By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Flyers opened the new year the same way as they ended the previous one, with a defeat. But the game itself was far from the same as their last.
After ending 2016 on a truly flat note, the Flyers turned in their best game since returning from the holiday break only to come away with little to show for it in a 4-3 shootout loss.
Here are 10 Postgame Points from Flyers-Ducks.
- All three of the Ducks goals came courtesy of Ryan Kesler, who had a hat trick by the first minute of the second period. Each of the goals are worthy of their own points, but Kesler's success against the Flyers continued. Kesler now has eight goals in 13 games against the Flyers.
- Whatever Andrew MacDonald was doing on Kesler's first goal was inexcusable. MacDonald chased a puck carrier behind the net and up the wall all the way to the blue line. He was so far out of position that by the time the puck made its way to Kesler, Jake Voracek was playing a defenseman's role.
- One thing the Flyers have really struggled with of late is clearing the porch. Kesler was able to get inside positioning and have three whacks at the puck before scoring on the rebound on his second goal.
- Kesler's hat trick goal was completely on Steve Mason. The shot from a bit of a distance squeezed through Mason's pads and rolled in. At a crucial point of the game, Mason really needed a save.
- Luckily for the Flyers, two of Kesler's goals didn't seem to phase them. Travis Konecny scored 19 seconds after Kesler's first to tie the game. Sean Couturier scored the Flyers second goal just 37 seconds after Kesler completed the hat trick.
- Give Mason some credit too. Kesler had his hat trick on Anaheim's first nine shots, the last being the bleeder Mason should have stopped. After that, he stopped the remaining 16 shots he faced in the game, many of them on odd-man situations or breakaway chances.
- The Flyers 55 shots were their most since February 21, 2012 against Winnipeg. While the loss despite the high volume of shots is disappointing, after playing two uninspired games that ended in shutouts and falling victim to a third-period collapse on Wednesday, this was a step in the right direction for the Flyers.
- Shayne Gostisbehere's play on the game-tying goal on the power play was really the confidence play he's been lacking this season. So many times before, Gostisbehere would just drop the puck off for Claude Giroux to lead the rush. Ghost led the Rush himself and made an excellent play to Giroux on the drop pass. Giroux fired a one-timer and Brayden Schenn was in front to pick up the rebound.
- For the number of saves John Gibson made, he really didn't start playing well until the second half of the third period. Gibson left the game in the second when the Flyers had tied things up and his rebound control was not very good all night. He completed the outing though by making several spectacular saves, but early on, he didn't look very good at all.
- I've gone here before, but when a game is as close and tightly-played as this one was and becomes a back-and-forth speed match with shooting gallery in overtime, how do you end it with a glorified skills competition?
Bottom Line
Certainly a moral victory for the Flyers, who needed a game that displayed a level of play remotely close to what had them on a 10-game winning streak in December.
The problem is that so many people see things for what they are on the surface. Here's what's on the surface. The Flyers have lost six of their last seven games and have a 1-4-2 record in that time. Getting a point in the standings is nice, but when the opportunity was there to get the second — whether it was from the four-minute power play where the Flyers failed to capitalize or Wayne Simmonds' shootout attempt where a goal means a win — you need to finish, especially when times are dire.
The Flyers opened the new year with an effort they can be proud of. But good efforts don't mean much to the fans or in this league. At the end of the day, it's another point in the standings that allows the teams behind the Flyers to keep creeping back into the picture with a whole lot of hockey left to play.
This will be a crucial week for the Flyers, who have just three games against very difficult Eastern Conference teams.
