Ilya Bryzgalov kept the Edmonton Oilers in the game on Saturday, but he couldn’t beat his old team, as the Philadelphia Flyers managed a 4-3 shootout win.
(The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi points out that shootouts haven’t been a strong point for Bryzgalov, so some might find this fitting.)
The Oilers didn’t play coy about Bryzgalov salvaging a point from the game.
“We were basically hanging on by a thread in the second period,” Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins said. “I thought Bryz held us in the game.”
“He got us a point tonight,” Jordan Eberle said of Bryzgalov, according to Carchidi.
The 33-year-old stopped 35 out of 38 shots while Steve Mason got the win despite only making 13 out of 16 saves. Edmonton saw a two-game winning streak end while Philly is now on a two-game winning streak of its own.
Rather than blaming a netminder under the microscope, the Oilers can blame being out-played, giving up a 2-0 lead and failing on the penalty kill.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall gave Edmonton that 2-0 cushion, but two Wayne Simmonds power-play goals tied it up in the second period. The two teams then traded another power-play tally each to send it into overtime.
Ultimately, the game got to the shootout, with the Flyers scoring twice and Edmonton beating Mason once. Barring a wildly unlikely Stanley Cup Final or a trade, Breezy won’t face Philly again this season.
At least he made it count, though, even if he didn’t win.