The Oilers scored six goals tonight en route to a 6-3 victory over the Flyers. Six different Oilers scored, and save for a few heady minutes in the third, the Oilers were never really in any trouble en route to this victory.
PERIOD 1
- 00:00 - Michal Neuvirth gets the start on the second half of a back-to-back. Michal Neuvirth also got the start on the first half of a back-to-back last night in Calgary, a 3-1 loss. Let's see how this works out.
- 00:15 - Anton Slepyshev hits Brandon Manning. Manning's number would come up a lot tonight.
- 00:40 - There is a player named Jordan Weal on the Flyers. I believe he's a forward. That's all I know about him
- 02:14 - Matt Hendricks scores for the Oilers. It is a weak wrister that Michal Neuvirth should have gloved without much issue. I'm not complaining, it's his second goal in as many games. The Flyers challenge the goal on the belief that it is offside. They are wrong. 1-0 Oilers
- 04:00 - Chris Vande Velde is still a Philadelphia Flyer. Good for him.
- 06:49 - The camera shows Flyers coach Dave Hackstol on the bench giving a menacing sniffle. Otravin would probably help.
- 07:51 - Ivan Provorov makes a bad pass to Brayden Schenn. Schenn is unable to receive it, and the puck bounces back to Jordan Eberle who is right in front of Michal Neuvirth. Eberle can't cash, but it's a bad giveaway by the young Provorov.
- 10:28 - During a stoppage in play, Naughty By Nature's Hip Hop Hooray is blared out of Rogers Place's speakers. Respect the classics.
- 12:07 - Zack Kassian attempts a wraparound. Somewhere, Bernie Federko smiles.
- 14:14 - Milan Lucic and Brandon Manning each receive coincidental minors. Lucic's stick looks like it might have touched Manning while both were behind the Flyer net. Lucic goes for slashing while Manning gets two for diving.
- 15:19 - Leon Draisaitl scores on a beautiful tip form Matt Benning. Drasaitl won the faceoff in the Flyers' zone. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins makes a cross-ice pass to Matt Benning. Benning dishes it from the point to Draisaitl, who is in front of the net. Draisaitl doesn't miss from there. 2-0 Oilers.
- 20:00 - End of period. Oilers 2, Flyers 0. Shots: Oilers 10, Flyers 9
PERIOD 2
- 00:31 Radko Gudas scores. Sean Couturier beats Matt Benning wide and is able to pass the puck past Andrej Sekera to Gudas, who has Lucic right behind him. Gudas is free, he gets his stick on the ice and the puck behind Cam Talbot. Oilers 2, Flyers 1
- 05:00 - Shots even at 11 each
- 06:12 - Matt Hendricks sends an errant pass down ice. Radko Gudas picks it up and sends it to Jakub Voracek. Voracek all alone, stopped by Talbot. Nice touch.
- 07:17 - Jordan Eberle scores. Connor McDavid brings the puck into the zone about thirty seconds prior to this goal being scored. Patrick Maroon fires, but the puck goes wide. The puck stays behind the goal line for the majority of thirty seconds until McDavid appears to Neuvirth's left. McDavid fans on a shot, but Jordan Eberle quickly pounces and backhands it in. Everyone can back off of Eberle for ten minutes. Oilers 3 -1
- 08:12 - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scores. Nugent-Hopkins sends a cross ice pass near the blue line to Zack Kassian. Kassian responds by sending it to Eric Gryba near the point. Gryba sends it to the net, where the puck bounces off of Brandon Manning, and then Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Go to the net. Oilers 4-1.
- 09:17 - Don't! Stop! Me! Now! I'm havin' such a good time! I'm havin' a ball!
- 10:35 - Patrick Maroon and Brandon Manning drop the gloves for a tussle. Maroon lands nearly three times as many shots as Manning does. Maroon takes Manning to the ice. The building is loud. Both players go to the box for 5. The Manning story is tired.
Can we be done with the stupid Brandon Manning shit now?
— Alan Hull (@alanhull) February 17, 2017
- 11:10 - Eberle gets a one-timer off in front of Neuvirth from Adam Larsson, but Brayden Schenn is there to block.
