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Bryzgalov grabs Oilers a point, but Flyers win in shootout

breezy2getty

James OBrien

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.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins