Cutter Gauthier’s visit with Ducks gives Flyers fans someone other than Flyers to boo

Throughout the Flyers’ loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night, booing echoed around the Wells Fargo Center.

Midway through the first period, not long after the visitors took a 2-0 lead, the booing began. There were some cheers — like when the Flyers finally got out of their zone after being penned in for almost four minutes.

More boos were expected Saturday, only they’d be directed at someone else: Cutter Gauthier, playing his first game in Philly with the Anaheim Ducks (7 p.m., NBCSP).

“I think the crowd has maybe been against us the past couple of games at home. It’ll be nice, hopefully they’re cheering for us this game,” said defenseman Cam York. “We know it’s going to be lively, it’s going to be a great environment and I know the guys are really excited to play.”

It’s been a tumultuous time with Gauthier. Selected with the fifth overall pick in 2022 by then-general manager Chuck Fletcher, less than a year later he informed current GM Danny Brière that he didn’t want to be a Flyer or be in Philadelphia. So the prospect was traded 369 days ago for defenseman Jamie Drysdale.

» READ MORE: Cutter Gauthier returns to Philly as public enemy No. 1. A look back at his rocky time with the Flyers.

Since then Gauthier has stated, “It was multiple, [recurring] issues that I’d seen over the past year and a half, two years of being under the Flyers organization,” he was “pumped” to play the Flyers this season, and in December, before facing the Flyers in California, said it has “definitely been a game circled on my calendar.”

Flyers fans certainly had the games circled, too. Some had already expressed their disdain for Gauthier in Anaheim, booing him throughout the first period any time he touched the puck in his own arena.

“There might be a little more emotion in the building so I hope we take that to our advantage,” said captain Sean Couturier.

“I think we just moved past it. This is a first-class organization. They’ll do anything for us, they’ll get you anything you want, passionate fan base — this is the kind of market you want to play in. I feel fortunate to be here and I don’t take anything for granted. That’s me. He might have his reasons, but honestly, I’m not too worried about it, it’s kind of behind me.”

Regardless of the opponent, the Flyers’ home record is nothing to, well, write home about. In their first 20 games, they had just eight wins, tied for the fourth-fewest in the NHL. Like the fans, the Flyers are frustrated.

“We understand it, we know that they want us to be winning the game,” York said. “We want to be winning, too. It probably doesn’t help when they’re booing us in the first period, first 10 minutes of the game. We get it, we understand. We’re looking forward to a really good crowd this weekend.”

On Thursday, Olle Lycksell told The Inquirer he thought he was playing his best hockey right before the NHL’s holiday break. “It’s kind of tough now, just trying to hang in there,” he said — because that was the last time he suited up for a game, whether at the AHL or NHL levels.

The next day, coach John Tortorella revealed the forward will be slotted into the lineup. With Lycksell set to play his first game since Dec. 21 — where he scored but had the goal overturned on a coach’s challenge — comes the end of Joel Farabee’s ironman streak. The forward will be a healthy scratch, capping a streak of 216 consecutive games played that began on April 12, 2022.

“Up until probably a couple of weeks ago, I liked his game,” Tortorella said on Saturday. “The production wasn’t there, but he was involved. ... But the past couple weeks, it’s gotten stale. So, he’ll sit out tonight. I’m not sure what happens after this. There were some other candidates too, but Joel is coming out tonight.”

Last season, Farabee compiled 22 goals and 50 points in 82 games, despite a slide in the second half. In 42 games this season, he has six goals, 14 points, and a plus-minus of minus-14. Playing on a line with Couturier and Garnet Hathaway, he scored in consecutive games after the holiday break but hasn’t put up points since. He did drop the gloves with Connor Dewar during Tuesday’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Him and I talked about it yesterday, there’s no real answer to it,” Tortorella added. “The guy cares. His name’s being bounced around during the deadline and all this. He wants to be here and I am not going to give up on him.”

Tortorella did not have a timeline for Farabee being out but is looking forward to seeing Lycksell play. He has been impressed with how comfortable the Swede has been with the Flyers, noting he thinks Lycksell has a better understanding of the team’s concepts and the duo has a better understanding of each other compared to last season where he had five points in 18 NHL games.

» READ MORE: Sam Ersson was good, but plenty of bad and ugly in Flyers' loss to Stars

“It’s a concern of mine because he just hasn’t played a bunch of games here in the last little while, but he looks fast,” Tortorella said. “I’m not sure if that’s him, or maybe we’re dragging a little bit, I don’t know. But each and every time he’s come up, he’s played better. I hope it happens that way tonight.”

Named an AHL All-Star for the first time on Tuesday, Lycksell had 24 points (nine goals, 15 assists), including three game-winners, in 25 games with Lehigh Valley this season. He last played for the Phantoms on Dec. 20, notching a hat trick and an assist.

Lycksell was expected to play with Hathaway and Couturier, who worked solely with him on Saturday during the Flyers’ optional morning skate.

“Obviously really happy,” Lycksell said when he found out he was going in. “But I don’t know where I’m at right now. I’ve been trying to work hard.

“I haven’t played in a while, so just trying to probably have a simple game at the start, and then we’ll see how it goes.”

Sam Ersson will start in goal for the Flyers. ... Based on the line combinations Friday, the expectation is Morgan Frost will center Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny, and Ryan Poehling will be between Scott Laughton and Matvei Michkov. The Cates line remains intact.