- 15:03 - Pierre-Edouard Bellemare botched a pass near the point. Quick thinking by Anton Slepyshev got the puck to Leon Draisaitl, who was off to the races. Draisaitl cruises in all alone in front of Neuvirth and snaps a shot. He's rewarded with a big post to Neuvirth's left. Michael Del Zotto was the nearest Flyer, and it was a couple strides back.
- 16:39 - Oscar Klefbom scores. Claude Giroux tries to flip the puck out of his zone, but Klefbom gets a glove on it. Klefbom sends it to Matt Hendricks, who sends it to Connor McDavid near the right faceoff dot. McDavid sends it back to Klefbom, who tees it up near the point. The wheels came off for Philly at this point. Oilers 5-1.
- 17:02 - Leon Draisaitl casually takes an interference penalty on Brandon Manning. Manning responds by chirping the entire Oiler bench. Smart.
- 19:15.8 - Wayne Simmonds scores as the penalty expires for Edmonton. It is a terrible goal for the Oilers to give up. Cam Talbot plays the puck from behind the net around the boards to Drake Caggiula. Caggiula sends one in the skates towards Mark Letestu. Letestu can't do much with it, and Wayne Simmonds takes care of business just five feet in front of Talbot. Oilers 5-2.
- 20:00 - End of period. Shots in period 2: Flyers 11, Oilers 9
PERIOD 3
- 01:00 - The Wave is in full effect. At least the Oilers are winning by a fair margin.
- 03:47 - This is the first time I notice Andrew MacDonald playing defence for the Flyers. They've really got him locked up for three more years. Sheesh.
- By this point in the game, it's apparent that the Oilers are sitting back. I suppose there are worse crimes when you're up by 3 goals, but Philadelphia does most of the heavy lifting this period.
- 06:39 - Patrick Maroon picks up a two minute penalty for hooking Ivan Provorov. It's not a good penalty to take at this point in the game.
- 07:13 - Brayden Schenn scores on a nice tip in from Jakub Voracek on the power play. Voracek sets Schenn up perfectly with a cross ice pass right to Talbot's doorstep. All Schenn has to do is let the puck hit his stick, and Talbot is unable to make it to the right side of his crease. Schenn skates towards the crease untouched. Oilers 5, Flyers 3. Don't look now, but the Flyers are within two.
- 10:24 - Wayne Simmonds throws a wild one from the point to a crowded Cam Talbot. Talbot makes the glove save, but it's getting too close for comfort.
- 14:50 - Connor McDavid scores on a snap shot from Jordan Eberle. Patrick Maroon picks up the puck near his own red line on a turnover and gets it to Eberle. Eberle carries it down the middle and leaves it for 97 about ten feet in front of Neuvirth. 97 doesn't miss. Oilers 6, Flyers 3. The Oilers absolutely needed this one, as they took their foot off the gas for large chunks of the period.
- 16:56 - A wild sequence to Talbot's right. Michael Raffl (eight goals) tries to bank it off of Talbot from behind the goal line. Talbot turns to his side, the puck lands on Chris Vande Velde's stick, and he tries to bank it in from the same spot Raffl did, except he's got Talbot turned to the side. No dice, and Eric Gryba carries it out.
- 20:00 FINAL: Oilers 6, Flyers 3
SUMMARY
- Oilers are getting goals again, which is a good thing. That's eleven goals in their last two games, which is encouraging as heck.
- Six different goal scorers is also encouraging. Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins scoring on the same night? Yes, please.
- Things got a little waxy in the third period, but that all goes away when you hang a couple field goals on the Flyers.
- I'm quite through with the Brandon Manning thing, thanks for asking.
- Did the lack of Jonas Gustavsson help the Oilers this game? I can't prove much, but I'm going to nod yes.
- That's Klefbom's second goal in as many games.
- That's Pakarinen's second point in as many games on the season. #PakAttack
- Oilers now tied for second with 70 points with Anaheim. That's good, right?
- Oilers begin a six game roadie starting in Chicago on Saturday.