GAME RECAP: Oilers 4, Flyers 2

EDMONTON, AB - The Edmonton Oilers notched three third-period goals to rally to a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. at Rogers Place.
Connor McDavid recorded the 800th point of his NHL career with two goals and an assist on the evening, while Leon Draisaitl notched his 700th on a third-period power-play goal. In addition, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins set a new career high with his 70th point of the season on the goal where McDavid and Draisaitl hit their own milestones.
"That's a great question," McDavid said when asked who gets to keep the puck. "Obviously great accomplishment from Leo. 700 is an amazing feat. Nuge is having a great year and just keeps on going and making those great plays."
Stuart Skinner picked up the victory, turning aside 22 shots for his 14th win of the season. The victory snapped Edmonton's four-game losing streak and continued a 42-day and 16-game stretch where the team has recorded a point in all but a single game (10-1-5).
"I don't think it should be lost on anybody, especially in (the Hall of Fame Room), that we've lost once in regulation in 16 games," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said in his post-game media availability. "Anytime you're collecting points, that's the business we're in. We're in the business of collecting points and we haven't been perfect over that time, but we're doing some good things in order to gain points and that's a credit to our players and their hard work."
The Oilers now head east for a two-game road trip starting on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins before concluding Saturday versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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FIRST BLOOD

It was not a flying start for the Oilers on Tuesday night against Philadelphia.
The Oilers were the better of the two sides in the game's opening minutes, recording the first four shots of the evening and generally carrying the play. Their momentum was halted at the 7:27 mark courtesy of a Brett Kulak interference call that helped reverse the favour back in the direction of the Flyers.
The Oilers penalty kill was up to the task; however, the Broad Street team continued to push after the penalty had expired. Philadelphia picked up the opener off a quick Noah Cates wrap-around that squeezed between the pads of Stuart Skinner just past the midway mark of the first frame. The goal was the 24-year-old's ninth of the season and looked as if it would be the lone goal in a quiet first period between the two sides.
Joel Farabee took a high-sticking infraction on Evan Bouchard in the offensive zone to send the Oilers to the power play with six seconds remaining in the frame. Draisaitl won the ensuing draw directly to Tyson Barrie, who ripped a point shot from distance through traffic and behind Carter Hart for his 10th of the season to knot the game at 1-1.
Philadelphia had held the Oilers without a shot for 14:59 of the first period until Barrie found the back of the net behind Hart with three seconds remaining in the opening period.

RINSE, REPEAT

The second period followed much of the same template as the first. The Flyers were able to smother the Oilers offence throughout the frame, forcing 16 giveaways and allowing only 10 shots over the first 40 minutes.
The Flyers took a 2-1 lead just past the halfway point when Owen Tippett made like his namesake and redirected a Kevin Hayes feed perfectly over the shoulder of Skinner for his 16th of the year. The Oilers received a late power play after Wade Allison hauled down Barrie, but the NHL's top-ranked man advantage was unable to solve Hart before a Ryan McLeod hooking call negated their numbers advantage.
Connor McDavid came close to tying the game before the end of the frame, charging down the right wing before firing a wrister off the far post behind Hart and out across the goal line for the Oilers lone high-quality chance of the frame.

MULTIPLE MILESTONES

McDavid and Draisaitl have been connected at the hip for so long that it was only fitting the duo combined to reach their 800th and 700th career points respectively on the same goal.
Edmonton's offence had laboured getting through the Flyers trapping structure for the game's first 40 minutes, but an opportunity for League's top-rated power play was all the Oilers needed to get back in the contest. McDavid started off the quick passing sequence in the Philadelphia zone, whipping the feed cross ice to Nugent-Hopkins who returned the favour to Draisaitl waiting at his favoured spot.
The German superstar hammered home his 34th of the season and his 21st on the power play for point 700 of his career. McDavid's feed was his 103rd point of the season and the 800th of his career. Nugent- Hopkins' dish was his 70th point of the season, setting a new career high for the longest serving Oiler.
McDavid would not have to wait long for points 801 and 802, redirecting his 43rd goal of the season between Hart's legs less than six minutes later and adding an empty-netter in the game's final moments.

CREASE COMPETITION

Tuesday's battle of the Edmonton area goaltenders was a much quieter affair than the one at Wells Fargo Arena back on Feb. 9.
The two teams combined for just 51 shots at Rogers Place in comparison to the 71 fired at Skinner and Hart less than two weeks ago.
It was the Oilers starter that got the one-up on his friendly rival, turning away 22-of-24 shots on the night for his 14th victory of the season and his first since Jan. 21. There was no save bigger than the one he made on Tippett with 10:13 remaining in the game when he kicked away a rebound opportunity to keep the game deadlocked at 2-2.
"It was massive. Very happy that we got the win," Skinner said. "Feels like forever since I got a win when I was in there, so to have that feeling back, it feels really good."

PARTING WORDS

Coach Jay Woodcroft on Stuart Skinner's big save in the third:
"I think he made the key save at the key moment for us. Don't forget, I think of the previous 15 games, Stuart only played four of them, so it's nice to get him back up and running. Jack has played well for us and Stuart is getting back up and running and feeling healthy again. He was one of those players for us that had been battling the illness that has gone through our room. I think he'll feel good about the win and use it as a stepping stone moving forward."
Connor McDavid on the Oilers play on the night:
"I thought we didn't really have our stuff. We were pretty flat. Only 10 shots through 40, that's not good enough. I thought we had a great response. Give them credit, they played us hard. They're a stingy team and kind of keep everything to the outside and I thought we did a good job of generating offence there in the third."

McDavid on getting a bank shot and an empty-net goal:
"I feel like the last kind of week or so, I've had some really good chances and they weren't going in. Sometimes, you need a little bounce. Sometimes your team needs to win an ugly one to go on the run as well. So, (it was) kind of the bounce that I maybe needed and our group needed."
McDavid on winning a game where the team didn't play their best:
"You got to win games without your A-stuff. I think it's pretty cliché that good teams find a way to win when they don't have their stuff and I thought that was us tonight. Skinny made a huge save there in the third to kind of keep us in it, and we did just enough to get a win. It's going to take a lot more than that to win coming down the stretch, but give the boys credit."
Stuart Skinner on making a big stop in the third period:
"I was kind of thinking I better save this because after the first 40 it was obviously tough. Being able to make that save, hopefully that put a little bit more trust in the guys that I'm ready to go."
Skinner on beating former Bantam opposition Carter Hart this time around:
"Yeah. We're 1-1 in the NHL, so hopefully, I can keep on banking points on him."