The Philadelphia Flyers ended the eight-game point streak of the Los Angeles Kings with a 4-2 win on Nov. 11, doing so on the road. What were some takeaways from the game?
Frost Finally Getting Bounces
This season, there has been a lot of drama surrounding forward Morgan Frost. A healthy scratch by head coach John Tortorella for seven games so far this season, he has been sat even when there has been little to no justification for it.
Frost had been generating chances all season, but the pucks simply weren’t going in. Time after time, he would make a terrific play to set up an open net for a teammate, but the chance would go awry. Against the Kings, he finally decided to do it all himself, scoring two goals in the process.
The issue with Frost was less about him struggling offensively and more about some tough puck luck. The chances he was generating every night were very obvious, but he wasn’t getting the finish whether it was him or a teammate firing the puck. He got some of his best luck in this game, especially on his first goal. An attempted pass from behind the goal went off a Los Angeles defender and into the net, starting a true turnaround for him. Having scored no goals entering this game, he was good to be lucky on this one.
His second goal was definitely more of a skilled play on his part, deflecting the puck past goaltender Cam Talbot of the Kings. Nonetheless, it wasn’t even clear that this game was Frost’s best. He simply began to get some bounces, and he took good advantage of them in this game. At the very least, this performance should spare him from the bench for his next matchup.
Petersen Stings Former Club
Goaltender Cal Petersen, acquired as a salary dump from the Kings in the offseason, was coming off a dreadful 2022-23 campaign. He was sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) for his struggles after recently signing a three-year, $15 million extension with Los Angeles. He couldn’t find his game there either, so the Kings chose to bite the bullet and trade some capital to get his contract off their hands.
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In his first game on his new team, things didn’t go so well, with the Flyers losing 5-0 against the Kings. He got his chance for revenge against his former club again, and this time he was terrific. Stopping 35 of the 37 shots that came his way, he saved a fantastic performance for his old team in their building.
Funny enough, he wasn’t supposed to start this game at all. Carter Hart, after missing a few games with injury, was actually meant to play against the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 10, but he came down with an illness that didn’t allow him to participate. For this game, he was confirmed as the starter until about half an hour before game time. The team made a very late announcement that he would not be playing, leaving Petersen to take care of business against one of the strongest offenses in the entire NHL.
It certainly wasn’t an easy test, but Petersen got it done. Though his team took a few needless penalties, they mostly stayed out of the box, and there weren’t too many high-quality saves he had to make. There were certainly some, but the Flyers played for their goaltender. Getting a win against your former club has to be sweet, and the team did a fantastic job of letting that happen.
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Unfortunately, it’s a possibility that Petersen does not stay on the 23-man roster even after having a great game. Called up from the AHL as a result of Hart’s injury, he at least made the case that he can play and win games against strong opponents. He helped get the Flyers a big win in this one, so he at least ended off strong if he does not ultimately end up staying with the Orange and Black.
Cates Might Be a Fit for Fourth Line
With Tortorella and the Flyers making the surprising decision to sit 22-year-old Bobby Brink for this game, it was an opportunity for the Flyers to try out some new lines. Their third line, which featured the aforementioned rookie, had been very strong previously, so the Flyers would perhaps be missing some vital production.
Noah Cates centered that line but had only come across four points in 14 prior games this season. Not really generating offensively, he was tried out on the fourth line with forwards Nicolas Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway. In this game, it seemed as though he was more of a fit there rather than on a skilled third line.
As a rookie last season, Cates had 38 points in 82 games. He had been superb defensively but certainly lacking in terms of his offensive output. Since he was a bit older for a rookie, now being 24, it was known that this season would be a big one for him to see what kind of player he could truly be for the Flyers.
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The offense hasn’t come, so it wasn’t a terrible idea to put him on a fourth line. When he was, he seemed to have one of his better games of the season, and the Flyers’ bottom line looked to be playing some great hockey. The fourth line has been a strength for the Flyers this season, so there are many players who can slot into that centerman role. However, it seems likely that he might be tried there again. If his offensive game doesn’t develop into that of a top-six forward, he might be a fourth-line staple this season.
The Flyers moved up to a 7-7-1 record on the season, winning back-to-back games. The Flyers end off their road trip in Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 15, a team that bested them earlier in the season.