PHILADELPHIA – With 44 seconds left in the game, Kevin Hayes hit for this third goal of the night on Tuesday to help the Flyers to a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
It was Hayes’ first career hat trick in the NHL.
Samuel Ersson made 25 saves in the Flyers win.
“I think you need to answer,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “Both teams played last night. We really spent a lot of our [pregame] meeting just talking about being simple and trying to play as fast as we can. I think in the back to backs, the team that starts the quickest I think has the biggest edge.
“I thought we had a really good first period. It was worrisome in how their goalie played, only coming away with one. They score, the team could have tightened up a little bit. But I thought we just stayed with it.”
The Flyers moved to 19-19-7.
Adam Henrique and Frank Vatrano were the Ducks strikers.
“I think it was just execution everywhere,” Henrique said. “Certainly, [we] probably could have prevented a few of the goals with mistakes that we made, whether it be turnovers or whatever it was. That’s where we didn’t give ourselves an opportunity throughout the game.”
Anaheim dropped to 12-28-5 on their fifth straight loss.
Hayes scored off the power play in the first period to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead, Henrique tied the 1-1, in the middle frame.
“I just try to play,” Henrique said. “Just try to play the right way, play for the linemates, be in the right position and just try to work and try to lead by example. … It’s nice, but certainly [I’d] rather have the two points.”
The Flyers got the lead back on a shorthanded strike from Rasmus Ristolainen.
“I don’t have too many in me, so it’s always nice one when you can score,” Ristolainen said.
Morgan Frost scored in the closing minute of the Second for a 3-1 advantage to the Flyers.
Hayes scored his second of the night in third for a 4-1 lead, and Vatrano added the Ducks second goal.
Anthony Stolarz made 34 saves in the Ducks loss.
You must be logged in to post a comment.