Postgame 5: Flyers Drop 4-3 OT Verdict in Edmonton

The Philadelphia Flyers had to settle for one point as they lost in overtime, 4-3, to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Tuesday night. Philadelphia held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 but was unable to close out the win.

Edmonton superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, held quiet all night, figured in the tying goal goal for the Oilers late in the third period. Draisaitl then won it in overtime.

The Flyers won the special teams battle in the game. Philly went 2-for-7 on the power play, scoring on their first and third opportunities on the man advantage. The Flyers were also 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.

Unfortunately, the Flyers were outscored at full strength by a 3-1 margin and Edmonton pulled out their first win of the season in the 3-on-3 sudden death.

At 4:47 of the opening period, Matvei Michkov (PPG, 1st) played the puck below the goal line on a carom off the end boards. The 19-year-old rookie jammed it over the goal line near the right post. The Oilers challenged the play unsuccessfully for goalie interference. The assists on Michkov's first NHL goal went to Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost.

Michkov struck again (PPG, 2nd) at 9:21, Morgan Frost teed up a pass in the Russian rookie's wheelhouse and Michkov ripped it home from just below the dot for a 2-0 lead. Frost and Travis Konecny collected the apples.

At 6:26, veteran Adam Henrique pounced (1st) on a puck left in the slot and backhanded a shot into the net to narrow the gap to 2-1. Mattias Janmark and Brett Kulak earned the assists.

Edmonton knotted the score at 2-2 at 14:01. Taking a pass from Jeff Skinner, Connor Brown (1st) tallied a top-shelf goal to the short side. Darnell Nurse picked up the secondary assist.

The Flyers were unable to capitalize on a 40-second 5-on-3 power play late in the second period, but then struck to retake the lead. At 19:37, Bobby Brink (1st) fired a shot from the right side that went off defenseman Mattias Ekholm (jostling for position with Luchanko) into the net. Egor Zamula and Joel Farabee earned the assists.

Evan Bouchard (1st) pinched in on the weak side and got open to score at 16:18 off a setup from McDavid. Draisaitl got the secondary assist as the game went to overtime.

Finally, at the 56-second mark of overtime, Drasaitl (2nd) ended the game. The lone assist went to McDavid.

Samuel Ersson stopped 29 of 33 shots in taking the overtime loss. Stuart Skinner turned back 27 of 30 Flyers shots.

Rookie center Jett Luchanko rejoined the Flyers lineup on Tuesday after being rested on Saturday in Calgary. Noah Cates was scratched.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

74 Owen Tippett - 48 Morgan Frost - 39 Matvei Michkov
71 Tyson Foerster - 17 Jett Luchanko - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 14 Sean Couturier - 10 Bobby Brink
21 Scott Laughton - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
77 Erik Johnson - 9 Jamie Drysdale
5 Egor Zamula - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen

33 Samuel Ersson
[82 Ivan Fedotov]

PP1: Drysdale, Tippett, Frost, Konecny, Michkov
PP2: Zamula, Foerster, Luchanko, Farabee, Brink

TURNING POINT

The Flyers took a gamble in overtime, sending out two wingers (Michkov and Konecny) and no center out with defenseman Sanheim. The risk nearly paid off but ultimately backfired.

Sanheim had a scoring chance denied and then wiped out. All three Flyers skaters were caught deep in the attack zone.

McDavid, arguably the NHL's single most dangerous attacker, had a clean breakaway on Ersson. The Flyers goalie made the save. As Edmonton recovered the puck, trailer Draisaitl was wide open. He buried McDavid's feed into the back of the net

POSTGAME 5

1) The Oilers were caught with too many men on the ice at 4:02 of the first period. The unsuccessful challenge on Michkov's goal at 4:47 put the Flyers right back on the power play. A needless slashing penalty by Corey Perry near the benches at 7:38 gave the Flyers their third power play. Michkov made sure the 5-on-4 man advantages did not go to waste.

2) Bobby Brink was called for high-sticking Derek Ryan at 10:50 of the first period. The Flyers held the deadly Edmonton power play without a shot on goal. A shorthanded 2-on-1 for Konecny and Laughton produced a prime chance for Laughton. Later, a would-be Bouchard goal at 15:20 disallowed for goaltender interference by Zach Hyman, First period shots on goal were 12-7 Flyers.

3) Ersson made a very tough save on Darnell Nurse at 2:27 of the second period after Brink missed the net on a shot attempt at the other end. Eighteen-year-old Luchanko accidentally high-sticked 39-year-old Perry in the offensive zone at 3:01. Hathaway came out to block a Bouchard slapshot. The Flyers killed off the rest of the minor penalty.

4) The Flyers survived several scares in the second period but could only dodge the bullet for so long as the momentum began to shift. Ersson bailed out a Poehling turnover down low. Edmonton had three shots go off the crossbar or the goal post. Ersson made a really nice pad save on Draisaitl. The unsuccessful 5-on-3 could have been something the Flyers would rue but Brink's goal made it academic. Second period shots were 11-10 Oilers.

5) A spectacular individual effort by Tippett nearly produced a vital insurance goal in the third period. The shot attempt beat Stuart Skinner but went off the post. At 10:02, Troy Stecher fought Couturier after a collision behind the Edmonton net with goaltender Skinner.Moments later, Farabee went with Perry off a faceoff in the neutral zone. Third period shots were 13-8 Edmonton.