Ducks edge Flyers for first win
PHILADELPHIA -- The Anaheim Ducks finally found out what happens when they stay out of the penalty box.
Ryan Garbutt's goal 11:34 into the third period off a great feed by Korbinian Holzer broke a tie and gave the Ducks their first win of the season, 3-2 over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Anaheim (1-3-1) wrapped up a five-game, season-opening road trip. Philadelphia (1-2-1) lost its third game in a row.
Garbutt was left untouched on the side of the net as Holzer made a nifty move behind Flyers goalie Steve Mason.
Anaheim goalie John Gibson then finished off a 20-save performance to preserve the win.
The Ducks, who took seven minor penalties in a loss Tuesday in New Jersey, entered the third period Thursday with 16 penalty minutes. However, their skill and discipline finally took over in the third, when they proved to be the better team at even strength.
The Flyers had just two shots on goal in the final 10 minutes, one of which was a dribbler that got to Gibson as the final horn sounded.
Anaheim quieted the home crowd and controlled the first period at even strength. The Ducks took a 1-0 lead 11:24 into the first period when Sami Vatanen's stretch pass sent Jared Boll into the Philadelphia zone. Boll found a trailing Chris Wagner, who beat Mason (23 saves) with a wrist shot to open the scoring.
The Ducks, who have been struggling with discipline, took two minor penalties in the first period. And then a parade of infractions in the second period -- six total in the 20-minute frame -- had Anaheim looking like a team primed to be beaten. But Gibson was beaten just once while playing a man down. Wayne Simmonds scored his third goal of the year less than five minutes into the second period, finishing a tic-tac-toe passing play at the side of the net.
Matt Read's fourth goal of the year, which came after a brilliant, one-handed tip pass from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, put the Flyers ahead, 2-1, midway through the second.
But after taking the team's fifth penalty of the period, alternate captain Corey Perry -- 13 seconds after leaving the box -- beat Mason with a slap shot from the slot to even the game at two apiece with just over three minutes to play in the second period.
NOTES: The Flyers, in celebrating the home opener of their 50th year as a franchise, honored founder Ed Snider, who died in April after a long battle with cancer. A banner was unveiled and a video played to honor Snider. ... The game marked the final game of a season-opening, five-game road trip for Anaheim, which plays its home opener Sunday against Vancouver. ... Anaheim rookie D Jacob Larsson was scratched for the first time this year in favor of D Korbinian Holzer. ... Philadelphia scratched LW Roman Lyubimov, who made his NHL debut Tuesday, in favor of Nick Cousins. ... The Flyers, who next play Saturday at home vs. Carolina, welcomed LW Brayden Schenn back from a three-game suspension he earned for a check in last season's playoffs. ... Flyers LW Michael Raffl will miss 10-14 days with an upper-body injury. Schenn took his place on Philadelphia's top line.