Wrap: Flyers Rebound to Beat Anaheim, 5-2
One evening after getting thoroughly trounced, 6-0, by the league-leading Boston Bruins at TD Garden, the Flyers responded by establishing early control and going to defeat the Anaheim Ducks by a 5-2 score at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday evening.
The Flyers are 8-2-0 over their last 10 games. On Tuesday, a hat trick from Kevin Hayes, a shorthanded goal by Rasmus Ristolainen (1g, 1a) and a highlight reel goal by Morgan Frost provided the offensive support. After being held off the scoresheet the previous two games on the heels of a 10-game (10g, 10a) point streak, Travis Konecny chipped in two assists against the Ducks.
Philly also some resiliency in the game. Despite dominating for the first 24 minutes, they only held a 1-0 lead. Suddenly, the Ducks score on a 3-on-2 rush to tie the game. Rather than sagging, the Flyers found a way to re-establish control. The Ristolainen shorthanded goal was a lift for the entire team, and the Flyers went on to build a 4-1 lead by early in the third period.
A Hayes power play goal (11th goal of the season) at 13:32 of the first period gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Despite a heavy territorial and scoring chance edge to the Flyers, the Hayes tally was the lone goal of the opening stanza.
Adam Henrique (15th) tied the game at 1-1 at the 7:39 of the second period. Rasmus Ristolainen restored a 2-1 lead for the Flyers with a shorthanded goal on a backhander at 12:43. Morgan Frost (9th) built a 3-1 lead with a highlight reel between-the-legs marker at 19:21.
At 2:30 of the third period, Hayes scored his second goal of the game (12th of the season) to open a 4-1 lead. With 1:09 left in the game, a point shot by Kevin Shattenkirk with traffic in front found made it past Ersson for a a power play goal (1st) at 18:51. Hayed completed a hat trick with his third of the game (13th) into an empty net at 19:16.
Samuel Ersson earned his second win of the season against Anaheim. He stopped 24 of 26 shots. Ersson saw only four shots in the first period but stayed focused. Former Flyers/Phantoms goalie Anthony Stolarz battled hard in a losing cause. He stopped 34 of 38 shots.
The Flyers went 1-for-5 on the power play. The Ducks were 1-for-3.
For a detailed period-by-period synopsis, analysis, stats and highlights from Tuesday's game, see the Postgame 5 on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com.
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Provorov Skips Warmup, Plays in Game
Tuesday's game at the Wells Fargo Center was the team's annual Pride Night. In past years, Flyers players have sported optional rainbow-colored stick tape in warmups. This year, all players on the team wore warmup jerseys with rainbow-themed numbering and lettering. Scott Laughton and James van Riemsdyk, who are spokespeople and leaders in the player-involvement side of the NHL's "You Can Play" initiative, met with members of the LGTBQ community before the game.
Ivan Provorov defenseman elected not to participate in warmups, because he did not want to wear the rainbow jersey. The player stated that he was staying true to his beliefs as a member of the Russian Orthodox Church and, while he respects the choices of others, he felt it was improper to participate based on his religion.
“I respect everyone. I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion," Provorov said. He declined to comment further, answering only hockey-related questions.
With Provorov absent, Justin Braun skated in warmups with the team. Provorov, however, played in the game (22:45 TOI, one shot on goal on three attempts, one hit, one giveaway).
Flyers head coach John Tortorella briefly addressed the situation after the game. He said that he thought Pride Night is a positive initiative and it had been a great night. Tortorella referred to the statement the Flyers' organization issued earlier in the evening when the story broke. The Flyers head coach added that he respected the reasoning for Provorov's decision not to take part in the warmup and did not consider scratching the player from the game lineup.
"With Provy, he’s being true to himself and to his religion,… Tortorella said.
The Flyers; public statement was as follows: "The Philadelphia Flyers organization is committed to inclusivity and is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community. Many of our players are active in their support of local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we were proud to host our annual Pride Night again this year. The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.…
Laughton spoke to the media at the end of the players' postgame availability.
"Me and JVR just got back from a room with about 50 people from the community. It was a great night. Amazing initiative, and something that's been close to me for a long time. I know for Reemer, too. So I'm going to leave it at that, to be honest. I think it's a great, great night that brings a lot of awareness. I know [Tortorella and Provorov] spoke on it and, yeah, I'll leave it at that," Laughton said.
Reporters continued to ask Laughton about the situation from a variety of standpoints: Does it reflect poorly if someone separates himself from what the rest of the team, regardless of their personal viewpoints, did? Is is frustrating to have to talk about a teammate's participation or non-participation rather than how the team played?
Laughton said that he doesn't personally hold it against anyone if they have different beliefs. He said that "conversations have been had" and will continue to be had among the players.