LOS ANGELES (AP) Coming up on the one-year anniversary of his last NHL win, Philadelphia Flyers goalie Cal Petersen was surprisingly called on to start with Carter Hart still unavailable because of illness.
Going against his former team in the arena where it seemed he would be the the netminder of the future, Petersen got another taste of victory under memorable circumstances.
Petersen made 35 saves, Morgan Frost scored twice, and the Flyers beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Saturday night.
āObviously, itās been a tough last year, but to do it here means so much to me,ā said Petersen, whose last NHL win had come on Nov. 16, 2022, for Los Angeles in Edmonton. āFor it to come against the Kings makes for a good memory.ā
Owen Tippett and Cam Atkinson each had a goal, Sean Walker had two assists, and the Flyers completed a successful two-game swing through Southern California one night after beating Anaheim.
Petersen and Walker were dealt from Los Angeles to Philadelphia in a three-way trade in June as part of the cap mechanics that set up the Kingsā acquisition of center Pierre-Luc Dubois.
āCal shut the door all night, and Walks had two assists and made some great defensive plays,ā Tippett said. āMakes it even more special when you can get a win for those guys coming back to their old team.ā
Carl Grundstrom and Adrian Kempe each scored, Cam Talbot allowed four goals on 26 shots, and the Kings lost in regulation for the first time in nine games.
āI donāt think thereās many nights so far this season where weāve been out-worked and - whatās the word Iām looking for - out-committed, and we were that tonight,ā Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said.
Petersen had the benefit of working with a lead for nearly the entire game, starting when Tippett scored 5:01 into the first on a breakaway set up by Walkerās pass.
It became a 3-0 edge on goals from Frost, who had been through his own difficult stretch after being scratched for seven of the previous 13 games before picking up his first point of the season in a 6-3 win against the Ducks.
His first goal of the campaign came came on a fortuitous double deflection early in the second period when Frostās centering pass from behind the net went off the skate of defenseman Jordan Spence and hit Talbotās glove before tumbling in.
āIād like to say I tried to bank it off his feet on purpose but no, definitely not,ā Frost said. āGot a fortunate bounce there, and Iād like to think Iāve been working hard being in and out of the lineup, keeping a positive attitude. So maybe thatās the bounce that I got for that.ā
Frost got his second under more conventional circumstances, positioning himself at the top of the crease to tip in Nick Seelerās long-distance shot.
āHopefully that will give him some confidence,ā Flyers coach John Tortorella said. āEverybody keeps asking me why Frosty isnāt in the lineup and this, that, and the other thing. He needs to do those things offensively for us for him to play in that role.ā
Grundstrom got the Kings back within 3-1 late in the second period, but Atkinson restored the three-goal edge midway through the third.
Kempe responded by scoring for the fourth straight game, with Quinton Byfield getting his ninth assist during a six-game streak, but a late double minor against Trevor Moore for high-sticking effectively ended any hopes of a comeback.
āThey were quick to scrums, they won a lot of loose pucks. They didnāt need a lot of chances, but the ones they got they scored on,ā McLellan said. āWe can beat our team up, which we have to a little bit, they deserve it. But I also have to tip my hat to their team. They played a real good game.ā
UP NEXT
Flyers: Wrap up a four-game road trip visiting the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night.
Kings: Host the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
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