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…