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Kings hand Flyers their first loss

Oct 16, 2011 - 2:57 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Mike Richards' return to Philadelphia was a successful one, as he set up Jack Johnson's goal in overtime and the Los Angeles Kings handed the Flyers their first loss of the season, 3-2, at Wells Fargo Center.

Skating on a power play in the extra session, Richards used a slap pass from the high slot to get the puck down to the inside left circle, where Johnson redirected it behind Ilya Bryzgalov 1:39 in for the win.

Richards, 26, had spent his entire career in Philadelphia and was the captain of the team before a surprise trade in the offseason shipped him west for forwards Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn, as well as a second-round draft pick in 2012.

Justin Williams, another former Flyer, scored twice in regulation while Jonathan Quick stopped 32 shots for the Kings, who had dropped their previous two.

"We have a lot of ex- Flyers, we have a lot of familiarity here," said Johnson. "I know this is especially sweet for Mike. We did everything we could to get a win for him."

Danny Briere and Matt Carle each scored for the Flyers, who had won their first three games of the season. Bryzgalov stopped 23 shots in the loss.

"I felt ok out there tonight," said Bryzgalov. "I wasn't as busy as I was the last time, but they had some good chances out there and I was seeing things well. That last goal, he was just in a good spot and put it in the empty net."

The first goal of the game went to Philadelphia, and it came shortly after a 5-on-3 power play had expired. Jaromir Jagr sent a cross-ice saucer pass from the right side to the left, where Briere had the easy slam 2:30 in.

Los Angeles tied the game nine minutes later with a power-play goal. A pass from Simon Gagne along the deep left boards went to the slot, where Williams snapped a wrister into the right corner.

The second period passed scoreless, with Quick stopping 12 shots and Bryzgalov making seven saves, but the Kings went ahead at the 12:35 mark of the third. Williams walked the puck to the front from the deep right boards and put in his own rebound.

However, the Flyers got a power play when Richards was called for hooking 27 seconds later, and scored only 27 seconds into the man advantage. James van Riemsdyk sent a pass from the right circle to the left, where Carle had an easy shot into the open net.

Game Notes

Richards received a standing ovation from the crowd when a message was put up on the scoreboard thanking him for his time in Philadelphia...LA defenseman Drew Doughty left the game in the first period after being hit hard on his first shift...The Kings play their first home game of the season Tuesday against the Blues...The Flyers play in Ottawa on Tuesday...Philadelphia had won three of the previous four games against the Kings.