PRE-GAME REPORT: Oilers at Flyers

The Edmonton Oilers will continue their five-game road trip on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center against the Philadelphia Flyers.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet One or listen on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED, starting at 5:00 PM MT.
Video: OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at PHI 03.01.22

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS
GAME DAY VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Pre-Game at PHI
PRE-GAME RAW | Coach Woodcroft
PRE-GAME RAW | Keith
PRE-GAME RAW | Malone
RECENT VIDEOS
Spectacular NWT Play of the Week
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game at CAR
HIGHLIGHTS | CAR 2, EDM 1
BY THE NUMBERS
Oilers Statistics
Flyers Statistics
Stats Comparison
Game Notes
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
GENE'S BLOG: The Tooth Hurts
RELEASE: Malone recalled from Condors
GAME RECAP: Hurricanes 2, Oilers 1
VIEWING INFORMATION
You can watch Tuesday's game on Sportsnet One at 5:00 PM MT.
News and notes from the Oilers organization, including Tuesday's activations and assignments to Bakersfield, as well as Gene Principe's blog on Connor McDavid needing dental work during Sunday's game vs. Carolina.
**>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE OILERS BLOG**
PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Oilers will ice a different lineup in search of a different result tonight as they take on the Flyers, two days removed from a hard-fought 2-1 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh.
Up front, Kailer Yamamoto is expected to return after missing Sunday's game with some bumps and bruises inflicted during Saturday's win over the Florida Panthers, while Brad Malone will also draw in after getting called up from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors on Sunday.
On the back end, Duncan Keith met the team in Philadelphia and will suit up after missing three weeks with a concussion and upper-body soreness as a result of a collision into the end boards against his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks, on Feb. 9 at Rogers Place.
And between the pipes, Mikko Koskinen is slated to get the nod after putting forth an outstanding 44-save performance in Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Panthers, improving his record to 6-0-1 in his last seven starts.
VETERAN PRESENCE
The Oilers have deployed a youth-heavy blueline group in the nine games since Keith's injury, rolling out the likes of Evan Bouchard, William Lagesson, Markus Niemelainen and Philip Broberg, who have a combined 159 career NHL games under their belts.
They'll add a veteran to the crew on Tuesday as Keith makes his return to the lineup, bringing his 1,362 combined regular season and playoff games' worth of experience to the back-end brigade.
Video: PRE-RAW | Duncan Keith 03.01.22
"We've got good defencemen back there," Keith said of his fellow blueliners. "It's good to see these young guys -- Lagesson, Niemelainen, Broberg and obviously Bouch too -- coming along as the season progresses. We're definitely going to need them down the stretch."
The nine games the 38-year-old missed also happened to be the first nine games of Head Coach Jay Woodcroft's tenure on the bench, during which the team has gone 6-3-0, and Keith said the team's cohesiveness on the ice has been a noticeable upgrade based on his observations.
"We look more like we're a five-man unit out there in terms of moving around on the ice all together and supporting one another," he said. "That looks like it's been an improvement, defensively and offensively. It's something I think we've got to keep working at and keep going."
MALONE'S MILESTONE
From a veteran at the NHL level in Keith to a seasoned all-around pro in Malone.
Not only is the current Condors captain set to play his first NHL game since April 6, 2019, tonight's tilt in Philadelphia will also be his 200th at hockey's highest level to go along with the 445 he's suited up for in the minors.
After playing 23 games with the Oilers during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, Malone signed a one-year NHL contract for 2019-20 but ended up playing the full year with Bakersfield.
Video: PRE-RAW | Brad Malone 03.01.22
He had AHL deals with the Condors for 2020-21 and the current season, but an impressive start to 2021-22 earned him another NHL contract signed on Feb. 10. Malone is having his best offensive season to date from a points-per-game perspective with 11 goals and 20 assists in 35 contests.
"I didn't necessarily think it could happen, but I didn't want to give up on myself or the guys in Bakersfield," the 32-year-old said of his new NHL deal and this week's call-up. "As an older guy, I wanted to keep pressing as a player and keep working and that seemed to correlate into better results."
Woodcroft, who has coached Malone in Bakersfield since 2018-19, said he's excited to see what the veteran can bring to the Oilers lineup.
"Brad's been a good solider for the Edmonton Oilers organization over the last four or five years," the coach said. "He's someone who's helped numerous young players' development along the way, and over the last few years especially I've seen his game get better.
