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.
“Obviously, it’s been a tough last year, but to do it here means so much to me,” said Petersen, whose last NHL win had come on Nov. 16, 2022, for Los Angeles in Edmonton. “For it to come against the Kings makes for a good memory.”
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.
“Cal shut the door all night, and Walks had two assists and made some great defensive plays,” Tippett said. “Makes it even more special when you can get a win for those guys coming back to their old team.”
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.
“I don’t think there’s many nights so far this season where we’ve been out-worked and — what’s the word I’m looking for — out-committed, and we were that tonight,” 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 Walker’s 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 Frost’s centering pass from behind the net went off the skate of defenseman Jordan Spence and hit Talbot’s glove before tumbling in.
“I’d like to say I tried to bank it off his feet on purpose but no, definitely not,” Frost said. “Got a fortunate bounce there, and I’d like to think I’ve been working hard being in and out of the lineup, keeping a positive attitude. So maybe that’s the bounce that I got for that.”
Frost got his second under more conventional circumstances, positioning himself at the top of the crease to tip in Nick Seeler’s long-distance shot.
“Hopefully that will give him some confidence,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “Everybody keeps asking me why Frosty isn’t 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.”
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.
“They were quick to scrums, they won a lot of loose pucks. They didn’t need a lot of chances, but the ones they got they scored on,” McLellan said. “We 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.”
