Rough night in Philly — after having to trade Gauthier, Flyers lose to Penguins originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
On this night, a Flyers-Penguins game was merely a subplot.
A couple of hours after the organization was forced to trade top prospect Cutter Gauthier, the Flyers lost to their rival, 4-1, at the Wells Fargo Center.
Not a banner night Monday in Philadelphia.
The Flyers (20-14-6) are 1-1-1 on their four-game homestand. John Tortorella’s club has lost seven of its last nine games overall (2-4-3).
News of the stunning Gauthier trade broke during the first period, taking general manager Danny Briere out of the club’s management suite at intermission to explain that the 2022 fifth overall draft pick didn’t want to play in Philly.
The Flyers dropped to 2-1-0 against the Penguins (20-15-4) this season. In early December, Sean Couturier won the first two matchups, both after regulation.
• Pittsburgh raced out to a 1-0 lead only 45 seconds into Monday night’s game after Couturier was whistled for a tripping penalty.
The Penguins added to the advantage a little under six minutes later and were then in control.
Owen Tippett drew the Flyers to within 2-1 before first intermission, but Chad Ruhwedel cushioned Pittsburgh’s lead back to two in the second period.
Evgeni Malkin added salt to the wound with a third-period goal. Things became testy between the two clubs later in the period.
The start to the game really cost the Flyers.
• Making consecutive starts for the first time since Dec. 7-9, Carter Hart faced 40 shots and stopped 36 of them.
The 40 shots were the most the Flyers have allowed in a game this season.
The Flyers committed seven penalties.
Penguins netminder Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 36 of the Flyers’ 37 shots.
• Noah Cates continued his on-ice rehab Monday before the team’s morning skate. The 24-year-old forward is working his way back from a broken foot.
On Tuesday, Cates will be six weeks into his recovery timeline of six to eight weeks.
Noah Cates continuing his recovery from a broken foot. On Nov. 28, Flyers said he would be out six to eight weeks, so he’s definitely getting closer. pic.twitter.com/6m03gdwWXb
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) January 8, 2024
• The homestand wraps up Wednesday when the Flyers host Canadiens (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
