3 Keys to an Edmonton Oilers Victory Over The Philadelphia Flyers

The Edmonton Oilers continue their Eastern coast road-trip tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. So far on the road trip they have gone 1-2. Their 1 win came against the Florida Panthers while the 2 losses came against the Tampa Bay and Carolina.

Winning one of those games, I think is pretty impressive considering these teams are all in the top 5 in the NHL. Tonight is a game they should be able to win and put themselves at 0.500 on the road trip so far.

The Philadelphia Flyers aren’t just going to roll over and take the loss though. Back in October the Flyers were able to beat the Oilers, ending their season starting winning streak. The Oilers took them lightly then, so I don’t expect that to be the case today.

Back in October I did a 3 keys to victory and they didn’t follow the keys and it ended in a loss. Today I am doing it again and hopefully the Edmonton Oilers can pull them off and get the victory.

1. Don’t Fall Behind Early

The Edmonton Oilers still have yet to lose a game when they score the first goal. So that is an important asset the Oilers success. As much as the Oilers are capable of coming from behind, it is always better to start the game on a positive note.

In the past Oilers have let an early penalty, bad goaltending, or bad defense be the cause for an early goal. The team needs to tighten this issues up. This isn’t just for this game this is for the rest of the season.

2. Goaltending Will Once Again Be Key

Mikko Koskinen will be getting the start tonight. In his last five games Koskinen has actually been play fairly good. I think this is due to him being able to get some rest in-between his starts now. When Mike Smith was out Koskinen was playing far too often and was burning out.

If Koskinen doesn’t give up any soft goals that take away momentum the Edmonton Oilers should walk out of Philadelphia with a win. In his last 5 games he has averaged 3 goals against. That should be good enough for as the Oilers offence should be able to score at least 3 goals.

3. Edmonton Oilers Depth is Key Tonight

With the key injuries for the Edmonton Oilers forwards the lineup tonight is pretty depleted. There is a lot of players playing above where they should be.

Brad Malone will be play his first NHL game since April 6, 2019. I have no idea what to expect from him. In his 35 games in Bakersfield he has 10 goals and 11 assist. Tonight is his 200th career NHL game which is nice for him. I don’t see him getting much ice time tonight though, as he hasn’t played a NHL game in just under 3 years.

The rest of the team will have to improve their play as every player in the bottom part of the lineup is playing one line above where they normally would be slotted. I still like their odds against this Philadelphia Flyers team, but it will be a tougher task.

This is game that the Edmonton Oilers should win, I however said that about the game back in October, so that means nothing. If they can play the same type of game they have the last three games this should be an easy win for the Oil.