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Flyers fall to Ducks in home opener

Blown power-play chances. Poor defensive coverage at key times. Ineffectiveness in the faceoff circle. Put it all together and you'll understand how the Flyers, playing the first home game of their 50th-anniversary season, suffered their third straight loss, dropping a 3-2 decision Thursday to Anaheim before a sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.

Blown power-play chances. Poor defensive coverage at key times. Ineffectiveness in the faceoff circle.

Put it all together and you'll understand how the Flyers, playing the first home game of their 50th-anniversary season, suffered their third straight loss, dropping a 3-2 decision Thursday to Anaheim before a sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.

It was the first win of the season for Anaheim (1-3-1), which has won seven straight against the Flyers - and hasn't lost at the Wells Fargo Center since 2008.

With goalie Steve Mason down after making a couple of saves, Ryan Garbutt scored from deep in the left circle to give the Ducks a 3-2 lead with about 81/2 minutes left.

"We had a little bit of tired legs, and we lost coverage - and on that play there was a switch," coach Dave Hakstol said. "We didn't lose coverage for long. ... It was a split-second, and that allowed them to make the play to the same side on the back door."

The Flyers (1-2-1) had a bad night in the faceoff circle - winning just 39 percent of their draws - and had little productivity in 12-plus power-play minutes.

"We have to do a better job five-on-five," said right winger Wayne Simmonds, whose team was outweighed by an average of 13 pounds per player and lost the physical battle. "We turned the puck over too much in the neutral zone."

The Ducks kept giving the Flyers power-play chances, but the hosts weren't able to take advantage of the generosity.

Despite getting seven power plays in the first two periods, they were outshot in the first 40 minutes, 17-14, and locked in a 2-2 tie heading into the third period.

The Flyers, now 27-16-6 in home openers, scored on just one of the seven power plays, during which they had fewer shots (five) than the Ducks did on their two power plays (six).

Shortly after Anaheim killed its fourth straight penalty, the Ducks' Corey Perry was allowed to skate deep into the right circle before firing a shot past Mason, tying the score at 2-2 with 3 minutes, 18 seconds left in the second period. Perry took a drop pass from Ryan Getzlaf, who then knocked rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov out of position to give Perry more space. No forwards were back to help out Provorov.

"When you give up a four-on-two after you've had those kind of opportunities," said Hakstol, referring to the ineffective power-play that preceded the Ducks' tying goal, "it's going to change the momentum of the game."

With 9:34 remaining in the second period, Matt Read sped past two defenders, cut in front, and made a slick backhand-to-forehand move to beat goalie John Gibson and give the Flyers a 2-1 lead. It was Read's fourth goal in the last three games.

Earlier in the second period, a spectacular save by Mason seemed to wake up the Flyers.

With Anaheim on a power play early in the period, Ryan Kesler pounced on a rebound and appeared ready to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead, but Mason kicked out his right leg and made his best save of the night.

The Flyers killed the penalty, then went into attack mode for the first time all night.

It didn't hurt that the next five second-period penalties were called against the Ducks, who entered the game as the league's second-most-penalized team.

On the first power play, a pretty passing play resulted in Simmonds' third goal of the young season.

Claude Giroux fed Jake Voracek, who threaded a pass that appeared to deflect off Simmonds' skate and into the net, knotting the score at 1-all with 15:08 left in the second.

The Ducks controlled the opening period and took a 1-0 lead as Chris Wagner scored from the right circle after taking a drop pass from Jared Boll. Provorov didn't get back in time to catch up with Wagner.

The Flyers gave out glowing 50th-anniversary bracelets to fans. When they gave out bracelets during a playoff game against Washington last April, about 100 fans heaved them onto the ice in the third period of an eventual 6-1 Capitals win.

"I guess it's up to us to give them reasons to keep them on their wrists," Mason said before the home opener.

No bracelets were thrown onto the ice Thursday.

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull