Gordon, Hart win debuts with Flyers against Red Wings

PHILADELPHIA -- Carter Hart made 20 saves in his NHL debut to help Scott Gordon win his first game as Philadelphia Flyers coach, 3-2 against the Detroit Red Wings at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday.

Gordon was promoted from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Monday after Dave Hakstol was fired.
Hart, recalled from Lehigh Valley on Monday, is the sixth starting goalie for the Flyers this season; they're the first team in NHL history to start six goalies in the first 35 games of a season.
WATCH: [All Red Wings vs. Flyers highlights]
"I was just trying to play my game and trust my game, focus on the things that have gotten me to this point and not do things that are out of my control or out of my comfort zone," Hart said.
James van Riemsdyk and Shayne Gostisbehere each had a goal and an assist for Philadelphia (13-15-4), which ended a four-game losing streak with its fourth win in 15 games (4-8-3).
"I think it's a big relief for everybody," said Gordon, who coached his first NHL game since Nov. 13, 2010. "The record over the last little stretch would be frustrating for anybody. Myself, you always want to start on the right foot. Carter, it was a real fair game for him to have as his first game, wasn't under a lot of duress. And the team to go through what it's had to go through coming in here ... I thought our energy level was great throughout. It was a good way to start."

Dennis Cholowski and Jacob de la Rose scored for the Red Wings (14-16-5), who have lost four games in a row.
"I thought we had tons of guys with their B and C games, not even close to enough guys with their A games," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said.
Jonathan Bernier made 30 saves. He started after Jimmy Howard injured his back during warmups.
"Obviously, it's not the ideal [situation], but at the same time, like I said, you know, you come to a rink, you've got to make sure you're ready for whatever reason," Bernier said.
Blashill said Howard won't practice Wednesday, but he didn't expect his injury to be a long-term issue.
Van Riemsdyk gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead when he redirected Claude Giroux's shot from the point with 1:27 left in the first period.

Cholowski tied the game 1-1 for the Red Wings with a power-play goal at 4:12 of the second.
Radko Gudas put the Flyers ahead 2-1 with a slap shot from the right face-off circle at 8:52. The goal was upheld after Blashill challenged for goalie interference by van Riemsdyk.
Gostisbehere gave Philadelphia a 3-1 lead with his first goal in 16 games at 15:17 of the second.

De la Rose scored two minutes into the third period to make it 3-2.
Hart's poise, especially late in the game defending a one-goal lead, impressed his teammates.
"He's got ice in his veins if you watch him out there," van Riemsdyk said. "Every time it seemed like we needed to rely on him, he made a key save and a big save for us."
Hart tried his best to treat it like just another game, but he said he had trouble sleeping Monday.
"Just followed my routine and tried to keep a quiet mind and prepare the same as I always do," he said. "Boys did a really good job of shutting them down and didn't give them much offense. They played really well tonight."

They said it

"When we had shot attempts, we didn't get through enough, we didn't make it hard enough on [Flyers goalie Carter Hart] at all. He played good, good for him, but we didn't make it hard enough on him." -- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill
"We've been through a lot the last few days, and I feel like I'm repeating myself, but we're a tight group and you can get our best when we play for each other. We played a pretty solid game tonight, and the win feels pretty good." -- Flyers captain Claude Giroux

Need to know

Larkin had an assist on Cholowski's goal to give him 11 points (four goals, seven assists) during an eight-game point streak. ... Hart (20 years, 127 days) is the youngest Flyers goalie to win his NHL debut and the youngest NHL goalie to win his debut since Carey Price (20 years, 55 days) on Oct. 10, 2007, for the Montreal Canadiens. ... Justin Kowalkoski, 32, was the emergency backup goalie for the Red Wings. A geologist, he played four seasons at Colgate University (2004-08). ... Gordon was 64-94-23 in three seasons as coach of the New York Islanders (2008-10).

What's next

Red Wings: At the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, FS-D, NHL.TV)
Flyers: Host the Nashville Predators on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, NBCSP, FS-TN, NHL.TV)