"He's been someone who's been able to contribute in multiple different fashions down in Bakersfield. He's getting an opportunity tonight. He's a big body, he gets in on the forecheck, he has experience penalty killing and he's a natural centre iceman. I'm happy for him, he's certainly earned this opportunity, and I know that he's looking to make a contribution."
Video: PRE-RAW | Jay Woodcroft 03.01.22
Malone said he's not surprised the Oilers have won twice as many games as they've lost since Woodcroft and Dave Manson joined the coaching staff, given the guidance they provided the Condors with over three and a half seasons.
"There's a mix of detail and work ethic," Malone said. "Jay does a really good job of not leaving any detail unturned and communicating that to the rest of the guys in the room. The game plan is very clear and everyone knows what they're doing out there. The expectation is to work, so you put those two together and it's a pretty good formula."
Malone has scored 30 points in his 199 career NHL games, but none have come in his 23 games with the Oilers thus far. He's more focused on his effort than he is offence, though.
"I know my role, I'm a fourth-line guy and an energy guy," he said. "If I get the opportunity to go out there, it's detail and work ethic. That's one of the reasons I've had success under Woody. It's being able to play within a structure with a lot of effort and he rewards guys for that."
LINEUP NOTES
Malone took morning skate reps with Devin Shore and the duo will likely have multiple linemates against the Flyers as Woodcroft opts for his 11 forwards and seven defencemen deployment.
Keith, meanwhile, was paired with Bouchard during Tuesday's morning skate ahead of his return.
-- Ryan Frankson, EdmontonOilers.com
OILERS at FLYERS
STREAM: 5:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet One
Oilers Team Scope
Derek Ryan scored his fourth goal in two games as the Oilers pushed the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes to the brink on Sunday afternoon before ultimately dropping to a narrow 2-1 defeat in Raleigh.
The loss was the last of a challenging three-game stop in the state of Florida to play the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Carolina -- a stretch of the current five-game road trip for the Oilers where the club went 1-2-0 and earned the win on Sunday in Sunrise.
"We came away with one out of three. We wanted more, but I thought we played well in all those games," forward Zach Hyman said. "Later on, when it gets down to the nitty-gritty in the playoffs, games are tight, teams are good. This was a big learning experience for us and we'll be better moving forward."
Flyers Team Scope
For the second time this season, the Flyers were able to skate to a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals after the Broad Street Bullies earned the victory to end a six-game slide on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.
Carter Hart returned from missing two games with an eye infection to make 27 saves on 28 shots against the Capitals, while forward Claude Giroux, who's been involved in trade talks ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on Mar. 21, scored his 17th goal of the season just 11 seconds into the game.
Since an early-season win over Washington improved their record to 6-2-2 to begin the campaign, the Flyers have won only 10 of their last 42 games (10-24-8), including two 10-game losing streaks and only three wins in the calendar year.
By The Numbers
Since Jan. 1, the Flyers have the 29th-ranked powerplay (12.1 per cent) in that span and 32nd-ranked penalty kill (64.6 per cent)... The Flyers have held only 10 leads (7-0-3) entering the third period this season... The Flyers have scored a league-low four empty-net goals and allowed 15, third-last in the NHL behind Detroit (18) and Seattle (16)... Philadelphia has a minus-15 goal difference on home ice (77 GF, 92 GA)
Cam Atkinson (18G, 21) and Claude Giroux (17G, 22A) are tied for the Flyers lead in points with 39... Connor McDavid (28G, 47A) is tied with Florida's Jonathan Huberdeau for the league lead in points with 75, one ahead of Leon Draisaitl (36G, 38A)... Forward Derek Ryan has four goals in two games and eight points in nine games (5G, 3A) under Head Coach Jay Woodcroft...
Injury Report
OILERS - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (upper body) is week-to-week; Jesse Puljujarvi (lower body) is on IR; Kyle Turris (undisclosed) is on IR; Zack Kassian (fractured jaw) is on IR; Kris Russell (undisclosed) is on IR.
FLYERS - Samuel Morin (knee) is on IR; Ryan Fitzgerald (undisclosed) is on IR; Ryan Ellis (lower body) is on IR; Nate Thompson (shoulder) is on IR; Sean Couturier (upper body, COVID-19 Protocol) is on IR; Kevin Hayes (hip) is on IR; Wade Allison (sprained MCL) is on IR.
-- Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com