Samuel Ersson sheds struggles, stymies Ducks in Flyers' win

Samuel Ersson made 32 saves to propel the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-1 road victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.

Noah Cates, Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee scored for Philadelphia, which improved to 1-1-0 to start its six-game road trip. Ersson had allowed at least three goals in each of his previous eight appearances dating to Nov. 9, but he was much sharper in this one.

Troy Terry scored the lone goal for Anaheim, which has lost eight of its last 11 games. Lukas Dostal made 22 saves for the Ducks.

Frost put the Flyers ahead 2-1 with 14:03 remaining in the third period as he ran out of room to the right side of the net and banked the puck off Dostal for the go-ahead tally. He has scored three goals in the last three games after netting one goal in his previous 10.

Anaheim had a late power play and also pulled its goalie for a two-man advantage. As the power play expired, however, Farabee jumped out of the penalty box, stole the puck at the blue line and skated in for an empty-netter with 2:20 remaining.

Cates opened the scoring at 4:03 of the second period with his seventh goal of the season (and his fifth straight game with a goal). Bobby Brink carried the puck around the net before centering to Cates, whose one-timer beat a sprawling Dostal.

Terry tied it up late in the second period when he found some room on the left side, skated to the top of the circle and beat Ersson with a wrist shot just under the crossbar. The goal was the 10th of the season for Terry, who entered with only one goal in his previous seven games.

Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier recorded two shots and was a plus-1. The Flyers traded the former first-round pick to Anaheim in January in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale, who registered one shot, two hits and two blocked shots Saturday.

The teams will reconvene in Philadelphia on Jan. 11.

--Field Level Media