Fresh off of the 4 Nations Face-Off break the Flyers faced one of the top teams in the NHL and beat them handily by a score of 6-3. The coach loved it, the fans loved it, and the players could not have looked any happier about it. How did they manage to pull this one off?
Philly vs Edmonton
1) The Line-up
The Flyers were literally a different team today than they were just before the break. The two weeks off gave the team time to heal. Owen Tippet, Ryan Poehling, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Egor Zamula all were not available for the final game before the 4 Nations tournament due to injury. Three of those players ended up on the scoresheet this afternoon.
Owen Tippett was an offensive force scoring twice and registering a team high six shots on goal. Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner made several key saves to keep Tippett’s potential hattrick just out of reach. Rasmus Ristolainen tallied a goal and an assist. Egor Zamula also registered an assist. Jakob Pelletier’s visa complications are behind him so he also joined the squad today.
2) A Revitalized Matvei Michkov
Michkov was absolutely on fire this afternoon, no doubt about it. He had a three point game with a goal and two assists. He was energetic, poised, and calculating. Much has been said about the challenges the Russian rookie faces as he continues his transition from KHL to NHL. The schedule, the level of competition, the stress both physical and mental. Expectations were high after having a couple weeks off to recoup and regroup. The payoff was huge.
Michkov opened up the scoring with the kind of play you need to watch more than once. He pulled the puck off the right side boards and skated cross ice into the circle. He fired the puck wide short-side and continued to skate across the slot from right to left. He picked up his own rebound off the back dasher and fired a shot that beat Skinner blocker side just 2:07 into the match.
The Edmonton Oilers are stockpiled with high-end talent. Connor McDavid, who scored the overtime tournament winning goal for Team Canada Thursday night, is considered by many to be one of the best players in the world. It’s no exaggeration to say Matvei Michkov was the best player on ice today. He was a total puck-magnet the entire game and he made the very most of it. His passing and playmaking were spot on.
3) A Happy Head Coach
There was plenty to be happy about this afternoon. John Tortorella who stresses defensive accountability at all times was visibly happy with the way his team played this game. The Flyers outshot the mighty Oilers 32-18. They dominated the face-off circle winning 53.5%. They blocked a dozen shots and managed, for the most part, to stay out of the penalty box.
As the clock was running down at the end of regulation Tortorella went from one end of the bench to the other patting each and every one of his players on the back and offering encouraging words. Tortorella was an assistant coach for Team USA and this win today seemed to be something he really appreciated.
4) A Power Play Goal
The on ice officials in this tilt were generally happy to let things roll along without much interruption. The Flyers managed to take only one penalty against the speedy Oilers and the penalty kill was successful. Edmonton was called for only two minor penalties but the Flyers went 50% on the power-play.
One of the newest Flyers, Andrei Kuzmenko, drew both of the Oilers penalties and also scored the power-play goal. Kuzmenko made a nifty behind the back pass to Travis Konecny who was just beyond the top of the left circle in the Oilers zone. Kuzmenko continued skating into the slot as Konecny fired a wrist shot. Kuzmenko redirected the shot just over the pad but under the glove of the Edmonton net minder. It was the former Flame’s first goal as a Flyer.
5) They Never Gave Up
Don’t get me wrong this was not a perfect offering from the Orange and Black. They made their share of mistakes. After Michkov’s opening salvo the Flyers gave up two quick goals midway through the 1st period. John Klingberg was left wide open to score on a huge rebound. And Leon Draisaitl scored on a play where he was left alone while everyone seemed to go behind the net to unsuccessfully cover the passer.
Owen Tippett forced the tying goal with a determined hustle through the neutral zone along the boards that led to a beautiful unassisted goal. Then Matvei Michkov set up Sean Couturier’s 200th career goal to put the Flyers up 3-2. Coots had a three point game.
The Flyers sagged and had a really soft shift where they just could not clear their zone until Ekholm erased their lead. The Flyers bounced back yet again. Owen Tippett scored his second of the game. Then the Flyers rare power-play goal capped off by Risto’s ice long wrister into the empty net. They just kept plugging away and pulling it back together.
There were times where both teams looked exactly like you would have expected them to. The Oilers came into this game at 34-17-4 currently tied for 1st in the Pacific Division. The Flyers are struggling to get back to hockey .500 and are just two points out of the basement in the Metropolitan Division. Today the Flyers just refused to give up. They found their way back into this game over and over again until they finally owned it.
As time ran out the sold out crowd at the Wells Fargo rose to its feet to offer a standing ovation for a battle well fought.
Honorable Mention: Before the game got underway Flyers Fans applauded at the conclusion of both national anthems. And I can honestly say Lauren Hart has never sounded better than she did today.
