VOORHEES, N.J. — If the Flyers were looking for a get-right game, this might be it.
They haven't exactly had the home crowd on their side this week. They were booed and jeered Thursday night in what the head coach called a "sh--ty" performance, a 4-1 loss to the Stars and the team's fourth straight.
And now there's a timely distraction for the fans.
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Cutter Gauthier makes his first trip to Philadelphia since turning down the Flyers. He was traded a year ago to the Ducks about seven and a half months after telling the Flyers he wasn't going to sign with them.
Suffice it to say there won't be sweet hellos from the Wells Fargo Center crowd Saturday when the Flyers host Anaheim (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Can the Flyers fuel on that energy?
"Definitely," Cam York said Friday after practice. "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. 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."
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Flyers fans gave their own team the business Thursday night. John Tortorella's club elicited boos as early as the first period and heard a Bronx cheer in the second.
"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."
The Flyers made Gauthier the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft. He was initially excited to be a Flyer and was expected to be a pillar to the team's rebuild, which made the trade an absolute stunner last January. What went wrong between the Flyers and one of their top prospects is still somewhat of a mystery.
"I think we just moved past it," Sean Couturier said. "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."
Did any players ever wonder why Gauthier decided against the Flyers?
"I don't think anybody looked into it; he just didn't want to play here and that's kind of that," York said. "We're moving on and moving on with the guys that want to be here."
Jamie Drysdale, who the Flyers acquired in the Gauthier trade, returned to Anaheim two weeks ago. The Flyers beat the Ducks, 3-1. Drysdale has battled injuries in his young career and the Flyers are being patient with his development as a 22-year-old defenseman.
"We got Jamie here," York said. "We're really happy that he's here and he's a great player."
In the past, a January game between the Flyers and Ducks wouldn't generate significant buzz. But, of course, Saturday night will feel different.
"There might be a little more emotions in the building," Couturier said. "I hope we take that to our advantage."
More than anything, the Flyers would like to get on track in front of a good crowd.
"The fans are so passionate," Owen Tippett said. "When things are going well, they're going to always be behind us. When things aren't going well, they're going to expect more. Obviously the fix is in this room and we want to turn that around ourselves. I'd rather them be like that than not be engaged at all."
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