Sean Couturier, Travis Sanheim step up as Flyers ice Ducks, 6-3

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Standing in the hallway after the Flyers finished up practice on Thursday in Irvine, John Tortorella talked about needing to see more of a net-front presence. He wanted his players to be on the doorstep to signal guys to shoot the puck more.

Well, he got what he asked for.

Once the NHL’s hottest opening act, the Flyers were coming off two straight games without a goal in the first period. In Friday’s late-night affair, they surely made their head coach happy with not one, but two goals from in front in the lid-lifter. Those goals set the tone for a 6-3 win.

Sean Couturier got on the board first after a point shot by Egor Zamula went off Cam Atkinson atop the crease and right to him for the easy tap-in at 4 minutes, 57 seconds. Then it was Atkinson’s turn as he deflected in a Travis Sanheim point shot despite having Adam Henrique draped all over him on the doorstep.

“That was our emphasis the last couple of days, especially after last game and practice, and one of our keys tonight,” Atkinson said. “Yeah, good things happen when you go to the paint.”

It was a much better start for the Flyers after they put up a less-than-stellar effort and handed the Sharks their first win of the season. In the first period, which was evenly tilted at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers had six high-danger chances. Through the first 40 minutes, the Flyers had eight high-danger chances to the Ducks’ two.

“It was nice to capitalize on our chances, get a couple of goals, definitely good for our confidence,” Couturier said. “But I feel, defensively, we let up a little bit tonight, gave up a lot of chances and odd-man rushes. ... So we’ll have to maybe adjust a little bit, but we gotta keep pressing and creating offense like that.”

The last time Sam Ersson saw the Ducks, they went hunting and put up seven goals on 25 shots. In this one, the hunted became the hunter.

After Carter Hart was scratched earlier in the day because of illness, Ersson found out at breakfast that he was starting, and the 24-year-old Swede took advantage of it. He allowed just three goals on 38 shots — albeit all three were to his 18-year-old countryman Leo Carlsson for his first NHL hat trick. The second-overall pick in June’s draft whipped the puck from the right faceoff circle on the power play in the second period before scoring on a give-and-go in the third. He finished the trifecta from the right post with 1:28 left in the game with the man advantage.

“Obviously, a little bit different type of game than I’ve been playing,” Ersson said. “I got a little bit more involved, a little bit more shots, so it’s kind of a nice game really for me, especially the way things went the last time we faced these guys. So this was a game with a little bit of pride for me. Big coming out of this one with a win.”

While Ersson did giveth thrice to the rookie, he also tooketh away. Less than four minutes into the final period and with the Flyers up by a pair, he robbed Carlsson in tight while shorthanded. After a turnover by Sean Walker behind the net, Ersson perfectly placed his glove above his left pad to snare the backhand attempt.

“His game is coming,” Tortorella said. “Tonight he just looked so much more calm. He was in position, a lot of pucks hit him. I thought he had some good battle; they were in front of our net a lot tonight, too, and I thought he fought his way through it. This was certainly his best game that he’s played for us this year.”

Speaking of flashy plays, the Flyers got a number of them offensively too — and the one by Sanheim in the third period was pretty sweet. With the team needing an insurance goal as the Ducks turned the heat up, the defenseman received a long rebound at the left point and skated down the boards before cutting to the net and tucking the puck around the left pad of Lukáš Dostál.

“Probably more what I want for myself is scoring goals, exactly, is what I would like to be doing,” Sanheim said when asked if his goal was what the head coach wants to see. “I think, obviously, Torts wants all us D-men to be more aggressive, take more chances, that’s how we’re going to create offense.

The Flyers needed their veterans to step up — and they got it against one of the NHL’s hottest teams that had won six of its past seven games. Sanheim has been key on both sides of the puck all season. The goal was his second of the season; he also got assists in the first and third periods. He now has 14 points and is tied for fourth in scoring among defensemen with Vancouver’s Filip Hronek.

Nic Deslauriers skated in his 600th NHL game. ... Morgan Frost recorded his first point of the season, an assist on a pretty goal by Owen Tippett in the third period when he skated around Frank Vatrano and scored. Tippett also added an empty-netter with 61 seconds left in the game. “I gave him the SportsCenter Top-10 [music],” Atkinson said. ... Louie Belpedio scored his second career goal, a top-shelf beauty off a headman pass by Joel Farabee, who had two assists in the game. ... The Flyers blocked 22 shots.

The Flyers finish off the California portion of the four-game road trip with a quick trip up I-5 to Los Angeles for a 10:30 p.m. puck drop against the Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday (NBCSP). The Kings have not lost in regulation since Oct. 21 (6-0-2), including a 5-0 win over the Flyers a week prior.