Tippett scores twice for Flyers in win against Oilers

PHILADELPHIA -- Owen Tippett scored two goals in his return from injury for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 6-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

Tippett hadn’t played since Jan. 29; the forward missed five games because of an upper-body injury. His line with Matvei Michkov (one goal, two assists) and Sean Couturier (one goal, two assists) combined for eight points and each was plus-5.

"I think the [4 Nations Face-Off] break came at a good time for me," Tippett said. "Obviously it [stinks] being out, but luckily it came at a good time and I'm happy to be back now."

Rasmus Ristolainen had a goal and an assist, and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for Philadelphia (25-26-7), which won for the third time in 10 games (3-6-1). Samuel Ersson made 15 saves.

"Everybody chipped in," Flyers coach John Tortorella said. "It was up and down for a little bit, but we didn't panic, and they made some big plays at key times."

Leon Draisaitl and John Klingberg each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers (34-18-4). Stuart Skinner made 26 saves.

"I think what really cost us was the turnovers," Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. "We tried to make plays when there's not a play to be made there, not being able to get the puck in deep. Four even-strength goals, all of them were just direct result of turnovers.

“... We left 'Skins' hung out to dry too many times, breakaways, 2-on-0s. Wasn't a very good, sound effort by us defensively whatsoever."

Michkov gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead at 2:07 of the first period when he scored on his own rebound. The rookie forward had three points (two goals, one assist) in 10 games before the break.

"Had a chance to recoup, had a good time out of hockey," Michkov said through a translator. "Ready for the rest of the season. Needed that break."

Klingberg tied it 1-1 at 7:06 when he scored from the left face-off circle. It was his first goal since April 3, 2023; the defenseman was playing his sixth game since having double hip resurfacing surgery in December 2023 and signing with Edmonton on Jan. 17.

Draisaitl made it 2-1 at 9:31, scoring in front after a pass from Matt Savoie. It was Savoie's first NHL point in his second game.

Tippett scored on a breakaway at 1:45 of the second period to tie it 2-2. It was his 15th goal of the season.

Couturier's 200th NHL goal put the Flyers ahead 3-2 at 7:13. It was his first in 11 games.

"It's something I'm proud of," he said. "There's been a lot of downs over the last couple years. To get there, it's a lot of fun. It's a great honor, but it's been a lot of help from teammates, coaches to get there. I just hope I can maybe score another 100."

Mattias Ekholm scored from the crease to tie it 3-3 at 8:34.

Tippett finished a give-and-go with Michkov to give Philadelphia a 4-3 lead at 12:26.

"As [defensemen], we didn't deny the line enough," Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "And we didn't get back fast enough also. That combination, a team with skill is going to sting you."

Kuzmenko redirected a Travis Konecny pass for a power-play goal at 15:37 to make it 5-3.

Ristolainen scored an empty-net goal at 17:01 of the third period for the 6-3 final. The defenseman last played Feb. 2, missing three games before the 4 Nations break because of an upper-body injury.

NOTES: Draisaitl has 11 points (six goals, five assists) during a seven-game point streak, including four straight multipoint games. … Oilers center Connor McDavid, who scored the overtime goal in Canada’s 3-2 win against the United States at the 4 Nations final Thursday, was minus-3 in 19:59 of ice time. His 11-game point streak against the Flyers ended; he had 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) during his run. ... Kuzmenko's goal was his first with Philadelphia in his second game since being acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames on Jan. 30. Forward Jakob Pelletier, also acquired in that trade, made his Flyers debut. He had one shot on goal in 11:48. ... Philadelphia matched its season high for goals in a period with four in the second. ... Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula had an assist on Michkov's goal in his first game since Jan. 23. He missed eight games because of an upper-body injury. ... Philadelphia forward Ryan Poehling played 12:01 in his first game since Jan. 16; he missed 11 games because of an upper-body injury.