In front of a raucous Xfinity Mobile Arena on a night the Flyers honored late founder Ed Snider, Trevor Zegras scored a pair of goals, Cam York added a goal and an assist and Noah Cates registered two assists en route to a home victory for the Philly over the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday night. Let’s wrap:
Deep “Cut”
At the 4:15 mark of the opening period, Cutter Gauthier tallied his 20th goal of the season for the Ducks. Of course, this was Gauthier’s second game back in Philadelphia since the former fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft forced the Flyers to trade him a year ago for reasons still not clear to this day.
“There were a lot of emotions in the building,” Sean Couturier said. “Those kind of games are fun to play and I’m glad we showed up and had a good effort.”
Gauthier and the Ducks were met with loud boos as they took the ice for warmups and that persisted throughout the game. In fact, Gauthier was met with boos, obscenities and chants all night long. Moreover, he drew the ire of the Flyers players a number of times, who surely were aware he was on the ice each time he stepped out for a shift.
Flyers fans are likely never going to forget Gauthier’s decision to leave the organization, which should make a fun atmosphere every time he visits the city.
Ziggy Bank
Speaking of playing former teams, Trevor Zegras faced Anaheim for the first time since coming to the Flyers in an off-season trade this past summer and did not disappoint with his two goals. He spent five seasons with the Ducks, compiling 186 points in 268 games, but had fallen out of favor there. A Truly bittersweet night for the 24-year-old.
“It was cool, Zegras told the media postgame. “It was a tough ending with my time there and I’ve been thinking about this game for a long time. It was one that meant a lot to me. It was definitely cool to get one and then obviously two so special.”
Zegras is becoming a revelation for the Flyers this season. He leads the club in points, goals and assists and appears to loving his time in Philadelphia, both on and off the ice.
The Rough Stuff
From the onset, Tuesday’s game had quite the physical edge, almost as if it were a playoff game. With a total of 65 penalty minutes in the contest, the game started auspicious enough for fans of hard nosed hockey. At the 17:28 mark of the opening stanza, Anaheim’s Jansen Harkins torpedoed Bobby Brink with a huge, blindside hit that knocked the Flyer off his feet and eventually, out of the game. Noah Cates quickly stepped in and stuck up for Brink in a spirited, albeit short fight. Later, Garnet Hathaway threw two, bone-jarring hits, one of which led to a tussle with former Flyer Radko Gudas as well.
“He dragged a lot of guys in the fight,” Tocchet said of Hathaway. “Catesey too, give him a lot of credit sticking up for his teammates. Grebenkin at the end, he was feisty too. That’s what you have to do in your building.”
Perhaps in retaliation for Hathaway’s physicality, the Ducks’ Ross Johnston caught Flyers defensemen Jamie Drysdale with a knee-on-knee check that knocked the young defender out of the game early in the second period. Like Brink, Drysdale did not return after the collision. Johnston, on the other hand, received a five minute interference major and game misconduct on the play.
They Said It
Rick Tocchet on Zegras’ two-goal night: “That’s what Trev does, man. Those are two good one-timers. Like, Draisaitl is the best in the business. It looked a little Draisaitl-ish so it was nice.”
Trevor Zegras on being a Flyer and closing the door on his Ducks’ career: “This is home for me. I love being here. These guys are amazing. I’m having a blast so in a way yeah, but it’s always going to feel good playing them that’s for sure.”
Cam York on Noah Cates fighting: “It’s awesome. We have each other’s back here and we’re all brothers. Catesey’s not a guy that fights every night so to see that, it definitely means a little bit more.”
Did You Know?
According to NHL stats, Trevor Zegas, on his first of two first period goals, reached the 40 points mark with the Flyers (16-24—40 in 41 GP). He required the fewest games to 40 career points with the franchise since current general manager Danny Briere did so in 2007-08.
On Deck
The Flyers will play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Puckdrop is set for 7:00 p.m. and will broadcast locally on NBCSP.
