Ryan Strome scores, but Ducks open the New Year with loss to Flyers

Travis Konecny and Joel Farabee each had a goal and an assist and Philadelphia Flyers beat the Ducks 4-1 Monday night.

Morgan Frost and Scott Laughton also scored, and Noah Cates and Kevin Hayes each had two assists to help the Flyers finish 3-2-0 on a five-game trip — with all three victories coming in California.

Samuel Ersson stopped 28 shots to improve to 3-0-0 in three career starts since taking over for the injured Carter Hart (concussion) last week. Ersson lost his chance at his first career shutout with 39.6 seconds remaining but helped give the Flyers their first three-game winning streak since the opening three games of the season.

“[Ersson] is super impressive,” Konecny said. “He looks so calm in there. It looks like he’s been playing here for a while. He’s doing a great job and he works hard too in practice so it’s nice to see it paying off for him.”

Ryan Strome scored in the closing minute for Anaheim, and John Gibson had 29 saves as the Ducks fell to 1-4-1 in their last six games. They are 1-3-1 on a franchise-record 10-game homestand.

With a sheepish grin, Ersson admitted to a little heartbreak when the last of the Ducks’ 29 shots found the back of the Flyers’ net.

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Dec. 30, 2022

“Obviously it stinks a little bit, you can’t lie,” Ersson said. “But it’s the wins that matter and that’s what you take with you moving forward here.”

Farabee gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead 7:42 into the opening period when he pounced on a deflected puck in front of the Ducks’ goal and slid a shot through Gibson’s legs for his seventh of the season.

Philadelphia made it 2-0 at 10:36 when Frost brought the puck up from the Ducks’ zone, maneuvered past two Anaheim defenders and sent a shot from the left point that squeezed inside the near post for his eighth of the season.

“I saw some room and they looked a little flat-footed so I just tried to make a move and try to get it on the net,” Frost said. “I wasn’t really trying to pick a corner or anything and it went in. I’ll take it.”

Konecny scored his team-leading 19th goal of the season at 3:00 of the second period, scoring from a sharp angle to the left side of the Ducks’ goal. Hayes moved into the slot from center ice before he found Konecny for his team-leading 22nd assist.

“I think this just shows us sticking to the game plan and how we’re going to work hard every night,” Konecny said. “I feel like we’re getting back to how we were playing at the start of the year. It doesn’t matter who we play against, you play the same way and hopefully it pays off for you.”

Laughton made it 4-0 at 8:26 of the third when he took the puck around the back of the Ducks’ goal and threw a wraparound across the crease where it deflected off the skate of Anaheim’s Cam Fowler and into the net for his ninth of the season.

The Ducks did not score in five power-play chances Monday and are 0-for-11 on the man advantage over the last three games.

“It comes down to the smallest little things,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “It’s them just getting a stick on the puck. For me, there’s nothing wrong with the power play. I thought we had enough good looks for us to score. We just couldn’t get it into the net.”

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