The Edmonton Oilers were down by a goal in the third period in danger of losing their fourth straight game, but a pair of fights provided a spark to get them going.
Flyers Captain Sean Couterier came around the back of the Oilers net while Skinner was playing the puck, and made direct contact with Skinner that sent him down to the ice. Honestly, Skinner stuck himself out a bit and tried to sell the contact for a call, but didn't get it.
Still, the Oilers have to protect their goaltender and they failed to do so last game with a total lack of physical response. Troy Stecher was the unlikely candidate to change that, as the Oiler defenceman grabbed Couturier for a fight.
Stecher gave up 5 inches and 32 pounds to Couturier, and he barely was able to hang in there. Stecher landed some early punches and jabs throughout, but the Flyers Captain looked to have the easy victory. Regardless of the result, it was about having a response.
Click here to view the video of the fight between Troy Stecher and Sean Couturier.
On the faceoff immediately afterwards, veteran pest Corey Perry got involved. Perry was jawing with Joel Farabee off the faceoff, and the Oiler forward began to get extremely animated. As soon as the puck dropped, the pair dropped the gloves for a spirited tilt. Perry was the one to land the final blow in the fight, then skated by to the penalty box while continuing to chirp the Flyers bench.
Click here to view the video of the fight between Corey Perry and Joel Farabee.
The physical response from the Oilers depth players seemed to have an immediate impact on the rest of the team. Edmonton was able to get some extended offensive zone shifts to tie the game, and eventually take the win in overtime for their first of the season.
Now that they've got a greasy first win under their belt, they can try to move past the narrative of the slow start and get back on the road to a President's Trophy.
