ANAHEIM — Returning from a four-day Christmas break, the Ducks hosted the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday for a matinee that would’ve made more sense on Halloween.
From festive to frightening, the first match of a three-game Ducks homestand was defined by spooky moments that players on both sides could not see until it was too late.
With orange and black as the order of the day at the Honda Center, the Ducks suffered a spooky 3-1 defeat to the sixth-place team in the Metropolitan Division.
Following a scoreless first period, Philadelphia broke through in the second when Bobby Brink skated into the Ducks zone from the blue line, circled behind the net and found winger Noah Cates in front of the net for a simple finish at 4:03.
Cates’ seventh goal of the season elevated over goalkeeper Lukas Dostal, who was sprawled face down in the crease after reacting to a potential wraparound shot thanks to Brink’s industrious effort with the puck.
The Ducks (13-17-4) tied it up at 1-1 at 15:38 with a Troy Terry wrister between the legs of Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim.
Standing alone at the blue line, Terry received the puck on a long pass across the neutral zone, giving him an angle to go at Flyers goalkeeper Samuel Ersson.
The visiting Swedish netminder didn’t have much of a chance as his view was obstructed from Terry’s attempt at the moment Ducks center Mason McTavish skated into his line of sight.
Terry’s goal, his 10th of the season, held until 5:57 of the third period, when Philadelphia forward Morgan Frost again made the Ducks pay from behind their own net.
Related Articles
Rested Ducks take on Flyers, Oilers at home this weekend
Ducks can’t solve Golden Knights, who complete season sweep
Mason McTavish delivers shootout win for Ducks in Utah
Ducks and dads hit the road for games against Utah and Vegas
Ducks start strong but fall to Avalanche
Starting in the Flyer’s zone, Scott Laughton pushed the puck ahead to Brink, who moved into the Ducks end of the ice and skated past a defender along the boards. Behind the goal line, Brink cut back a pass in search of a teammate in the slot. Instead, the puck caromed off the inside of Dostal’s stick and snuck inside the upper corner for a 2-1 Philadelphia lead.
The visitors, now 16-16-4, made it 3-1 at 17:40 once the Ducks failed to convert on their fourth power play of the afternoon. This made them 1 for their last 23 with a man advantage.
Having served a two-minute minor penalty for too many men on the ice, forward Joel Farabee hopped onto the ice and snuck up on Olen Zellweger, who was working the point at the Ducks blue line, before finishing his fifth goal of the year against an empty net.