When the Edmonton Oilers visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, the winner might be the team that gets off to a quicker start.
Both teams have found themselves needing to overcome slow first periods that force them to play from behind late. That, of course, is a slippery slope, as the Edmonton and Philadelphia players and coaches know all too well.
In the Oilers’ most recent game, they trailed the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 in the first period, 3-1 after two periods and 4-2 with less than seven minutes left in regulation. Two goals from Connor McDavid and a late short-handed tally by Jake Walman helped Edmonton tie the score before Jack Roslovic won it on a breakaway in overtime.
“The group likes to put itself in a tough spot and just when you think it’s a tough spot, we go a little bit further,” McDavid said. “Then we decide it’s time to go. We stuck with it. We put ourselves in a tough spot, but we’re good at coming from behind. We found a way. It’s not the prettiest way to win a game, but a win nonetheless and we move on.”
The Oilers had lost their previous three games — including a 9-1 pounding at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche. They are looking to win back-to-back contests for the first time since Oct. 21-23, and they may have found the winning recipe late in the matchup with Columbus.
“That’s probably the exact type of game it was going to take to get out of this little funk, or at least to start,” Walman said. “It wasn’t perfect at all, but we found a way and stuck with it. There was a lot to like in that game.”
As if Edmonton needs additional obstacles at the moment, the team also begins a seven-game road trip Wednesday.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, wraps up a quick two-game homestand that began with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The Flyers fell behind 2-0 early in the first before scrambling to force overtime on goals by Matvei Michkov and Jamie Drysdale. The hosts fell short in the extra session, but the focus in the locker room was on the team’s start instead of the finish.
“This is two games now that the other team comes out stronger than us and out-battles us and makes it hard on us to come back,” said Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier. “But as much as it could’ve been a frustrating day, we didn’t give them a whole lot after the first. It was still a big point.”
Dan Vladar likely will get the start in net for the Flyers, who have lost their last three home games after starting the season by winning six of their first seven on home ice.
“I’ve got to do a better job of getting the team ready,” said Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, “because we’re chasing after that (slow start). … That’s hard to do against anybody, and Ottawa’s a good team.”
Philadelphia and Edmonton have split their two-game season series in each of the previous four seasons.
–Field Level Media
