With the start of trade deadline month, Flyers are shut out by Oilers

As an important month of March arrived, the Flyers were handed another loss.

They failed to build off of their first win since the All-Star break, falling to the Oilers, 3-0, Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Edmonton polished off its win with an empty-net goal.

The Flyers (16-27-10) have won consecutive games just once in the year of 2022. They're 1-3-1 on their eight-game homestand and 3-15-5 in their last 23 games.

A healthier Flyers team hung tough with Edmonton but it lacked discipline and continued to lack the ability to put the puck in the net. Despite 39 shots, it was shut out for the fifth time this season.

The Flyers went 1-1-0 against the Oilers (30-21-3) this season. Their win came back in October.

• The world class duo of Connor McDavid (one goal, one assist) and Leon Draisaitl (one goal, one assist) combined for four points. Two of them came on the empty-netter.

Both players went scoreless their last time out in Edmonton's 2-1 loss Sunday to the Hurricanes.

That was bad news for the Flyers. McDavid and Draisaitl hardly ever put up back-to-back goose eggs. And their playoff-hopeful team had lost three of its last four games coming into Philadelphia.

Can it be tough to match the desperation of a team fighting for the playoffs?

"I don't think so," Scott Laughton said. "We're fighting just to win. It's been a tough couple of months here for us and we're trying to build something."

• With the calendar turning on Tuesday, trade deadline month commenced.

The deadline is March 21. The Flyers will be aggressively selling. They have nine games to go before the deadline and 29 left on the season.

For interim head coach Mike Yeo, he will be focused on winning.

"We have to have that mindset that you take pride in doing things that winners do, day in and day out," Yeo said after morning skate. "I don't think that it would serve us any good whatsoever just to mail in these games and develop bad habits and, in particular, have that kind of attitude, that kind of character and expect that things are going to be different next year. Because that's not the case. We have to develop them right now. And once we start to build that pride and that respect, then we'll carry that into next season with us."

Justin Braun, one of the club's most likely pieces to be moved, played a solid game defensively against a team with scary firepower up front.

Claude Giroux, who will be one of the most eyed players on the entire trade market, played in his 993rd career game. He finished scoreless but had four shots and won 15 of 21 faceoffs.

More: Ristolainen decision, Konecny's play, more in 3 trade-related Flyers thoughts

• Carter Hart, who is from right outside of Edmonton (Sherwood Park), recorded 29 saves on 31 shots.

There wasn't much more he could do other than pitch a shutout.

In the first meeting between the two clubs back on Oct. 27, Edmonton netminder Mikko Koskinen gave up four goals to the Flyers, who picked up a 5-3 victory. In Round 2, Koskinen stopped 39 shots.

• The Flyers' 30th-ranked power play went 0 for 2. It had a 5-on-3 for 51 seconds during the first period but came up empty. The Flyers' best look on the 5-on-3 chance came on a Rasmus Ristolainen blast from the slot.

"Everybody always kind of says usually when you don’t score on a 5-on-3, you’re not going to win," Yeo said. "Those are opportunities you have to take advantage of."

The Oilers' man advantage, ranked third in the league behind only the Maple Leafs and Blues, opened the game's scoring when Draisaitl scored with 2:19 minutes left in the opening stanza.

That goal spelled trouble for the Flyers considering Edmonton was a perfect 16-0-0 on the season when it scored first. It improved to 17-0-0.

The Oilers finished 1 for 5 on the power play. The Flyers gave them far too many opportunities.

"Way too many," Yeo said. "We talked about that before the game and you take a penalty in the first shift. I think that situation, that tripping, it’s a little bit more we’re in defensive-zone coverage. Those are going to happen. It’s the positions that we put ourselves in to take those penalties. We turn the puck over right on the first shift. Later in the second, we turn another puck over and put ourselves in a position to take that penalty. That’s not a team you want to give that many opportunities to."

Oskar Lindblom committed a pair of tripping penalties, the first of which resulted in Draisaitl's game-opening goal.

Laughton and Travis Konecny were also whistled for tripping.

Flyers fail to put two wins together, blanked by Oilers

• In health matters:

Kevin Hayes (abdominal) has continued to practice and could return to the lineup later this week.

"I know he's been feeling great lately," Yeo said Monday. "He certainly seems to be moving a lot better right now, a lot more comfortable and confident in the way that he feels, so it's a good sign."

Wade Allison (MCL sprain) has been cleared for contact and could return to play this week, whether it be with the Flyers or AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

Nate Thompson (shoulder), who is recovering from surgery he underwent at the end of November, joined practice Monday in non-contact fashion. The veteran center is on track to play again at some point this season.

More: Flyers might be back to where they wanted to be with Frost

• The Flyers continue their season-long homestand Thursday when they host the Wild (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

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