Flyers Game
Flyers Fend Off Oilers Push, Hold on for 5-2 Win on Saturday
Denver Barkey scored his first career NHL goal, kicking off an explosive first period for the Philadelphia Flyers (21-12-7) as they beat the Edmonton Oilers (20-16-6) 5-2 on Saturday at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Barkey, Travis Sanheim, Bobby Brink, Nick Seeler, and Owen Tippett all scored for the Flyers in the win. Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard scored for the Oilers.
Connor McDavid was electric all game, but it was not enough to lift his team past the Flyers. Here is how it happened.
Read More: Flyers Game 40: Lines, Notes, & How to Watch vs. Oilers
Fast first period
No review was needed for this rookie’s first career NHL goal. Denver Barkey (1) put the Flyers up 1-0 just under 10 minutes into the game. Unlike Matvei Michkov, who scored his first career goal at Rogers Place, but needed a review.
Barkey made a great play to spring the zone exit from deep in his own zone. He got the puck to Sean Couturier (17), who found Owen Tippett (12) across the blueline. Tippett set up Barkey’s first NHL tally.
It did not take long for the Flyers’ next score. In fact, it was just over three minutes later that Travis Sanheim (4) to jump on a loose puck just over three minutes later, scoring from the right-side dot, giving Philadelphia the 2-0 lead.
If you thought the Flyers were done, well, you’d be wrong.
Bobby Brink intercepted the puck in the neutral zone, hitting Matvei Michkov (14) with the pass, who found Cam York (14) driving. York fired a shot, which got redirected off the skate of Brink (11), giving the Flyers the 3-0 lead.
Darnell Nurse and Garnet Hathaway dropped the gloves in Hathaway’s first game back in the lineup. It may have given the Oilers the spark they needed. Mattias Ekholm (15) sprung Connor McDavid free on a breakaway after a Sanheim turnover.
A McDavid breakaway is bad news for any goaltender, including Dan Vladar, who had himself a great first period, stopping 12 of 13 Oiler shots in the period. However, he could not stop the McDavid (25) breakaway, bringing the game to 3-1 for the Flyers in the first intermission.
Read More: Watch: Denver Barkey Scores His First Career NHL Goal
Oilers get right back in it
It looked like it was going to be a slow second period. Neither team had much going on in the first half of the second. That was, until a Michkov high-stick led to an Oilers power play.
Any time the NHL’s best power play unit takes the ice, you have to be on high alert. It did not take long for Connor McDavid (47) to set up an Evan Bouchard (8) bomb to make it a 3-2 game with 30 minutes to go in regulation.
Edmonton would get another chance on the man-advantage not long after the Bocuhard goal. Rodrigo Abols got called for holding, but his team was able to kill off the penalty.
That helped kill some of the Oilers’ momentum.
Towards the end of the period, the Philly would get a power-play chance of its own after Trevor Zegras drew a high stick. The Flyers could not convert. That brought the game into the second intermission with Philadelphia hanging out to the 3-2 lead.
Calvin Pickard put the Oilers on his back in the second period. He stopped all 11 of the Flyers’ shots, including some high-danger looks. It was a true bounce-back period for the Oilers’ netminder.
Flyers hold off Oilers, “Seel” the win
The third period was much like the second. It felt like a tough battle, but neither team was generating much.
That was until Nick Seeler (1) sent a blast from the point, a shot the Pickard never had a chance to see. Rodrigo Abols (6) won the draw and got the puck to Seeler, who fired the puck into the crowded lane.
The goal was the first goal since December 31st, 2024, for Seeler.
Seeler’s goal gave Philadelphia the 4-2 lead, which was enough for the Oilers to empty the net quite early. They had a couple of end-to-end chances at the empty net, but could not find the dagger.
Dan Vladar came up big for the Flyers, like he had been all game. He was especially good late in the game with the chaos brought by the extra attacker.
Vladar stopped 21 of 23 Oiler shots on Saturday.
Owen Tippett (13) finally put one in the back of the empty net, assisted by Sean Couturier (18) and Nick Seeler (5), which was the dagger. The Flyers held off the Oilers’ push and left Rogers Place with the 5-2 win.
What’s next for the Flyers
The Flyers return home from their four-game road trip on Tuesday when they take on the Anaheim Ducks at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. EST.
Read More: World Juniors Semi-Finals Set; 5 Flyers Prospects Remain
Wow. Impressive! Not talking the Flyers win. Talking the game ends and this hits my inbox within a minute or two of the final horn!
Heading into this 4 game Holiday road trip out here on the West Coast I was hoping we could get 5 of the possible 8 points. After getting just 1 win in the first 3 games and facing Edmonton today, I was a bit discouraged. But, the Flyers looked solid today. Swarmed the net and had many opportunities throughout the game (unlike the Kraken or Calgary games).
Big time win today. Huge 2 points against a team that has been in the Stanley Cup Finals back to back years.
Congrats to Barkey and his 1st career goal. He’s been a gift to the team since his first shift. He may never have a Lehigh Valley address again.
Nice win. Go Flyers!
Good win.
Trying to figure out what off-season, non-internal, transaction has the been the best maneuver by Danny B so far to this point……Zegras, Vladar, or Dvorak.
Hard to choose among them. And getting Grundstrom in dumping Ryan Ellis was an impressive move by Danny B!
Great game! I was holding my breath the last 4 minutest of the game, at least until the empty netter. Watching the Philly feed down here in Florida, however, was getting extremely annoying with JJ constantly praising McDavid and the camera constantly showing his face. I love the Philly broadcasters on ESPN+(having grown up and spending 55+ years in a Philly suburb before moving to Florida), but enough already! I had to check to be sure I wasn’t watching the Edmonton feed! Glad the Flyers don’t play these guys again in the regular season.