Noah Cates stays hot in Flyers win over Ducks

Fresh off the holiday break, the Flyers came into Anaheim and put forth a strong performance against the Ducks.

It was also a strong start to the upcoming five-game road trip that will see them travel through California before heading to Vegas and finishing off in Toronto. They won't be back at home until Jan. 7.

Noah Cates continued his hot streak as he opened the scoring for the Flyers in the second period. It was Bobby Brink, another player who has been performing well, helped make the goal happen.

Troy Terry, who has been the Ducks' best player, tied the game up late in the third period. He became Anaheim's first double-digit scorer of the season.

Morgan Frost scored his third goal in three games off a play that he likely wasn't intending to score on. His center in front of the net hit off Lukas Dostal before going in. Frost will take it any way they come.

Joel Farabee, with a fresh buzz cut, iced the game for the Flyers after serving a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty late in the third period.

Noah Cates remains red hot

After a strong rookie campaign, last season was anything but that for Cates. Injuries and an overall sense of struggle ended with a rather rough sophomore slump. But this season, Cates has looked more like the latter player.

While he wasn't finding the back of the net previously, he was doing everything else to help the Flyers out. Now, he's getting rewarded for that strong play. His goal against the Ducks was his seventh of the season and his fifth straight game with a goal. If Cates can keep on this pace, though unlikely to score every game, he will top the 13 goals he scored during his rookie season.

A lot of the credit goes to Brink on the goal. Taking the initial pass from Cates, Brink skated in from the blue line and around the net. He forced Dostal out of position and fired a pass from behind the net to Cates. That line has been one of the best for the Flyers lately and is why they've been able to stay together despite other changes around them.

Matvei Michkov benched in third period

The struggles have been obvious over the last stretch of games. Michkov is on a season-long seven-game pointless streak. He's shown signs of fatigue and Tortorella has noticed that as well. Michkov was benched in the third period and finished with a team-low 9:01.

It's possible that he is hitting the rookie wall and it wouldn't be a surprise if Tortorella decides to scratch his during this road trip. One has to remember that Michkov is not used to playing this many games, especially so close together. The most games he has played in a KHL season is 48 games and he is already up to 34 in the NHL.

It wouldn't be the first time that the Flyers have needed to sit Michkov down during a struggling time. He responded well after being scratched earlier in the season. It's going to be something that Tortorella and the team will have to monitor throughout the year. It's possible Olle Lycksell, recalled ahead of the trip, could check in against the Kings.

Sam Ersson recharged after break

Another player who needed a break was Sam Ersson. He had struggled since returning from injury and wasn't looking like himself. A goaltender who typically has a strong mental fortitude, the break was a time for Ersson to reset himself and get back to the player that he has been.

It looks like he got exactly that. It was an enormous game for him as he finished with 31 saves on 32 shots, quieting the criticism he had drawn in his previous few starts. The criticism was warranted, but Ersson made sure to settle things regardless.

It was especially important as the Flyers weren't able to get on the board in the first period. Ersson stopped all 10 shots he saw from the Ducks. If even one of those goes in, it could've easily deflated him or the team.

Aleksei Kolosov will likely get the start for the Flyers against the Kings. He could use a strong performance as well. He was in the net the last time these teams faced, allowing six goals on 26 shots.