Noah Cates’ shorthanded game-winner lifts the Flyers to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings

LOS ANGELES — In their final game of the calendar year, against the Los Angeles Kings, the Flyers found themselves in a familiar spot — win a period, win a game.

Winger Travis Konecny closed the game with an empty-netter for the 4-2 final, but with the score tied, 2-2, going into the third period on Saturday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena, Flyers center Noah Cates scored his first career shorthanded goal. The tally marked his first since Nov. 15, giving the Flyers the edge.

“I just wanted to hop up, kill time, had a couple of drivers going to the net and sifted one through a screen,” Cates said. “The goalie didn’t pick up on it. So it’s a big goal for us, and just killing those power plays can give us momentum. And if we put one in the back of the net, that’s huge for us.”

With Cates’ shorthanded goal, the Flyers have now scored seven this season. They are tied for the league lead with the Vegas Golden Knights. Five of those shorthanded goals have come in their last six games.

Center Scott Laughton and winger Owen Tippett also chipped in goals to help the Flyers earn back-to-back wins for the first time since Nov. 5 against the Ottawa Senators (2-1) and Nov. 8 against St. Louis Blues (5-1).

The Flyers played from behind early thanks to Kings center Adrian Kempe’s power-play goal roughly 10 minutes into the first period. However, the Flyers remained resilient, tying the game twice until they took the lead with Cates’ goal.

“We play hard,” coach John Tortorella said. “We may not do the right things at certain times, and may have struggles here and there. But we play hard. And I think if you continue to do that, you find a way to get some results.”

With goalie Carter Hart (concussion) still on injured reserve, 23-year-old Samuel Ersson got his third start. Ersson was tested often in the third period, as the Kings poured on the pressure with 11 shots on goal. However, Ersson finished with 27 saves on 29 shots for his second NHL victory.

Going into Saturday, the Flyers had gone 3-for-25 on the power play in their last 10 games, ranking 28th in the league in that span. But the Kings have struggled this season on the penalty kill (71.74%, 28th), and the Flyers pounced on the man advantage when Kings winger Carl Grundström was called for interference on Cates.

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With 37 seconds remaining on the power play, Tippett protected the puck while under pressure on the left flank and passed it to defenseman Cam York at the point. York found Laughton in the right face-off circle for a one-timer, his shot soaring past goalie Jonathan Quick to tie the game, 1-1. The center now has four points (two goals, two assists) in his last three games.

“Any time you can get a goal on special teams, whether it’s power play or shorthanded, it gives a boost to the team,” Tippett said. “It’s a chance to build momentum, and and when you capitalize on it, it gets everyone going.”

After factoring in on the Laughton goal, Tippett continued his strong night in the second period. Winger James van Riemsdyk passed the puck from behind the net along the boards to defenseman Tony DeAngelo at the blue line, and he found Tippett above the right circle. He stickhandled his way around Kings winger Kevin Fiala, then fired a wrist shot above the glove of Quick to tie the game, 2-2.

Tippett now has seven points in his last six games (four goals, three assists), including three multi-point games. He ranks second on the team in goals with 12, a career-high, behind Konecny with 17.

“He’s so strong on his skates,” Laughton said. “Holds on the pucks and he’s really, really good at protecting it. Down low with it, he’s got a heavy shot.”

In the first period alone, the Flyers committed four minor penalties, two of which overlapped (York for tripping, 8:41; Konecny for tripping, 8:49) to give the Kings 1minute, 52 seconds on the two-man advantage. The Flyers fared well at 5-on-3 for the first minute, but the Kings’ 13th-ranked power play (23.36%) eventually made them pay.

With a pass from the high slot, defenseman Drew Doughty set up Kempe for a one-timer from the right face-off circle with no one in front of him. His shot squeaked underneath Ersson’s left arm and into the net to put the Kings up, 1-0. The Flyers have now allowed at least one power-play goal in their last four games. They went 4-for-5 on the penalty kill through 60 minutes.

The Flyers wrap up their California road trip when they face off against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday at 10 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+).