Flyers win third straight behind another solid start against Seattle Kraken

There was no wasting away Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

As the fans enjoyed Jimmy Buffett Night, the Flyers came out buzzing and took a 2-1 lead in the opening frame. They did have momentary lapses, which surely will irk head coach John Tortorella, but they ended up skating away with a 3-2 win against the Seattle Kraken for their third straight victory.

Cal Petersen made his first start since a Nov. 11 win over his former team, the Los Angeles Kings. Petersen didn’t face much action but was on his game when necessary. He made 17 saves, while Kraken goalie Joey Daccord had 35.

Just 3 minutes, 15 seconds into the game Garnet Hathaway did what he does best: drawing penalties. Hathaway, who’s second in the NHL in penalties drawn, took an extra jab at Daccord after he stopped a breakaway shot by Scott Laughton that drew a cross-check from Vince Dunn. On the ensuing power play, Laughton fired off a one-timer from the right faceoff circle for his first goal on the man advantage this season. You may have heard the yell at City Hall.

The Kraken tied it late in the first period when Tomas Tatar’s shot from the high slot got through traffic past Petersen. Tortorella and his staff thought the zone entry by Tatar was offside and challenged the call, but, after a lengthy review, it was determined it was a good goal.

But just because the Flyers were handed a two-minute minor for an unsuccessful challenge, it didn’t mean they were on their heels. The Flyers have a legitimate power kill and entered the game tied for first in the NHL with 11 shorthanded goals. Ryan Poehling made sure the Orange and Black owned the top spot — and a 2-1 lead — as he scored a shortie for the second straight game.

It has long been said but the hockey gods giveth and taketh. First, they took from Sean Couturier just 35 seconds into the third period. The forward overskated a dump-in, letting Jared McCann get the puck in the right circle and score off the stick of Couturier to tie it, 2-2. But then the gods gave. After he won an offensive zone faceoff, Couturier cut to the net and deflected in a Travis Sanheim point shot for the game-winner.

Egor Zamula and Marc Staal were healthy scratches. It was the first time Zamula watched from the press box since Dec. 21; he missed the game against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 27 because of illness. ... The Flyers played 12 forwards and six defensemen. Nic Deslauriers slotted in on the fourth line after being a healthy scratch for the last two games.

The Flyers host the Arizona Coyotes on Monday (7 p.m., NBCSP).