The Edmonton Oilers didn’t make it easy on themselves Wednesday night, but they still found a way to bank two points.
In a game where they were outshot 32-24, Edmonton outlasted the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime, leaning on a strong night from Tristan Jarry and a two-goal performance from Zach Hyman. It was the first multi-goal game of the season for Hyman, and it ended with Evan Bouchard burying the winner in OT.
The Oilers got a lively start from their third line of Jason Dickinson, Trent Frederic and Colton Dach. On the opening shift, Frederic fed Dickinson for a shot that rang off the crossbar, while Dach made his presence felt with a pair of heavy forecheck hits.
Philadelphia began to settle in midway through the first period. Matvei Michkov found Jamie Drysdale with a sharp cross-seam pass for the best chance of the frame, but Jarry slid over to shut it down. He also turned aside a Zegras rush chance later in the period, with Kasperi Kapanen helping clean up the rebound.
The Flyers controlled much of the first in a tight, low-event period that kept Edmonton on the perimeter. Jarry handled the rest, and the game stayed scoreless after 20 minutes.
Edmonton broke through early in the second after killing off a penalty to start the period. Dach sent a puck around the boards to the point, where Mattias Ekholm blasted it wide. The carom came right to Hyman, who knocked it into an open net for the 1-0 lead.
Philadelphia answered with a hard push. Travis Konecny almost slipped one through Jarry before Owen Michaels cleared it from the crease, and Porter Martone later rang a shot off the post on a transition chance. The Flyers also drew a penalty, but Edmonton’s kill survived.
Soon after, the Oilers went to the power play after a pick by Oliver Bonk. Connor McDavid worked a puck toward the net from the left side, and Hyman got a piece of it to send it through Vladar’s legs for his second of the night. That goal pushed McDavid’s point streak to 20 games and gave Edmonton a 2-0 cushion.
The Flyers cut into that lead late in the second when Jarry took a tripping penalty. Christian Dvorak sent a pass across to Forester on the entry, and Forester beat Jarry upstairs to make it 2-1.
Edmonton did a good job of tightening up early in the third, holding Philadelphia without a shot for the first six minutes. When the Flyers finally broke through, Jarry made a big stop on Travis Sanheim from point-blank range.
The game opened up after that, and the Flyers eventually tied it. Noah Cates established position on Michaels and made contact with Jarry’s stick as Sanheim slid the puck through the legs and into the net. Babcock challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal stood, leaving the game tied 2-2.
Overtime belonged to Edmonton’s top-end talent. McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Bouchard generated a couple of looks in the offensive zone, and when the Flyers tried to change, the Oilers kept the puck alive. Draisaitl then slipped a backhand pass across to Bouchard on the weak side, and Bouchard hammered a one-timer past Vladar for the winner.
There were a few notable takeaways beyond the final score. Dach was bumped up to the second line with Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and the move paid off immediately, with that group producing the opening goal. Dach now has five points in his last seven games, and his forechecking and net-front work are starting to show up.
Connor Murphy had a rougher night. He coughed up the puck in his own end a couple of times early and took a second-period penalty. Even though it didn’t lead directly to a goal against, he’s now been outscored 14-5 at five-on-five this season, and there’s reason to wonder whether he can hold onto a top-four role long term.
The fourth line of Michaels, Joseph and Formenton also had a tough go of it. That group was outshot 6-0 and was on the ice for Philadelphia’s tying goal. Michaels, in particular, has been struggling lately, having been outshot 64-28 at five-on-five over his last 12 games.
Jarry was excellent in net for the Oilers, stopping 30 of 32 shots for his third win in his last four starts. He’s now 5-1-3 with a .907 save percentage on the season. With Devon Levi and Jarry, Edmonton suddenly has two dependable options in goal, and that’s not something this organization has had in a long time.
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