PHILADELPHIA – The crowd was already jacked up to shower ex-Flyer Cutter Gauthier with boos and get the Flyers fired up.
But then Anaheim’s Ross Johnston laid a blind-side cheap shot hit on Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale early in the second period and the anger index at Xfinity Mobile Arena went way up.
Credit the Flyers with not getting too caught up in exacting revenge.
They stuck to business and used a pair of Trevor Zegras goals, plus another Dan Vladar strong goaltending performance to send the Ducks packing on Tuesday night by a 5-2 score.
Zegras, who joined the Flyers last summer after a trade with the Ducks, suggested it was fun to stick it to his old team.
“Yeah, it was cool,” he said after the game. “I’ve been thinking about this game for a long time. It was one that meant a lot to me.”
Of course, a sellout, emotional crowd at XMA only added to the overall vibe of this game. There were plenty of cheers for Zegras and plenty of R-rated chances for Gauthier, a former Flyer first-round pick who refused to sign here.
“It was awesome,” Zegras said. “They’re great. A tough back-to-back for them (the Ducks lost 7-3 at Washington on Monday night). But they’ve got a lot of great players.”
Zegras has never had a hat trick and he admitted he was thinking about that a little bit. It would have been nice to get it against the Ducks.
“Playing your old team, getting that third one would have been pretty cool,” Zegras said. “But we got the win.”
Defenseman Cam York has been friends with Zegras since the two were members of the U.S. National Team Development Program back in 2017-18.
“He (Zegras) knew it was a big game,” York said. “For everybody, but especially for him. It’s super-nice to get the win there. For him to get two goals is pretty special.”
With 17 goals at the halfway point, Zegras is already on pace to set a career-high for goals (23). The second half of the season should put that mark far back in the rearview mirror.
The atmosphere in the building certainly didn’t hurt.
“Pretty crazy,” York agreed. “Great atmosphere. It felt like a playoff game. A little bit different with so much noise during play but I think I would rather have it that way.”
As always, coach Rick Tocchet was even-keeled after the game. He seldom gets too high or too low with his post-game comments.
“Two great shots,” Tocchet said of Zegras. Was this almost a playoff-like atmosphere?
“I thought that was an outstanding crowd,” Tocchet said. “That was a loud building. They were awesome. I think they really gave our team some juice. Even when Anaheim scored the first goal, they (the crowd) didn’t let up. They really helped us tonight.”
Both Zegras goals came on the power play in a robust first period.
It usually takes about a week for the Flyers’ 31st-ranked power play to score two goals so this 20 minutes was a bit of an exception to recent performances.
Zegras is developing a knack for scoring from the lower right circle when the Flyers have a man advantage. The sharpshooter sets up shop on his oft-wing, then waits for a point man to draw the checker away before cutting loose.
The first goal came at 10:22 to tie the score after Gauthier connected on a Ducks power play. Zegras beat goaltender Lukas Dostal short side.
It was more of the same at 14:23. The Ducks couldn’t shift over in time and Zegras hit the back of the net again.
In the second period, York’s point shot found its way through a maze of bodies and crossed the line at 1:15. Then his partner, Travis Sanheim scored shortly after Noah Cates won a faceoff, connecting at 14:40.
Anaheim got one back on a power play early in the third but that’s as close as the Ducks would get.
Zegras linemate Christian Dvorak did not get caught offguard by Zegras’ performance. He sensed it would be that kind of night.
“You knew he was going to be up for this game,” Dvorak said. “We definitely wanted to get him one tonight. It (the first goal) was a big boost. The crowd was into it all game. That certainly helped to get on the board early and tie it up. The fans were just electric all night.”
>Drysdale injury looked scary
Drysdale was injured in the collision with Johnston and lay motionless on the ice for several minutes. A roller-stretcher was brought out. But Drysdale, who did not appear to get struck in the head by Johnston’s shoulder, eventually stood up and made it to the locker room under his own power. Johnston received five-minute interference and game misconduct penalties. Drysdale was done for the night. League discipline is also possible.
Bobby Brink suffered an upper-body injury later in the second period and did not return to action.
After the game, Tocchet didn’t have much of an update on Brink. “He’s being evaluated,” the coach said.
>Michkov scratched
Matvei Michkov was scratched due to a foot injury he suffered on Saturday night against Edmonton. X-rays were negative. Nikita Grebenkin returned to the lineup in his place.
>Short shots
Toronto is up next for the Flyers on Thursday night. Coach Craig Berube, a former Flyers coach, brings in a Leafs team which has been struggling this season. Toronto entered Tuesday night action seventh in the Atlantic Division with a road record of 5-10-2.
It was Ed Snider “A Flyer Forever” Legacy Night at XFA. The founder of the Flyers would have been 93 years old on Tuesday. There were video clips and still photographs of Snider shown throughout the game. Snider died in April, 2016.
Zegras left some pretty good totals behind when he was traded from Anaheim. Between 2021-25, Zegras was second on the Ducks in total points with 173, trailing only Troy Terry’s 237.
York entered the game ranked fifth in plus-minus among NHL defensemen since Dec. 20 with a plus-8. . .Nikita Grebenkin scored an empty-netter in the final minute for the Flyers.
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