Quick Hits: Jan. 30, 2022
1) The Flyers salvaged a win in their final game of January with a 4-3 overtime win over the LA Kings on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. A hard-working effort up and down the Philadelphia lineup helped to eke out the victory.
The Flyers led by scores of 2-0 and 3-1 but it took an overtime goal by Scott Laughton (7th of the season) to nail down a victory. Cam Atkinson notched even strength and shorthanded goals in the game and then assisted on Laughton's game-winner. The victory halted a 13-game winless streak for the Flyers. It also marked the team's long-elusive first win of the 2022 calendar year.
Midway through the first period, Gerry Mayhew (3rd goal of the season) finished off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence to tally the lone goal of the opening stanza.
In the middle of the second period, Atkinson (16th) potted a rebound goal off a creative play by Claude Giroux. Viktor Arvidsson (11th) narrowed the Flyers' lead down to 2-1 in the last five minutes of the frame.
Atkinson (17th) notched an unassisted shorthanded goal at 9:06 of the third period but LA got it right back with a power play goal that deflected in off Arvidsson at 10:51. In the final 38 seconds of regulation, Anze Kopitar (14th) forced overtime.
Carter Hart was outstanding in goal for the Flyers. He stopped 37 of 40 shots. He had little to no chance on any of the three LA goals and was victimized by two bad bounces.
Jonathan Quick took the loss. He made 32 saves on 36 Flyers shots.
The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. They were 2-for-3 on the penalty kill with Atkinson scoring shorthanded but LA getting the goal right back.
For an in-depth game synopsis period by period and analysis, see the
Postgame 5 on the Flyers official website.
2) The Flyers will hold a limited practice on Sunday at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. Only a few players -- those rehabbing injuries, a few rookies, etc. -- are expected to participate. The full team will reconvene on Monday ahead of hosting the Winnipeg Jets at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday evening.
3) In his NHL debut game on Saturday, Isaac Ratcliffe recorded four hits (including flattening LA's Mikey Anderson in the first period) and had three shots on goal (including a bonafide scoring chance from the bottom of the left circle) in limited ice time. Ratcliffe skated 9:02 TOI across 12 shifts.
4) Saturday's game was Morgan Frost's best all-around performance since Dec. 30 in San Jose. (when he was on a line with Oskar Lindblom and Travis Konecny). In recent games, Frost began to move his feet and get more involved in the play -- with linemate Gerry Mayhew pushing the pace and Frost following suit.
On Saturday, Frost kept pushing the pace but also added in some skill plays. He was instrumental in Mayhew's goal, both at the start of the play in the defensive zone and then making a good pass to an oncoming Rasmus Ristolainen. Frost also had five shots on goal, including a stutter-step and shot using a defenseman as a screen, and a buzzer beater attempt just before the horn.
5) AHL: The Lehigh Valley Phantoms skated to a 4-0 shutout road victory on Saturday behind a 26-save performance from Pat Nagle. Hayden Hodgson (9th goal of the season), Wyatte Wylie (1st), Alex Kile (2nd) and Garrett Wilson (10th) notched the Lehigh Valley goals. The Phantoms grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. Linus Sandin and Matthew Strome earned respective 2nd-Star and 3rd-Star honors for strong two-way games and an assist apiece for the Phantoms.
The Phantoms (13-14-8) will complete their 3-in-3 gauntlet on Sunday. Ian Laperriere's team will host the Hershey Bears (21-12-5) at the PPL Center. Game time is 5 p.m. ET. Hershey is playing the second game of a back-to-back but they've been home for over a week, while the Phantoms played in Springfield on Friday and Hartford on Saturday. The Bears defeated the Bridgeport Islanders, 2-1, at the Giant Center on Saturday.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»