Ducks battle back, take a point in sluggish OT loss to Flyers

Pulling out points from games you shouldn’t have is essential to banking a standings stockpile towards a playoff berth, and while the Anaheim Ducks did just enough to get on the board on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Flyers showed how tight the margins can be in a playoff dogfight.

Anaheim overcame a two-goal deficit with a second-period strike from Cutter Gauthier and a game-tying marker from Leo Carlsson with just under two minutes to play, but an overtime turnover and a bounce gave Philadelphia the victory, 3-2, and the extra point at Honda Center.

The Flyers’ overtime-winner went to an offside review initiated by the NHL’s Toronto situation room, but the call on the ice was upheld.

“Pressed the game a little bit more,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said of the comeback. “You’re taking some risks, and offensively, we had some momentum going, got rewarded there with an icing, and a nice play around the net, but it’s a hard fought game. They were better than us first half, and we got way more competitive, and put us in a good spot. I’m very disappointed with the call at the end.”

In overtime, Beckett Sennecke attempted a between-the-legs pass just inside the offensive blue line, and that play was broken up the other way. Noah Cates corralled a bouncing puck as Matvei Michkov dragged across the blue line, but there wasn’t conclusive enough video evidence to overturn the call.

“100% offside from the way I looked at it,” Quenneville said emphatically.

The play was defended into the zone, where eventually the puck was played behind the net, off Jackson LaCombe’s leg, off Lukas Dostal’s skate and into the net.

Despite another slow start, the Ducks pulled out a crucial standings point.

Anaheim (37-27-4, 78 points) now holds a one-point division lead over Edmonton (34-26-9, 77 points) and a two-point lead over Vegas (31-23-14, 76 points) with 14 games to play.

Anaheim and Vegas are even on games played, both with one fewer than Edmonton.

The Ducks are next in Utah on Friday–a potential first-round playoff preview–before coming right back to host Buffalo on Sunday. Anaheim then heads out on a three-game Western Canadian trip beginning in Vancouver on Tuesday.

Trevor Zegras Returns

After five seasons in Anaheim and a trade to Philadelphia last summer, Trevor Zegras played his first game as a visitor to Honda Center.

The subplots continued on Wednesday between two teams tied together in trade history.

Cutter Gauthier scored his 35th goal of the season and registered a two-point night against the club that drafted him fifth overall in 2022, and while there was some noise in the stands with Zegras’ first game back at Honda Center, it was a less emotionally charged affair than January’s game in Philadelphia.

Zegras skated 18:27 time-on-ice and was a plus-1 with no points,

For more on Zegras’ reception, read the full story here: Flyers’ Trevor Zegras welcomed back in Anaheim return

Sluggish, Sloppy Start

Neither Anaheim nor Philadelphia has been a paragon of getting out to the races this season.

The Ducks’ 42 games trailing first are tied for third-most in the NHL with the Flyers’ 45 leading the league. It was Anaheim that fell to the mark on Wednesday with a turnover behind the net and early penalty trouble.

The Flyers pounced on John Carlson on the end boards, and with Olen Zellweger creeping down below the goal line to be an outlet, the turnover by Carlson provided a lane to a wide-open Luke Glendening for the Flyers’ opening goal.

Anaheim then took back-to-back penalties–Tim Washe for elbowing and Carlson for tripping–that derailed any early attempts to get back level.

“Anytime you start off a game with back-to-back penalties,” Cutter Gauthier said, “it’s tough to get your feet under you and you get a feel for the game, and I thought it was just a little bit of a slow start from our group.”

Midway through the second period, a point shot got through Olen Zellweger in the mid-slot, which left Owen Tippet all alone in front to put home the Flyers’ second strike.

“Just didn’t play hard enough, I think,” Leo Carlsson said of the start. “Played just weird hockey, but got back to it in the third, but, yeah, too late there.”

Battling Through

The Flyers are a stout defensive group, and Philadelphia used that ability to clog up the Ducks’ preferred rush opportunities and deny Anaheim any rhythm for a smooth comeback.

“It was one of those nights where we definitely didn’t have our A game,” Cutter Gauthier said, “and we have to figure out a way to really elevate our B game and be able to beat teams in our B game. I think it’s a learning experience for us.”

Anaheim has run into a few teams in the last week with a structured defensive approach–shutouts against Ottawa and St. Louis–and they had their troubles with the tight gaps of the Flyers’ defense. While none of those three teams are currently in playoff positions, Ottawa (77 points) and Philadelphia (76 points) are neck-and-neck with the Ducks point totals while scrapping just five and six points out, respectively, of the last playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

“That’s basically how the league’s gonna be down the stretch here,” Joel Quenneville said, “You gotta just find a way to get ugly pucks behind them, and then, see what it can turn into some offensive zone time or possession.”

Anaheim has found its comeback ability–a league-high 21 comeback wins–and nearly pulled it off again against the Flyers.

Pavel Mintyukov followed Quenneville’s advice and forechecked deep on a four-on-four. Like the Flyers’ opening goal, Mintyukov forced a turnover and fed the puck in front to Gauthier for the silky finish.

The Ducks battled for the game-tying goal, as well. Gauthier blasted a point shot through a crowded middle of the ice, Troy Terry fed the puck in front, and in the chaos, Leo Carlsson put the loose puck into the open net to tie with under two minutes remaining.

Anaheim has not made the playoffs in seven seasons, and as such, its young players have obviously never been close to the postseason. However, they’re getting their small taste now, and they’re beginning to realize their early efforts won’t be good enough for much longer.

“This is playoff hockey pretty much,” Gauthier said. “Last 10, 15 games this season, everyone’s fighting for points, and it’s not easy hockey. Coming out of the break, everyone kind of knew that going into it, and it’s unfortunate we’re not able to get some of the points on that road trip that I felt we could have. But with the last 14 games here, I think we can have a conversation in the locker room and get things dialed in and go from there.”

Roster Notes

Mason McTavish was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game…. Troy Terry played his second game in return from an upper-body injury, following a maintenance day on Tuesday and not participating in the morning skate on Wednesday…. Radko Gudas served the third game of his five-game suspension for kneeing Toronto’s Auston Matthews…. Ross Johnston is out three-to-four weeks with a lower-body injury.