National Hockey League
Edmonton 4, Philadelphia 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 3, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Kendrick Nicholson, Brad Watson
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Darren Gibbs
Attendance: 18636

PHILADELPHIA -- Claude Giroux lifted his stick in the air and whacked the goal post in anger, all but summing up what transpired at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.

The Edmonton Oilers, young, fast but still developing, came in and knocked the playoff-hopeful Philadelphia Flyers down a peg with a convincing 4-0 win.

Lauri Korpikoski's short-handed marker in the third period provided the fitting end as Giroux unleashed his frustrations on his own net.

"We've been playing a lot grittier as a team," Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot said after making 35 saves for the shutout. "We weren't afraid to get into those tough areas and get the forecheck going, and that has created a lot of offense for us."

Despite sitting in last place of the Western Conference and owning the NHL's fewest road wins, the Oilers (25-34-7) outplayed the Flyers for a third straight victory and just their ninth away from home.

As a result, the Flyers (29-23-11) had their three-game winning streak put to rest. Philadelphia, which won the first three games of its crucial six-game homestand, slipped to five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.

"I didn't think we matched their pace in the first period," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "For a team that hasn't had a whole lot of success on the road, they probably got out of that first period feeling pretty good."

Edmonton standout rookie Connor McDavid tallied an assist to give him 20 points in his last 16 games, while four different Oilers scored goals.

Before winning three straight, Edmonton had lost seven in a row, five of which came at home.

"We've learned by trial and error that the cute, fancy homestand we tried to play wasn't going to do it," Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. "We're a proud group so we took it upon ourselves to be a scrappy, relentless, tenacious team."

And speed doesn't hurt, either.

McDavid, who missed 37 games after breaking his collarbone on Nov. 3 when Edmonton last played Philadelphia, continued his playmaking ways to get things started.

The 19-year-old sensation took the puck at center ice, made a subtle move outside and blazed past Evgeny Medvedev for a point-blank look in front. Goalie Michal Neuvirth converted the save but couldn't control the rebound, allowing Nail Yakupov to put it home for a 1-0 lead 11:20 into the game.

"He gets faster when he gets the puck," teammate Taylor Hall said of McDavid. "That's a quality that not many guys in the world have. Fun to watch."

The Oilers, who outshot the Flyers 14-6 in the opening stanza, somehow cushioned their advantage to 3-0 in the second period despite Philadelphia controlling play.

Talbot denied a slew of quality chances by the Flyers, making 16 saves during the middle frame, while Edmonton killed off three power plays -- seven overall in the game -- before striking twice more.

"Sometimes you get the breaks and maybe get a lucky bounce, and some nights you don't," Philadelphia defenseman Mark Streit said. "The second period, I thought we deserved better."

The Oilers burned the Flyers again with speed when Hall took a neutral-zone turnover by Shayne Gostisbehere and turned it into a breakaway goal and 2-0 lead for Edmonton at 14:22.

"All five guys need to be aware because they're flying out there," Streit said. "They have a lot of team speed -- we knew that."

The Oilers kept coming less than two minutes later and saw one of their newest additions make his mark. Patrick Maroon, in his Edmonton debut after being acquired at Monday's NHL trade deadline, never quit on a play in deep by pestering Neuvirth and knocking the puck loose to hand the Oilers a healthy 3-0 margin at second intermission.

"We couldn't buy a break around the net and they capitalized on the opportunities that they had," Hakstol said. "That's difference in the game."

Unlike Philadelphia, Edmonton did everything it wanted.

"Good penalty killing, lots of shot blocking, lots of sacrifice," McLellan said. "That all falls into the team-first, scrappy mentality. Tonight it got the job done."

NOTES: Oilers LW Patrick Maroon made his Edmonton debut. The 27-year-old played in 56 games for the Anaheim Ducks this season, compiling four goals and nine assists. ... Flyers D Evgeny Medvedev appeared in his second straight game after he was a healthy scratch in the previous three. He played in place of D Brandon Manning, who was a healthy scratch along with C R.J. Umberger. ... LW Luke Gazdic, RW Iiro Pakarinen, LW Benoit Pouliot and D Nikita Nikitin were healthy scratches for the Oilers. ... Flyers RW Jakub Voracek (lower body) was sidelined for a third consecutive game. GM Ron Hextall said Monday that Voracek will be out approximately two weeks.
Top Game Performances
 
Edmonton   Philadelphia
Taylor Hall 1 Points N/A
Taylor Hall 1 Goals N/A
Brandon Davidson 1 Assists N/A
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
Lauri Korpikoski 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
Cam Talbot 1.000 Save Percentage Michal Neuvirth .871
Cam Talbot 35 Saves Michal Neuvirth 27
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Edmonton 31 4 0-1 7-7 30 20
Philadelphia 35 0 0-7 1-1 18 44
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Flyers have a W/L % of .448 after a win and .471 after a loss.
  • Edmonton will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Oilers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .310 after a loss.
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