Lighting up the lamp could be harder to do Wednesday night in Philadelphia, at least on one end of the ice. That’s because the hometown Flyers are among the better defensive teams in the National Hockey League. Heading into action on Wednesday, they’re third stingiest in shots against per game (25.1) and fifth in goals against per game (2.6) among the NHL’s 32 teams, numbers that are familiar to Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch – whose team faces off against the 8-5-2 hosts on Wednesday – given the bench boss behind the Flyers bench is coming off two-and-a-half seasons guiding the division rival Vancouver Canucks. The 7-6-4 Oilers, incidentally, are fourth in shots against per game (25.4) and 27th in goals against per game (3.47). They’re 17th-best in goals per game (3.06) while the Flyers are 26th in that department with an average of 2.67. “The identity of the (Flyers) is very similar to the Canucks: very hard working, not willing to exchange chances,” Knoblauch said of the Rick Tocchet-coached squad after the morning skate. “They are very tight defensively. We’ll really have to work for our chances.” Flyers goalie Dan Vladar deserves some of his team’s miserly credit. In nine starts, the former Calgary Flames netminder has a sterling .917 save percentage, which puts him fifth among NHL goalies who’ve started at least five games this season, and a 2.18 goals-against average, good for second. To counteract Philadelphia’s defensive prowess, Knoblauch said his players – who are coming off a come-from-behind 4-3 overtime win at home on Tuesday over the Columbus Blue Jackets – have to be patient and resist “forcing things ... because they’re just waiting to pounce on mistakes.” “It’s little stuff, like puck recoveries, getting pucks to the net but finding those rebounds,” he said. “You’re not going to get them out of positions very often. If you do, it’s probably off of a transition play where you were able to check the puck back.” Hyman expected back ‘by Saturday’ Knoblauch told media that top-line winger Zach Hyman, who’s been sidelined since late May recovering from a wrist injury, should be able to join the Oilers’ lineup in the next three days. “Definitely sometime this week – maybe tomorrow, if we’re really lucky – but definitely by Saturday,” he said. The Oilers travel to Columbus to play the Blue Jackets on Thursday before facing the host Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday as they continue their seven-game road trip that begins in Philadelphia. Hyman, the 33-year-old regular on the team’s No. 1 line alongside star Connor McDavid, is in his fifth campaign with the Oilers, for whom he scored 27 goals and 17 assists in 73 games last regular season and added five goals and six assists in 15 playoff contests. The year before, Hyman scored a career-best 54 goals and added 23 assists in 80 games during the regular season, adding 16 goals and six assists in 25 playoff matches.
