Watch PHLY Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers came out with plenty of jump at puck drop, but midway through the first the Edmonton Oilers took control following an unsuccessful but momentum-building power play, and dominated the possession and chance game through the first two periods.
Dan Vladar kept the Orange & Black in the game, surrendering only one goal on 25 shots through the first two periods. The Oilers out-attempted Philly 44-24 through 40 minutes, and yet, Matvei Michkov’s third straight game with a goal gave Philadelphia a chance against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s Oilers.
The Flyers locked it up in the third, allowing only 5 SOG and even thought they had the game won, but an offside review wiped out the go-ahead goal with less than 30 seconds left and we got a game going beyond 60 minutes for the seventh time in 16 contests.
Despite surviving the first 3vs shift for McDavid & Draisaitl, Jack Roslovic is the OT hero after a center ice turnover for Cam York. Bummer ending in a hard-fought near-comeback.
First period
Maybe Owen Tippett thinks he’s playing a game of posts. He gets a chance in the first 90 seconds right in front of Stuart Skinner and finds iron for roughly the 420th time this season. Shortly after the newly-united trio of Sean Couturier, Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov set up a chance with Michkov carrying the puck on the left, cutting in and setting up Noah Juulsen, but no red light was lit. Fairly strong start for Philly.
Another chance from a breakout with Travis Konecny finding CamYork with a cross-ice spinning dish, but he missed the target. The Oilers came down with a chance but Dan Vladar was able to turn it away, sending the Flyers back on the attack. Back-and-forth hockey in the first 5:30, with Philly gaining the better of the chances, and shots tied at three apiece.
Jim Jackson and Brian Boucher are a little surprised the Flyers are home underdogs, and while yes they’ve been good at home and Edmonton had to travel across the continent, the odds-makers are looking at these teams and thinking “yeah, the Oilers should win.” I don’t think that’s crazy.
A little bit of a scrambled sequence ends with Zegras finding Juulsen at the right point who sent a puck towards Skinner for a Couturier tip in front, but they couldn’t get it to go. Good work from the Flyers so far, especially the Cates and Coots lines.
According to MoneyPuck.com, Vladar has a .931 save-percentage against high-danger chances, best in the NHL, with our old pal Alex Lyon in second with a sub-.900 (per the broadcast). It seems like the Flyers/NBCS’ statisticians are using some sort of games played or shots faced qualifier, but I didn’t hear them mention it. Either way, that’s a dope stat, and a pretty strong indication that Kim Dillabaugh identified something beyond Vladar’s numbers in Calgary.
The Coots line is getting more pressure and attempts, it feels like they’re very close. If they play this much in the o-zone the rest of the way, they’ll get at least one.
Nick Seeler heads to the box for a hook in front off of a d-zone faceoff, and now Edmonton’s sick power play has taken the ice but WITHOUT Connor McDavid, who appears to have left the bench for the locker room. It is confirmed as an equipment issue for McDavid, as Boosh points out McD uses the “old school” skates and not the snap-in blades, so he has to take his skate off to tend to them. He’s back with 47 seconds left on the power play.
In a matchup of top-5 PPs & PKs, the Flyers win the first battle, killing the penalty. Right after, Vladar gets hit in front, and he appears uncomfortable after losing his glove and stick. This is worrisome. Vladar seems ok, he’s coming back to the net after the commercial break after appearing to wrench his wrist.
With four minutes left, Edmonton is asserting itself after the unsuccessful power play, but Vladar is up to the task so far, stopping all 10 of Edmonton’s SOG. There’ve been some tense moments in the defensive zone, and the Flyers have gone six minutes without a shot of their own.
Evan Bouchard scores in the final minute of the period, with McDavid creating a chance after an easy entry through the neutral zone, grabbing the loose puck on the other side and dishing to Bouchard, making it 1-0. That felt like it was building for a few minutes. Shots are 12-5 in favor of the road team. It was the Cates line against McDavid on that shift, and they’ve done solid work for the most part, but it just takes one chance, and that’s what happened.
Really strong first half of the period for the Orange & Black, but the momentum is all Edmonton now. The Flyers have been good after allowing the first goal, having gone 5-3-1 in these situations, but getting scored on first 10 times through 16 games is not ideal.
Second period
Ok, that first period summary was way too long. I’m going to try to pull back the rest of the way.
The Oilers pick up right where they left off, pinning the Flyers in and outworking them to loose pucks. A lot of failed clears and questionable decisions with the puck have Philly on their heels in the first three-four minutes. When was our last shot? Yesterday?
The differences in these teams’ ability to pass through traffic is stark. When the Flyers have a chance to advance the puck they can’t do so accurately, while the Oilers are putting on a display of getting through the zones.
Philly is starting to get A LITTLE MORE time in the o-zone but with 10 minutes gone in the period, are still yet to record a shot against Skinner. Zegras nearly found Foerster in front with a tip chance, and it does count as a shot, but it wasn’t as dangerous as it could’ve been. Shots are 23-6 with nine minutes left in the period and Edmonton back on the attack.
