A little rust is to be expected after a two-week break.
But the amount of rust the Edmonton Oilers showed on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia was too much. Despite some solid offensive performances, the Oilers were slow, disjointed, and sloppy, earning every bit of their 6-3 loss to the Flyers in their first game after the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Flyers pounced early, as Matvei Michkov found the back of the net two minutes into the first period for his third goal in two career games against the Oilers. It was the start of a great day for Michkov and his line, as he, Sean Couturier, and Owen Tippett combined for four goals on Saturday
While the Oilers were sloppy in the early goings, the Flyers were no better. Edmonton took advantage, as John Klingberg scored his first goal as an Oiler to tie the game. Matt Savoie then found Leon Draisaitl for his first NHL point in his Oilers debut, giving Edmonton a 2-1 lead midway through the first.
The two newest Oilers had standout games, with Klingberg picking up two points and Savoie looking the part of a top-six contributor on Draisaitl’s line.
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But the wheels came off for Edmonton in the second period. Even a Mattias Ekholm goal couldn’t stem the tide as the Michkov-Couturier-Tippett line torched the Oilers for three goals in the middle frame. Evan Bouchard had a difficult day, making two big turnovers that led to Flyers goals.
Former Calgary Flame Andrei Kuzmenko later added his first goal as a Flyer to make it 5-3, and that was about that. After allowing four goals in one of their worst periods of the season, the Oilers allowed an empty-netter from Rasmus Ristolainen in the third to seal the game at 6-3.
The Oilers were clearly not ready on Saturday afternoon. Playing a road matinee after a two-week break, they just didn’t have their legs under them or their heads in the right place.
Though the second period was a disaster, the third period may have been even worse, as they only mustered three shots on net while down by two. Their 18 total shots on net was the second-lowest total of their season.
That being said, there were positives. Matt Savoie looked good in just his second NHL game, John Klingberg picked up two points in his best game as an Oiler, and Leon Draisaitl was as dominant as ever with two points. Despite allowing five goals on 31 shots, Stuart Skinner was huge in the third period as he tried to will his team back into the game.
The Oilers don’t have much time to solve their matinee issues. Their next action will come on Sunday, as they play another 11 a.m. MT game in Washington against the dominant Capitals.
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