Rick Tocchet's Philadelphia Flyers (5-10-5) are back in Alberta on Wednesday to play Mike Babcock's Edmonton Oilers (13-3-3). It's the fourth game of Philly's current five-game road trip. The Flyers and Oilers rematch at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.
Game time at Rogers Place is 9:00 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on NBCSP.
On Monday in Vancouver, the Flyers built a 2-0 lead heading into their third period. After the Canucks drew life from a disallowed Flyers goal. Philly held on to skate off with a 3-1 victory.
Travis Konecny (PPG, 2nd) netted what proved to be the game-winning goal. Michael Bunting (1st) and Travis Saheim (ENG, 2nd) also scored for Philly. Joseph Woll (18 saves) earned his second win of the season in net.
The Oilers have won back-to-back games heading into Wednesday's tilt. The team has points in eight of its last 10 games (6-2-2). On Monday, the Oilers defeated the visiting New York Rangers by a 3-1 score.
Leon Draisaitl scored a pair of goals for the Oilers. Connor McDavid had the other one. Goaltender Devin Levi turned back 30 of 31 shots in a game where Edmonton mustered a modest 20 of their own.
Here are the RAV4 Things to watch on Wednesday.
1. Gut Check Game
No matter how you slice it -- quality of opposition, a mounting fatigue factor, potential distractions -- the Flyers are in the midst of a very challenging week of their 2026-27 campaign. Mental toughness and focused urgency are vital.
In terms of fatigue factor, this is Philly's third game in four nights across three different time zones including a pair of trips into Alberta. The Flyers not only have to "start on time" in the first period. They also need to dig deep in the third period.
What happened in Vancouver was not just about Philly "sitting on the lead" and then having to hold on for a win. Their legs also seemed to get heavy by the third period. They started to lose battles they won regularly for two periods. Some it was also psychological after seeing leads slip away to the Rangers and Flames.
2. McDavid and Draisaitl
The Flyers can only worry about their own play. Nevertheless, they have to be hypervigilant about containing McDavid and Draisaitl enough to have a fighting chance to win. There aren't many true game-breakers individually in the sport. These are two, however.
McDavid has recorded at least one point in each of his team's first 19 games of the season (11 goals and 37 assists for a staggering 48 points). He averages 23:48 of ice time per game. As such, checking responsibilities fall to multiple different lines.
Meanwhile, Draisaitl has already compiled 36 points (18 goals, 18 assists) while averaging 21:56 of ice time.
Stopping Edmonton's dynamic duo is a herculean task. Containment is more realistic.
3. Special Teams
The Edmonton juggernaut has various different ways to overpower opponents but their perennially elite power play is central to their identity and pride: 38.5 percent this season so far.
The Flyers' power play has become a true bright spot over the last 11 games since a rough start. Overall, they've improved to 18.3 percent on the season. The Oilers' PK (77 percent) is in the middle of the NHL pack.
If Philly can last break even on special teams in Wednesday's game, their chances of victory improve significantly. Their best bet: avoid stick penalties and keep their feet moving to minimize retraining minors.
4. Flyers veterans
This is the type of matchup where a total team effort is crucial. But the Flyers may especially need their veterans to be tone setters from a physicality and 200-foot game standpoint. On the back end, that usually starts with Travis Sanheim and/or Jamie Drysdale. Up front, a player such as Travis Konecny or Owen Tippett needs to make positive things happen.
