Complete effort gives Flyers 3rd win in 4 games to start season

Complete effort gives Flyers 3rd win in 4 games to start season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers held the Oilers’ superstar duo in check Thursday night for a well-rounded 4-1 win at the Wells Fargo Center.

Cam Atkinson scored a pair of goals, giving him three through four games thus far. Owen Tippett assisted both of Atkinson’s markers.

Joel Farabee and Sean Walker also potted goals for the Flyers, who improved to 3-1-0.

Sean Couturier had a two-assist, plus-3 night.

Last season, in Year 1 under head coach John Tortorella, the Flyers started 3-1-0.

Tortorella’s club did strong work on Edmonton’s big boys. Connor McDavid had an assist and Leon Draisaitl went scoreless.

The Flyers don’t see the Oilers (1-3-0) again until Jan. 2, when they’ll wrap up their two-game regular-season series.

• Impressive stuff so far from Couturier and Atkinson.

They’re huge on the penalty kill. And Tippett had a breakthrough on their top line Thursday night.

Couturier maybe had the play of the game. In a momentum-swinging moment during the second period, he picked off a McDavid pass on Edmonton’s power play and sprung Walker the other way. Walker punctuated the play with a great shot for the shorthanded goal, cushioning the Flyers’ lead to 3-1 with 1:31 minutes left in the frame.

Couturier anchored the Flyers’ effort against McDavid and Draisaitl.

• Bobby Brink was excellent. The Flyers can’t take him out of the lineup right now.

The 22-year-old winger played a nifty two-man game with Farabee to set up the game-opening goal in the first period.

He nearly scored on a pair of looks late in the second period.

• Since McDavid entered the league as an 18-year-old, the Flyers have gone 5-2-0 against the Oilers when he visits Philadelphia. In those seven matchups, McDavid has put up nine points (three goals, six assists).

When the Flyers have faced him in Edmonton, Alberta, the 26-year-old superstar has gone off for 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) over seven games.

McDavid dominated the Hart Trophy race last season. He took home the NHL MVP honor for the third time by leading the league in goals (64), assists (89) and, of course, points (153).

• Despite scoring one of the Flyers’ two goals in the team’s win Tuesday over the Canucks, Egor Zamula was a healthy scratch against the Oilers. The Flyers stuck with their rotation of Zamula and Emil Andrae over the first four games.

Tortorella isn’t ready yet to make Zamula a regular on the back end. The same goes for Andrae.

“That position, him and Z, I think we’ll probably see some others from [AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley] before this is all said and done,” Tortorella said Wednesday. “We’re going to try to be as patient as possible. It’s the hardest position to play, so many different things are going on.”

As we noted last weekend, rotating prospects in and out is not an ideal development plan long term for many reasons.

The Flyers will eventually have some tough decisions. But the health of the roster will also play a factor in how many games the prospects see early on in the year.

About four and a half minutes into the second period Thursday night, veteran defenseman Marc Staal was banged up in an awkward collision with Warren Foegele. Staal tried to stay on the bench but was visibly in pain. He went up the tunnel and did not return to the game because of an upper-body injury.

The Flyers entered the game with seven healthy defensemen and another potentially nearing a return (more on that below).

• After picking up a 25-save shutout against Vancouver, Carter Hart beat the Oilers with 22 saves.

A total performance from the Flyers.

Hart is off to another strong start. Last season, he started 5-0-0.

Edmonton netminder Jack Campbell stopped 29 of the Flyers’ 33 shots.

• Morgan Frost was a healthy scratch for a second straight game. He’s taking the benching in stride.

• Rasmus Ristolainen, on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue, has yet to make his season debut.

The defenseman appears to be getting closer, though. He practiced Wednesday and had a long skate Thursday, staying on the ice for one hour and 20 minutes.

Tortorella considered Ristolainen day to day.

“We’re trying to get him situated to when he does come back in, he’s going to play,” the head coach said Thursday morning. “Not be in one game, out a couple. Especially early in the year, we don’t want to get there.”

In three years with the Flyers, Ristolainen has not played in the team’s season opener because of injuries.

“It’s frustrating,” he said Wednesday. “I believe it’s the third year in a row I missed the first couple of games. Makes it even more annoying. But just try to be patient, work, rehab and hopefully be back as soon as possible.”

• The Flyers are off Friday before they head to Dallas for a matchup Saturday with the Stars (8 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

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