power play goal. Michkov’s been struggling a little lately, but the pure excitement as the rookie increased the lead to 5-0 energized the barn.
Garnet Hathaway was another player who hadn’t been scoring as much but was able to secure the Flyers’ final goal of the game. The Flyers defeated Anaheim 6-0.
This was a shutout win for Sam Ersson, who saved all 22 shots on goal. Following the game, Ersson spoke about playing in an environment where fans were loud and energetic. “Definitely crazy. It is probably the loudest this place has been since I’ve played here. I’m glad we could play well in front of them. They give us so much energy being so loud, and we give it back to them.”
The Goalie had a challenging game against the Stars Thursday, and even Tortorella mentioned how important this win was for Ersson after the game. However, the head coach didn’t believe anything with Gauthier impacted the game. He wants the Flyers to have an environment such as last night’s game that means something from within the team and not an outside factor. However, Matvei Michkov thought the environment was exceptional and thanked the fans.
Overall, Philly not only won the contest but were able to show someone who didn’t want to be in the organization what Flyers hockey is truly all about: passion.
The Flyers have an off day on Sunday. On Monday, they return to action to host the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images