The Flyers have won four of 22 faceoffs with 7:33 left in the second. This team just needs the freakin’ puck in the worst way. They’ve forgotten what it feels like to have it on their sticks at this point. It looks like Brink & Zegras have switched spots, and Coots with Michkov and Brink actually get a little zone time and even a shot or two on goal! That’s progress…
Zegras actually appears to be out with Tippett and Christian Dvorak now.
PECOOOOOOO! Philly is getting a power play thanks to a Jake Wallman hook, so let’s see if the Flyguys can use the man advantage to regain momentum as the Oilers did in the first.
MATVEI MICHKOV TIES IT! With a little pitch-and-catch between #39 and Cam York, Michkov takes the puck to the top of the left wing circle and fires a wrist shot through a screen for his third goal in three games. The score is 1-1, despite the 24-8 shot disparity. York has now been on the ice for eight of Philly’s 10 power play goals, and has picked up 10 points through 13 games, with at least another period left tonight.
Philadelphia seemed to pick up a little momentum, getting a couple chances after the tying goal, including Michkov setting up Coots in front, but it was short-lived, and the Oilers are once again spending multiple shifts with the puck in the Flyers’ end. Luckily, Vladar is still in net for the Flyers, so the score remains tied as the period comes to an end. Shots are 25-11, and the Flyers have a chance to steal two points from a game in which they’ve been thoroughly out-classed.
Third period
As impressive as Vladar has been, I’d really like to see him not be the star of the final period. Philly’s netminder has given them a chance, now the skaters playing with the jump they had in the opening shifts of the game would be a welcomed change of pace.
Cates takes a penalty going high on McDavid on the period’s opening faceoff, and now the Flyers will begin the third on the PK. Not ideal. Another kill for the Orange & Black, but the Oilers continue pressuring as their advantage ends. Philly needs a swing badly.
The good guys have picked up the checking a little and it’s leading to more possession, as they’re getting sticks on sticks, and spending time of offense, and that leads to another power play opportunity, with Ty Emberson going for holding after getting tied up in a scrum with Travis Konecny.
After a mostly uninspiring first 1:20 of the power play for the Michkov group, Zegras’ unit took the ice and got set up, but the best chance was a Foerster one-timer that Skinner gloved. Edmonton gets the kill. We’re going to commercial with 7:01 left in regulation, still tied.
Zegras is, at least for a shift, centering Michkov & Tippett and it pays almost immediate dividends with Michkov finding Zegras with a drop pass and Ziggy unloads a wrister but it found Skinner. The group stayed out for the o-zone draw, survived an Edmonton break out and then got back in for a shot attempt that found the netting, allowing for an o-zone draw for the Cates line.
The Flyers have certainly slowed the Oilers through the neutral zone in this period, and it has resulted in a lot less defending. Philly is outshooting their opponent 5-3 halfway through the frame.
Michkov & Zegras combined for another chance with Michkov finding Z for a chance with a pass from below the goal line with about eight minutes left, but it looks like Zegras missed the target. They’ve certainly been active when deployed together, but it still seems a little precarious to have them out together when play is on the defensive side of the red line.
Trent Frederic, fresh off the ass-kicking he took from Mathieu Olivier a couple nights ago, “steamrolls” (thanks, JJ) Vladar, and the Flyers converge but it seems as if Frederic will be the only one disciplined, and the Flyers are back on the PECOOOOO power play with 5:35 left in regulation. I was definitely yelling “F*CK HIM UP!” upon impact, but not doing so gives the Flyers a chance to take a late lead. I guess I’ll accept that, but my wires cross when I see the MVP goalie take contact like that.
Frederic is going for goalie interference, while Mattias Janmark and Emil Andrae (serving for Vladar) both go off as well, so it’ll be 5-on-4, as expected.
After a while to get set up, Zegras created a chance for Cates to bang home in front, but Skinner kept it out and the penalty time comes to an end. That was a very quick two minutes (TWSS). Faceoffs remain a problem for this team, as they’re just not able to get the initial setup off the draw.
Vladar makes a huge save on McDavid with about 1:25 left when the best player in the world got free on the far side. Damn. If the Flyers win this game, Vladar should get at least two stars. I’ll accept one if they don’t.
THE FLYERS TAKE THE LEAD WITH 23.5 SECONDS LEFT! Travis Konecny goes to the middle with the puck at the point, and gets the drive-by tip behind Skinner with Coots also in front! But no! It’s an offside review. This probably isn’t going to count. Tippett on the left wing was offside along the wall. That sucks.
Yup, no goal. Still 1-1, and we’re headed to OT.
Overtime
Philly got the first chance, surviving the first McDavid/Draisaitl shift, but a center ice turnover by Cam York leads to a 2-on-0 rush for the Oilers, with Mattie Savoie passing to Jack Roslovic to beat Vladar in a heartbreaking turn of events. Damn.
Watch PHLY Flyers
