On Lou Nolan's night, Flyers fizzle out for disappointing loss to Ducks originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers had a fast start Saturday night after the organization honored the beloved Lou Nolan before puck drop at the Wells Fargo Center.
They completely failed to build on that fast start and the final result was a 5-3 loss to the Ducks.
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All three goals for the Flyers came from the club's defense: Travis Sanheim, Ronnie Attard and Ivan Provorov.
For Attard, it was his first in the NHL. Provorov's marker drew the Flyers even in the third period at 3-3.
The Flyers (23-38-11) haven't won consecutive games since March 5-8.
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They were swept by the Ducks (29-32-12) in their two-game regular-season series.
• Trevor Zegras, Anaheim's 21-year-old star, put on a mini show in Philadelphia.
He made a sparkling play on his former USNTDP teammate Cam York to assist Troy Terry's game-winning goal with 8:22 minutes left in the third period.
Zegras also scored a go-ahead marker himself in the middle frame.
Former Flyer Derek Grant provided the Ducks with insurance by scoring a little under three minutes after Terry's goal.
• The Flyers played a close-to-complete first period, jumping on the Ducks with goals from Sanheim and Attard in the first two and a half minutes of the game. The fast start prompted Anaheim head coach Dallas Eakins to call his timeout.
However, the first-period positives for the Flyers were completely soured by their performance in the middle stanza.
The Ducks erased the Flyers' two-goal lead in a span of one minute and 32 seconds during the second period. They then took the lead later in the frame when Zegras sniped one from the circle past Martin Jones.
After the Flyers outshot Anaheim 16-6 in the first period, the Ducks answered with a 17-4 shot advantage in the second period.
The Flyers heard boos from the listed attendance of 17,455 fans and deserved them. You can't lose all the momentum from a really good first period like that.
• Interim head coach Mike Yeo said Jones deserved a second straight start and it would be tough to argue with him there.
The Flyers' backup netminder entered the game with a 4-4-0 record, 2.76 goals-against average and .919 save percentage since the start of March and played well in the Flyers' 4-1 win Thursday night over the Blue Jackets.
Against Anaheim, Jones had 29 saves on 34 shots. Zegras' goal came on a Ducks power play.
Former Flyers goaltending prospect Anthony Stolarz started for Anaheim and settled in to make 30 saves.
• The Flyers' NHL-worst power play did not improve, going 0 for 2. It's 12 for 121 (10 percent) since the calendar turned to 2022.
• In a first-class ceremony for the first-class Nolan, the Flyers celebrated the Philadelphia native's 50th year as their iconic public address announcer.
Nolan is a beloved Flyers lifer, having served the organization since its inception.
The Flyers wore special Nolan-themed warmup jerseys and their game sweaters featured a commemorative patch.
"I said, 'Good Lord, they're going to put No. 50 on jerseys and my name on the back?' I mean, who'd ever think that?" Nolan said Saturday morning. "I'm the kid from Southwest Philly that went to the Ramblers and played street hockey. It doesn't compute. But I tried to earn it. I guess I have."
• Without Joel Farabee (flu-like sickness), the Flyers called up Hayden Hodgson from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
The 26-year-old winger tallied an assist on Attard's first career NHL goal and played 10:04 minutes.
Zack MacEwen, who has missed the last four games with a head injury, has been cleared to return.
"But definitely not ready to play yet," Yeo said Saturday morning. "Got to get him back involved and get him skating again before we put him back in the lineup."
MacEwen has been back on the ice and was at morning skate with a new look.
Sean Couturier was on the ice, as well, continuing his recovery from season-ending back surgery.
• The Flyers open their final 10-game stretch of the season when they visit the Capitals on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET/ESPN).
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