Oilers 4, Flyers 0
PHILADELPHIA -- The Edmonton Oilers stayed hot while cooling off the Philadelphia Flyers in convincing fashion on Thursday with a 4-0 win at Wells Fargo Center.
Despite sitting in last place of the Western Conference and owning the NHL's fewest road wins, the Oilers (25-34-7) outplayed the Flyers for a third straight victory and just their ninth away from home.
As a result, the Flyers (29-23-11) had their three-game winning streak put to rest. Philadelphia, which had won the first three games of its crucial six-game homestand, slipped to five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.
Edmonton standout rookie Connor McDavid tallied an assist to give him 20 points in his last 16 games, while four different Oilers scored goals, punctuated by Lauri Korpikoski's short-handed marker in the third period to all but seal it.
Oilers goalie Cam Talbot was outstanding in his ninth straight start, making 35 saves.
In his fifth consecutive outing, Flyers goaltender Michal Neuvirth stopped 27 shots.
McDavid, who missed 37 games after breaking his collarbone on Nov. 3 when Edmonton last played Philadelphia, continued his playmaking ways to get things started.
The rookie sensation took the puck at center ice, made a subtle move outside and blazed past Evgeny Medvedev for a point-blank look in front. Neuvirth converted the save but couldn't control the rebound, allowing Nail Yakupov to put it home for a 1-0 lead 11:20 into the game.
The Oilers, who outshot the Flyers 14-6 in the opening stanza, somehow cushioned their advantage to 3-0 in the second period despite Philadelphia controlling play.
Talbot denied a slew of quality chances by the Flyers, making 16 saves during the middle frame, while Edmonton killed off three power plays before striking twice more.
The Oilers burned the Flyers again with speed when Taylor Hall took a neutral-zone turnover by Shayne Gostisbehere and turned it into a breakaway goal and 2-0 lead for Edmonton at 14:22.
The Oilers kept coming less than two minutes later and saw one of their newest additions make his mark. Patrick Maroon, in his Edmonton debut after being acquired at Monday's NHL trade deadline, never quit on a play in deep by pestering Neuvirth and knocking the puck loose to hand the Oilers a healthy 3-0 margin at second intermission.
NOTES: Oilers LW Patrick Maroon made his Edmonton debut. The 27-year-old played in 56 games for the Ducks this season, compiling four goals and nine assists. ... Flyers D Evgeny Medvedev appeared in his second straight game after he was a healthy scratch in the previous three. He played in place of D Brandon Manning, who was a healthy scratch along with C R.J. Umberger. ... LW Luke Gazdic, RW Iiro Pakarinen, LW Benoit Pouliot and D Nikita Nikitin were healthy scratches for the Oilers. ... Flyers RW Jakub Voracek (lower body) was sidelined for a third consecutive game. GM Ron Hextall said Monday that Voracek will be out approximately two weeks.