Flyers Impressive Win Over Edmonton Oilers

Photo Credit FNG’s Rob Windfelder

One of the many great things about the sport of ice hockey is the fact that anything can happen on any given night. The Flyers are in the early phases of a rebuild so this season comes with a lot of uncertainty. That being said there’s still bound to be a few surprises along the way. Tonight’s 4-1 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers was one of them.

Coots

Not only did the Flyers defeat the Oilers they also made it look pretty darn easy. Philly outshot Edmonton 32-23. Right out of the gate the Flyers defense used a lot of crafty stickwork to keep the Oilers from completing plays. Connor McDavid did not manage to get a single shot on goal during the entire contest. He was credited with a secondary assist on the Oilers only goal but still ended the night a minus one. Sean Couturier spent most of his night up against Connor McDavid and was very effective in doing so.

Hart shines

When the Oilers were on they looked super sharp. Their passing was crisp and more than a few times it looked like they had put themselves in a perfect position to score. Carter Hart kept that from happening over and over again. Hart was challenged big-time on a number of occasions and looked to have no difficulty keeping the door shut. His positioning was confident and really on point. Edmonton had several opportunities to get themselves back in this game but Carter Hart would not allow it.

How it went down

The first few minutes of the game the Flyers were looking a bit rushed with the puck. They quickly settled things down and adjusted to the pace of the speedy Oilers. Early in the 1st period Travis Sanheim head-manned the puck to Joel Farabee who skated into the zone on a two-on-one with Bobby Brink. Farabee passed across the slot to Brink who could have taken the shot but chose to pass the puck back across to Farabee who now had half the net wide open to shoot at. It was a smart play and a perfectly placed pass by Brink who has continued to impress. The 1st period ended with the Flyers ahead one to nothing.

Edmonton had most of their chances in the 2nd period but things still ended up going the Flyers way. Owen Tippett charged into the Oilers zone and threw a pass to Cam Atkinson who had already set up shop right on the door step. Cam was waiting, Tippett delivered the puck, and Atkinson buried it. No doubt about it.

Physical game

The Flyers were being very physical in their approach to dealing with the Oilers. Marc Staal in particular was making a lot of contact but ended up paying the price. He had an awkward collision with an Oiler behind the net that took them both into the boards then left them tied up in a knot on the ice. Staal first returned to the bench but ended up leaving the game.

Special teams

Shortly thereafter Tyson Foerster took a blatant high stick to the face and the Flyers went on the power play. The Flyers had zero chances during the man advantage. After the penalty expired the Oilers scored their only goal of the night. Zach Hyman from right in front of the Flyers net. Just to keep things unpredictable Cam Atkinson was called for a tripping penalty which either looked like a total embellishment or the Edmonton player flat out tripped over the red line.

This seemed the perfect opportunity for Edmonton to tie things up. Instead Sean Walker scored his first goal as a Flyer shorthanded. Philadelphia took a three one lead into the locker room for the second intermission.

Good night and good hockey

Early in the 3rd Sean Couturier intercepted a Connor McDavid pass and dished the puck to Owen Tippett. Tippett threaded a tricky pass between the defense to spring Cam Atkinson in on a breakaway. Atkinson opened goalie Jack Campbell up with a couple quick moves and scored a filthy five-hole goal that ended the scoring for the night. Flyers win by the final score of four to one. Every Flyers Fan in the building was on their feet as time ran out.

Extra Credit: The Edmonton Oilers are a fast and talented team to say the least. The Flyers kept finding new ways to enter the Edmonton zone with ease. They kept finding ways to shut down the Oilers explosive offense. They didn’t just win, they dominated. It’s very early in the season but at some point will it start to become clear that maybe the Flyers are a little better than they’re supposed to be this year?