Three takeaways from the Flyers OT vs. Oilers loss

A thrilling game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Edmonton Oilers had no shortage of goals, penalties and stunning chances, but despite strong performances from many of the Flyers' players, they ultimately fell short in overtime.

It was a disappointing end to an otherwise exciting show from both teams that clearly had a lot of excitement – for the Flyers, who wanted to get back to winning ways, and for the Oilers, who just wanted to win their first game of the season.

The crazy Russian is coming

The question on every Flyers fan's mind since opening night is: “When will Matvei Michkov score his first NHL goal?”

Well, in true Michkov fashion, he got his first And second goals against the Oilers (both on the power play).

It seemed only fitting that the 19-year-old showcased his offensive brilliance with two goals, and it certainly spurred the Flyers to continue attacking Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner with wave after wave of scoring opportunities. Although they still struggled to capitalize on some quality opportunities, the ambition and refusal to give up a move is still strong in this team.

Do you want to go?

Fans were treated to two fights during this game, and not from players you might have expected.

Sean Couturier dropped the gloves first, followed by a brawl between Joel Farabee and Corey Perry after the two had spent some time talking.

This Flyers group has never been afraid to attack physically, but throwing fists is usually left to Nic Deslauriers or Garnet Hathaway. Seeing guys who don't normally fight step up when challenged is an encouraging thing and a surefire way to motivate the bench when faced with a situation like against the Oilers, for every goal that the Flyers shot had an answer ready.

Untenable

Sam Ersson (and the goalposts) were big to stop the Oilers' stars from scoring, but made it clear how much the defense was struggling all game.

It's obvious that Jamie Drysdale needs a consistent partner (which was supposed to be Nick Seeler until a puck on his knee put him out of the game for the time being), while the partnership between Egor Zamula and Rasmus Ristolainen continues to be not all that impressive.

Even the normally reliable pairing of Cam York and Travis Sanheim weren't at their best against Edmonton, leaving Ersson vulnerable against the likes of Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Flyers' defense is still recovering from last season's war-torn, and it's a night they'll want to quickly forget.

The Flyers will complete their four-game road trip against the Seattle Kraken on October 17th.

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