Wrapping up a four-game road trip, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (19-12-5) are in Alberta to take on Kris Knoblauch's Edmonton Oilers (18-15-1) on Tuesday night. Game time at Rogers Place is 9:00 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 93.3 WMMR with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the second and final meeting of the 2023-24 season against the Oilers. Back on October 19 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers skated to a 4-1 win. Cam Atkinson scored two goals off well-executed setups from Owen Tippett. Joel Farabee and Sean Walker (shorthanded goal) also tallied for Philadelphia.
The Flyers have gained one or two points from 12 of their last 14 games (8-2-4). However, they've only won one of their last five games (1-2-2) and are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on Sunday.
The Oilers, meanwhile, have won five games in a row heading into Tuesday's match against the Flyers. The team is 7-3-0 over its last 10 games and is coming off a 7-2 blowout road win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. Warren Foegele had a monster night (2g, 3a) and Leon Draisaitl posted three points (1g, 2a). Zack Hyman tallied his 21st goal of the season, while Connor McDavid earned his 35th assist.
Here are five things to watch in the Flyers' first game of the 2024 calendar year.
1. Two busy teams
Unlike Sunday's game, when the Flyers faced a major fatigue factor disadvantage heading into their New Year's Eve against the Calgary Flames, the Flyers and OIlers are in the same boat in terms of compacted recent schedules. The Flyers and Oilers are both playing their fourth game in six nights (Edmonton is playing its third game in four nights).
Additionally, both teams have been on road trips that involved crossing over time zones and crossing the border. For Edmonton, Tuesday's game marks the beginning of a mini two-game homestand spread across five nights.
Regardless of how much travel the Flyers have done over the last week, they'll have to recover the level of two-way structure that has underscored their improvement in the standings this season. The Flyers gave up too much time to the Flames on Friday -- including through the middle of the ice and yielding seam passes -- and over-relied on their goaltending for significant portions of the game. That eventually proved costly.
Doing the same against the Oilers, with their outstanding team speed and superstar talent at the top of their lineup, would be a recipe for an ugly loss. A 2-1-1 road trip would be a solid outcome and even 1-1-2 wouldn't be bad, all things considered.
2. Homecoming for Hart
Samuel Ersson got the start in goal in both the Vancouver and Calgary games, while Carter Hart started the match in Seattle. The Flyers will hold an 11:30 a.m. MT (1:30 p.m. ET) morning skate at Rogers Place, shortly prior to which Tortorella will announce his starting goaltender for the game.
For Hart, who hails from Edmonton suburb of Sherwood Park, Alberta, games against the Oilers are always something special to him. On Oct.19, Hart turned back 22 of 23 shots in the Flyers' 4-1 win.
For his career, Hart is 4-3-0 in seven games against Edmonton with a 2.71 GAA and .913 save percentage. Ersson has not yet played in a game against the Oilers.
3. Flyers power play vs. Edmonton PK
The Flyers' power play ranks last in the NHL at 10.5 percent (12-for-114). They need continued improvements in shot quality and, above all, goals.
Philly has yielded two shorthanded goals to date this season. That's not bad -- 24 of the NHL's 32 teams have given up three or more shorthanded goals -- but the Flyers have had too many recent close calls. The Oilers have scored four shorthanded goals this season: one apiece by Evander Kane, Derek Ryan, defenseman Darnell Nurse and fellow blueliner Mattias Ekholm.
Overall, the Edmonton penalty kill ranks 20th in the NHL at 79.2 percent success (opponents are 25-for-120). That represents improvement from last season (77.0 percent), although the Oilers also ranked 20th during the 2022-23 campaign.
4. Flyers PK vs. Edmonton power play
The Flyers penalty kill -- along with their goaltending and the team's prowess for scoring in transition either at 5-on-5 or while shorthanded -- has been a huge factor in the club's success this season. The club enters this game ranked fourth in the NHL in PK success (85.7 percent, with opponents going 16-for-112). The Flyers share the NHL lead in shorthanded goals with Calgary, tallying nine times. Philly has gotten four shorthanded goals from Travis Konecny, two from Walker, and one apiece from Ryan Poehling, Scott Laughton and Garnet Hathaway.
The Oilers learned the hard way about the Flyers' shorthanded scoring prowess during the Oct. 19 game in Philadelphia. The club has yielded four shorthanded goals overall.
However, the best advice for an opponent to deal with the Oilers' ultra-potent power play is to avoid taking penalties in the first place. For the season, the Oilers "only" rank seventh at an even 25 percent (28-for-112). Over the last two-and-a-half seasons, though, the Oilers are No. 1 in the NHL at a cumulative 28.6 percent. Taking a more short-term outlook, the Oilers have clicked at a 26.6 percent rate on the power play over their last 25 games despite being just 1-for-13 over the course of their current five-game winning streak. Another surge on the power play is inevitable for the Oilers but it's up to the Flyers to make sure that doesn't happen until the Orange and Black have left town and their season series with the Oilers is finished.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers got off to a horrid start this season, but they improved significantly since Knoblauch (formerly a Flyers assistant coach, later the head coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack) took over behind the bench as the new head coach. Most recently, the club has outscored its opponents by a 24-10 margin over the course of the current five-game winning streak.
For the season to date, the Oilers have scored goals at a 3.56 goals--per-game pace (ranked 4th) and posted a team 3.24 goals against average (ranked 20th). Last season, the Oilers averaged 3.96 goals per game (tops in NHL) and posted a 3.12 GAA (17th).
Superstar center McDavid dealt with injuries earlier this season but has since recovered. He enters Tuesday's game tied for fifth in the Art Ross Trophy race, with 48 points (13 goals, 35 assists) in 32 games. Draisaitl has 40 points (17g, 23a) to date. Defenseman Evan Bouchard leads the blueline with 36 points (9g, 26a).
In net, Stuart Skinner has been a workhorse for the Oilers: 25 games played, 14-9-1 record, 2.86 GAA, .892 save percentage, two shutouts. Backup goalie Cal Pickard has appeared in six games to date (3-2-0, 2.82 GAA, .904 save percentage).
