EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers got back in the win column in their return to Rogers Place after an impressive offensive showing from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and more than 50 saves from Mikko Koskinen.
McDavid picked up five points and dominated the game when his team needed him most, while Leon Draisaitl pitched in two goals and one assist to improve Edmonton's record to 6-1-0.
The two wasted no time to put the Oilers ahead. McDavid found a trailing and wide open Draisaitl on the right wing, who then finished calmly past Flyers goaltender Carter Hart 1:13 into the game.
A minute later, Oilers forward Patrick Russell picked up a hooking penalty. The Flyers took five shots during the power play, but Edmonton maintained its lead.
However, at 7:09, Markus Grandlund was called for the Oilers' second hooking penalty, and the Flyers made them pay. Claude Giroux took a shot from the right wing, Koskinen gave up the rebound and Jakub Voracek finished from the left.
Ethan Bear put the Oilers back up just under 15 minutes into the game when James Neal passed it to him from the left wing and the defenceman finished with a quick wrist shot past Hart.
Minutes later, Bear once again found himself in the offensive zone and took a shot on goal, but Hart stopped it.
Edmonton Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen (19) makes a save during first period against the Philadelphia Flyers Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson)
The Oilers got off to a slower start in the second period. Philadelphia put pressure on Koskinen in the opening 10 minutes, but the net minder held his ground with 52 saves in his third start of the season.
"Hopefully that's not going to happen every night," Koskinen said. "They were shooting like all the time, quite a lot."
Oilers Head Coach Dave Tippett said Koskinen "should've been first, second and third star."
After only two shots in 12 minutes, McDavid jump-started the Oilers' offensive explosion in the second period.
First, the captain sped past the blue line, muscled defenceman Justin Braun out of the way, and made it 3-1 at 12:34.
"That's when the game turned for us a little bit," Tippett said. "Connor got that goal and we got a couple power play goals and we pushed the game along."
"I put the d-man in a tough spot," McDavid said. "I just tried to beat him there and made a shot on net."
Two minutes later, McDavid and Draisaitl assisted Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' first goal of the season. And at 16:26, during a power play, McDavid found Draisaitl behind the net, who then tucked it in past Hart to put the Oilers up 5-1.
The scoring party continued early in the third period, as McDavid entered the offensive zone, stopped and found Brandon Manning behind him, who blasted his shot in from just inside the blue line.
The Flyers scored two goals towards the end, but the Oilers high-scoring second period proved to be decisive.
The Oilers are first in the Pacific Division and host the Detroit Red Wings on Friday at 7 p.m. MT.
