The Philadelphia Flyers (25-26-7) hosted the Edmonton Oilers (34-18-4) in a return to the NHL regular season following the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Faceoff.
This game would be the first between Canadian and American markets following the 4 Nations Faceoff. Lauren Hart sang the dual anthems of ‘O Canada’ and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. The sellout crowd at the Wells Fargo Center led by example; they were respectful during ‘O Canada’ and presented Hart with a great ovation.
Sam Ersson went head-to-head with Stuart Skinner. Ryan Poehling, Owen Tippett, Rasmus Ristolainen, Egor Zamula, and Jakob Pelletier entered the lineup versus the Oilers. The NHL 4 Nations Faceoff served the Flyers well. The roster is healed and refreshed to finish the regular season strong. A victory over an elite NHL team like Edmonton put Philadelphia on the right track.
First Period
Shots: 9-8, Flyers
Score: 2-1, Oilers
A theme of this contest was how the Flyers were off to a hot start at the beginning of periods. Matvei Michkov followed his rebound while generating pressure in the offensive zone, 1-0, with 17:53 remaining in the first period. Andrei Kuzmenko slid into the slot, but Michkov elected to shoot. His shot missed wide, caromed off the back wall, and sat aside the crease for Michkov to beat Skinner on the blocker side.
However, the Oilers answered. Ty Emberson placed a pedestrian shot on goal, and Ersson allowed an awful rebound. John Klingberg potted the juicy rebound, 1-1, with 12:54 remaining in the first period. For Klingberg, this was his first goal with Edmonton.
Then, the Oilers took the lead. Philadelphia looked like a ‘shinny’ hockey team midway through the first period, turning the puck over and failing to clear the puck. Leon Draisaitl gave Edmonton a lead after Matthew Savoie won a puck battle behind the net against Ristolainen. Savoie earned his first NHL point, assisting the scoring play by Draisaitl, 2-1, with 10:29 remaining in the first period.
“The point of emphasis in between periods was, ‘we need the puck.’ We [the Flyers] had the puck. We were close. After a long break and an afternoon game put on top of it, because you never know what happens with these afternoon games; it was just being connected. We were connected for the first six [or] seven minutes. They [the Oilers] score a couple of goals. It’s two goals on four shots; it knocks you back. We never had a puck. I don’t think we had a scoring chance from the fourteenth minute of that first period. The biggest concentration was staying connected and keeping the puck offensively. It’s a really big thing against that line [Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid, Hyman] to play in the endzone. No blind passes, you don’t have to make an offensive play at times; it’s just, through attrition, keeping the puck in the offensive zone. We did a much better job of being close and keeping the puck throughout the game.” – John Tortorella; 2/22/2025
Shot totals remained tight throughout the period, but the Oilers had the momentum. They hemmed the Flyers in the defensive zone. Edmonton scored twice and assumed control along the way. Philadelphia lacked focus near the end of the first period. A microcosm of the opening frame was Poehling stealing the puck, skating with his head down, and running into an official.
Second Period
Shots: 22-15, Flyers
Score: 5-3, Flyers
Again, the Flyers jumped out to a hot start. Tippett hustled down a puck and backhanded the shot past Skinner, 2-2, with 18:15 remaining in the second period. He swiped the puck beyond Connor Brown to create a chase with Brett Kulak, winning the race on the way to scoring.
Sean Couturier scored his 200th NHL goal to regain the lead for Philadelphia. Michkov retrieved a loose puck in the offensive zone and found Couturier on the doorstep, 3-2, 12:47 remaining in the second period. A line featuring Tippett, Couturier, and Michkov had their fingerprints on the first three goals versus the Oilers.
Mattias Ekholm tied the game soon after. The Flyers could not clear the defensive zone. Ekholm stood at the top of the crease, accepted a feed from Draisaitl, and popped a point-blank wrist shot past Ersson, 3-3, with 11:26 remaining in the second period. Philadelphia regained the lead for 1:21 before Ekholm scored in lax coverage.
Tippett scored his second of the game, officially putting himself on hat trick watch. He and Michkov entered the offensive zone alone on Skinner. Michkov almost ran out of room to center a pass to Tippett, but he did, 4-3, with 7:34 remaining in the second period. Tippett, Couturier, and Michkov were white hot versus Edmonton.
Klingberg served a minor penalty for high sticking. Kuzmenko drew the penalty and then scored his first goal with the Flyers. He helped cycle the puck to Travis Konecny. Kuzmenko tipped a shot by Konecny past Skinner, 5-3, with 4:23 remaining in the second period. Philadelphia finished 1/2 (50%) on the powerplay.
Third Period
Shots: 32-18, Flyers
Score: 6-3, Flyers
Ristolainen has vastly improved with the Flyers. He nearly scored in close on Skinner, then followed up with a hit near the benches on Jeff Skinner. It doesn’t take much for Ristolainen to make an impression, but these were of the positive variety. More and more, Ristolainen is normalizing those types of impressions.
Noah Cates served a minor penalty for hooking. Draisaitl missed a shot on goal, which cleared the defensive zone. Konecny and Scott Laughton generated a shorthanded breakaway on Skinner, who made the save.
Kris Knoblauch pulled Skinner. Ristolainen scored the empty-net goal, 6-3, with 2:59 remaining in the third period. On the bench, John Tortorella seemed pleased with the performance of his lineup.
Up Next
Next, the Philadelphia Flyers host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday at 7:00pm/ET.
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