The Philadelphia Flyers (32-23-12) built a 2-0 lead with goals from Luke Glendening and Owen Tippett but were pushed to the brink after the Anaheim Ducks (37-27-4) clawed their way back to tie it late. Noah Cates stepped up when it mattered most, sealing a 3-2 win in overtime to kick off the California road trip.
1st Period
The Flyers wasted no time getting on the board. Just 2:51 into the game, Glendening opened the scoring, his first goal as a Flyer. The play developed along the boards before Cam York fed Glendening right in front of Lukáš Dostál, and he buried it to give Philadelphia an early 1-0 lead. Garnet Hathaway picked up the secondary assist.
Philadelphia had chances to build on that lead with back-to-back power plays midway through the period, first when Tim Washe was called for elbowing and then when John Carlson went to the box for tripping. Tippett and Travis Sanheim both generated shots on goal and Denver Barkey nearly capitalized in tight, but the Flyers’ power play came up empty once again.
The Ducks got their first opportunity with the man advantage late in the period when York was sent to the box for interference, but the Flyers’ penalty kill got the job done. Christian Dvorak, Rasmus Ristolainen, Sanheim, and Glendening all contributed to keeping Anaheim off the board.
The physicality picked up late in the period, resulting in penalties to Matvei Michkov and Pavel Mintyukov. Michkov threw a punch and Mintyukov tried to escalate things by dropping the gloves, but Michkov skated away from the altercation, leaving both with minor penalties.
2nd Period
Anaheim opened the second period with back-to-back power play opportunities, first with Dvorak called for holding and then Travis Konecny for holding, but the Flyers’ penalty kill continued to deliver. Sean Couturier came up with key clears on both kills, while Cates and Dvorak added strong defensive efforts to keep the Ducks from finding any rhythm.
At 7:53, the Flyers doubled their lead thanks to Tippett, who capped off a strong shift with his 23rd of the season. After battling for the puck behind the net, Tippett worked it up to Sanheim, who quickly returned it to him in front. Tippett slipped it past Dostál to make it 2-0.
Philadelphia had two more power play opportunities later in the period, coming from penalties to Cutter Gauthier for high-sticking and Jeffrey Viel for cross-checking, but could not convert, continuing their recent struggles with the man advantage. Tippett remained noticeable throughout, generating another chance and continuing his strong stretch of play.
Late in the period, Anaheim finally broke through with the man advantage as Michkov sat for holding. Mintyukov stole the puck from Ristolainen on the boards and dished it to Gauthier in front. Gauthier went top shelf, beating Dan Vladař to cut the Flyers’ lead in half.
3rd Period
About six minutes into the third, Nick Seeler dropped the gloves with Jansen Harkins and got the better of him. Harkins was the one who delivered the hit that concussed Bobby Brink in January, which led to Noah Cates taking on his first career fight, so the bad blood was still there.
As the clock wound down, Anaheim pushed hard to find the equalizer. With Dostál pulled for the extra attacker, the Ducks broke through at 18:06. Gauthier fired the initial shot, Troy Terry got a piece of it, and Leo Carlsson cleaned up the rebound on the open side of the net to tie the game at 2-2.
The Flyers nearly responded in the final moments, as Seeler fired a shot from up high that was redirected and rang off the post, just inches away from ending it in regulation.
Overtime
Play was going back-and-forth between the Ducks and the Flyers. At 2:17 of overtime, Cates intercepted a between-the-legs pass attempt from Beckett Sennecke. He and Michkov broke in on a 2-on-1, with Michkov getting the initial shot. Cates followed up, collecting the rebound and banking it off Dostál and into the net for the game-winner.
The play was reviewed for a potential offside, but after review, it was ruled good, securing the Flyers’ 3-2 victory. It marked Cates’ second overtime winner of the season and of his career.
Up Next
The Flyers continue their road trip on Thursday, March 19, when they take on the Los Angeles Kings (28-24-15) at Crypto.com Arena. Puck drop is set for 10:30pm/ET.
