EDMONTON, Alberta _ In an attempt to shake the Philadelphia Flyers out of their recent offensive funk _ they had a combined three goals over their previous two games in Western Canada _ coach Alain Vigneault scrambled all four lines Wednesday in Edmonton.
It didn't work.
Oh, the Flyers had a lot more offensive-zone time and a slew of great scoring chances, but they could not finish many of them in an embarrassing 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.
Connor McDavid equaled a career high with five points (goal, four assists) to highlight the victory.
The Flyers, who faced a 6-1 deficit until they scored two late garbage-time goals, outshot the Oilers, 52-22.
One minute the Flyers faced a 2-1 second-period deficit in a game they were dominating in shots, scoring opportunities and possession. A few minutes later they were trailing, 5-1, en route to a lopsided loss. They head home from a winless (0-2-1) Western Canada trip that leaves them with an uninspiring 2-2-1 record.
The Oilers (6-1) ruined Carter Hart's homecoming, chasing him with 5 minutes, 28 seconds left in the second period and the Flyers facing a 4-1 deficit _ even though Philadelphia had 24-14 shots advantage at the time.
McDavid (a goal only he scores) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (power play) scored less than two minutes apart to make it 4-1 and chase a shaky Hart, who grew up in nearby Sherwood Par and had dozens of friends and family members in the crowd. He was playing his first NHL game in Edmonton.
Brian Elliott replaced Hart and, shortly after he made a remarkable spin-around save while Edmonton was on a power play, Leon Draisatl (two goals) scored on scramble in front with 3:34 left in the second. It was 5-1 and the fans were howling.
Earlier in the second, McDavid made it 3-1 as he sped past defenseman Justin Braun and got around him with a head-shaking move _ countless others have felt the defenseman's pain against the speedy superstar _ and beat Hart from in close. Hart made an ill-advised poke-check that didn't work.
The Flyers allowed the game's first goal 95 seconds into Tuesday's 3-1 loss in Calgary. On Wednesday, it took the Oilers just 73 seconds to score first.
It's not exactly a good formula for success.
After a failed clearing attempt by Oskar Lindblom, Draisaitl ripped a right-circle shot off the left post and into the net to give Edmonton the early lead.
The Flyers' new-look power-play tied it on Jake Voracek's goal on a rebound off Claude Giroux's shot, knotting the score at 1-1 with 12:24 left in the first.
A little over seven minutes later, Edmonton regained the lead ... seconds after the Flyers looked like THEY would snap the 1-1 tie.
Kevin Hayes was stopped by Mikko Koskinen from point-blank range, and the Oilers controlled the long rebound and raced down the ice. Defenseman Ethan Bear, the trailer on the play, was left all alone and he beat Hart from the left-circle, putting the Oilers ahead, 2-1.
Because the Flyers have put a premium on defense, "a couple guys may be slow in taking off (to the offensive end)," Vigneault explained before the game. "They're making sure maybe about the emphasis we're putting on defense. You have to find the right balance in both, so I've changed the lines a little."
Vigneault reunited Giroux, Couturier and Konecny on the top unit, and had Hayes centering Lindblom and James van Riemsdyk on the second line. The other lines: Scott Laughton centering Michael Raffl and Voracek, and Connor Bunnman centering Carsen Twarynski and Tyler Pitlick. (In the second period, Voracek and van Riemsdyk traded places, among other line changes.)
The new Flyers coach also changed the power play. Konecny and Couturier went from the second to first unit, while van Riemsdyk and Hayes dropped to the second unit.
None of it mattered.
The Flyers traveled nearly 13,600 miles to play the first five games and return to Philly.
Maybe the Flyers were worn out by the travel, or maybe they are what they were last season _ a team that has to huff and puff for goals and still needs a sniper.
