Flyers-Oilers Preview: Road Trip Opens Without Ellis Against Undefeated Edmonton

After four games on home ice, the Flyers hit the road for the first time in the 2021-22 season. Their first test isn't any easier than their last.

The Flyers open a three-game Western Canada road trip against the Edmonton Oilers, another team undefeated with a 5-0-0 record. Wednesday's game will mark a second straight without Ryan Ellis in the lineup, making the challenge that much tougher.

Game time is at 10 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Edmonton Oilers	GP	G	A	P
Joel Farabee	4	3	3	6	Connor McDavid	5	6	7	13
Cam Atkinson	4	4	1	5	Leon Draisaitl	5	4	7	11
Derick Brassard	4	1	4	5	Jesse Puljujarvi	5	2	6	8
Sean Couturier	4	1	4	5	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	5	0	7	7
Keith Yandle	4	0	5	5	Zach Hyman	5	5	1	6

Cam Atkinson is off to a hot start in his Flyers career. His latest highlight was a shorthanded goal in Saturday's game against Florida that gave the Flyers the lead in the second period. He looks to continue to provide at both ends of the ice on Wednesday night.

How do you follow up a season with 105 points in 56 games? You get off to an equally ridiculous start the following season. So far, Connor McDavid is already at six goals and 13 points in just five games this season, keeping up his near two point-per-game production from a season ago. In fact, dating back to the last eight games of the 2020-21 season, McDavid has 34 points in his last 13 games.

Carter Hart returns to the net and gets a start in his hometown on Wednesday. Hart, who is from nearby Sherwood Park, Alberta, will make his fourth start of the season already. Despite allowing three goals, he had a solid showing in his last game with 27 saves.

Mikko Koskinen gets the start for the Oilers. Koskinen is off to a great start with a 3-0-0 record and 2.03 GAA in his three games this season. Against the Flyers, he is 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .952 save percentage.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Ryan Ellis (injury), Patrick Brown (healthy)

Oilers Scratches: Mike Smith (injury), Brendan Perlini (healthy), Slater Koekkoek (healthy), Kyle Turris (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: No changes are expected to the Flyers lineup. Ellis remains out of the lineup and is day-to-day. Patrick Brown flew into Edmonton to meet the team on Wednesday morning due to Canada's COVID protocols, so he is also not expected to play immediately.
Oilers: No changes are expected to the Oilers lineup following their last game on Friday.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (3rd), Oilers (1st)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (16th), Oilers (6th)
Recent History vs. Oilers
- Dec. 14, 2018 - Oilers 4, Flyers 1 (at EDM)
- Feb. 2, 2019 - Flyers 5, Oilers 4 (F/OT) (at PHI)
- Oct. 16, 2019 - Oilers 6, Flyers 3 (at EDM)
Flyers Leaders vs. Oilers
- Claude Giroux - 16 GP, 7 G, 14 A, 21 P
- Rasmus Ristolainen - 13 GP, 2 G, 12 A, 14 P
- James van Riemsdyk - 15 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
- Keith Yandle - 42 GP, 6 G, 23 A, 29 P
- Cam Atkinson - 17 GP, 7 G, 4 A, 11 P
- Carter Hart - 2 GP, 1-1-0, 4.95 GAA, .862 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Nicolas Aube-Kubel will play in his 100th NHL game tonight.
- Rasmus Ristolainen needs one assist to reach 200 for his career.
- Travis Konecny needs three goals to reach 100 for his career.
- Claude Giroux needs six power-play points to pass Bobby Clarke for the Flyers all-time franchise lead.