Flyers end 13-game skid, defeat Kings in OT

The Philadelphia Flyers won for the first time in 14 games, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in overtime at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday.

The Flyers were 0-10-3 since Dec. 29, the longest stretch without a win in their history.
"It's been a long time coming," Philadelphia forward Cam Atkinson said. "I hate losing. We all hate losing. It's one of those things where I didn't want to lose this one. They scored one late there, but we found a way to stick with it and ultimately get the job done."
After Anze Kopitar scored the tying goal for the Kings with 38 seconds left in the third period, Scott Laughton scored at 2:22 of overtime.
"I would say relief," Laughton said. "Feels like you kind of can't get out of it when you lose that many in a row. They score that third goal to tie it up, it's a little deflating, a little bit of an unlucky bounce. Thought we did a good job in [overtime] of keeping the puck and having possession and found a way to win."

Atkinson had two goals and an assist, and Gerry Mayhew scored for Philadelphia (14-22-8). Carter Hart made 37 saves.
Viktor Arvidsson scored twice for Los Angeles (22-16-7). Jonathan Quick made 32 saves.
"Come back from down two midway through the third period, so that's a really good sign," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "I don't question the drive to want to come back. ... We just weren't sharp enough for the other 50 minutes."
The win was Philadelphia's first in 2022, since defeating the Seattle Kraken 3-2 in overtime.
"It's extremely important for a number of reasons," Flyers coach Mike Yeo said. "It allows us to play the game without that big story of what's out there. We won a game today, and that's really good, and that's what we want to accomplish every night we play a game. Now the challenge is to make sure we get better from this one. Let's make it two now."
Kopitar tied it 3-3 with the Kings playing 6-on-5.
"Once overtime started, guys didn't feel sorry for themselves," Yeo said. "They got right back on the attack and I felt like we were dangerous every shift out there."

Mayhew gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 9:33 of the first period with his second goal in two games.
Atkinson made it 2-0 at 9:24 of the second period. Claude Giroux flipped a puck in from center ice that bounced off Quick's left shoulder into the slot. Atkinson was first on it and beat Quick up high.
Arvidsson made it 2-1 at 15:15 of the second period, scoring in close off a pass from Sean Durzi.

Atkinson scored on a shorthanded breakaway for a 3-1 lead at 9:06 of the third.
"'Quickie,' I've known him for a long time, and he knows my moves," Atkinson said. "He made the initial stop. His momentum, his arm was going back into the net, the puck was there, and I just stopped and pounded it home."
Arvidsson made it 3-2 with a power-play goal at 9:51 when Arthur Kaliyev's shot deflected off his shin pads. It was his fourth goal in two games against the Flyers; he scored twice in a 6-3 win at Los Angeles on Jan. 1.
"I think they were a little bit faster and more detailed than us in the first and then I think we got it going in the second," Arvidsson said. "I think the third was a tight period. We had a lot of chances."
NOTES:Philadelphia's skid was the longest by an NHL team since the Buffalo Sabres went 18 games (0-15-3) from Feb. 25-March 29, 2021. The Flyers went 12 straight without a win from Feb. 24-March 16, 1999 (0-8-4 ties)....Kings defensemen Mikey Anderson was placed on injured reserve Sunday, retroactive to Saturday. He missed the final two periods with an upper-body injury. "Didn't finish the game, so not a good sign," McLellan said. "Took a puck around the head area, I think was the cause. We'll have to see how he is." ... Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty played a season-high 30:24 and had three shots on goal. ... Flyers forward Isaac Ratcliffe had three shots on goal and four hits in 9:02 of ice time in his NHL debut. ... Atkinson has scored six points (two goals, four assists) in two games against the Kings this season. He had three assists Jan. 1.