Flyers fall to Oilers in overtime, 5-4

EDMONTON, Alberta _ The Flyers, playing without ill goalie Steve Mason, hit rock-bottom on Saturday night at Rexall Place.

They lost to the awful Oilers in overtime, 5-4, and dropped their ninth straight road game, equaling their second-longest streak since they lost 10 in a row in 1991-92 (0-8-2).

The Flyers, who also lost nine consecutive road games earlier in the season, fell to 0-6-3 in their last nine games against teams that were not in a playoff spot when they met.

Stop the season, the Flyers want to get off.

Ryan-Nugent Hopkins scored on a juicy rebound allowed by Ray Emery with 2 minutes, 14 seconds left in overtime.

Edmonton began the night with the 28th-best record in the 30-team NHL.

"They're a fast team and they're good on the rush," said Claude Giroux after scoring his 20th and 21st goals of the season. "They have guys who can make a lot of plays."

Jake Voracek, who had three assists to move into a tie for second in the NHL with 73 points, set up Michael Raffl's goal 46 seconds into the third period, tying the game at 4.

The Flyers blew a 3-1 first-period lead.

"We got too comfortable there," said winger Zac Rinaldo, who contributed an assist and four hits, "and that's what happens when you get too comfortable. You can never get too comfortable in this league."

"This is not a team we can play shotgun hockey against," Voracek said. "…We opened up the ice too much."

With the loss, the Flyers finished 0-2-2 on the road trip.

"Frustrating and disappointing," Giroux said. "…We did a lot of good things, but it's got to be better."

No matter which team they face, the Flyers simply do not produce much offense when Mason is in the nets, especially on the road.

So, as if on cue, they erupted Saturday _ with Emery in goal.

The Flyers scored as many goals in the first period (three) as they did in their previous three games combined.

Mason felt ill during warm-ups and was unable to play, forcing Emery into action.

The Flyers have scored two goals or fewer in 17 of Mason's 19 road games. That explains why he has just one road win this season.

Emery was in line for a win, but rookie Nick Cousins was stopped by Ben Scrivens on a breakaway with about six minutes left in regulation, keeping the game tied at 4.

Edmonton came down the ice on its ensuing shift, but Pierre-Edouard Bellemare got his stick on Taylor Hall's wraparound attempt, preventing a goal.

Hall, who had been sidelined since Feb. 2 with a foot injury, was later denied by Emery from in close with a little over a minute left in regulation.

Emery, who didn't find out he was playing until minutes before the game, did not live up to his nickname, Razor. He was anything but sharp, allowing four goals on the first 12 shots he faced.

Emery said he wasn't aware Mason was ill earlier in the day.

Mason stopped numerous shots during warm-ups and then waved to the bench, signaling there was a problem. The Flyers said he was ill, and the goalie did not sit on the bench in the first period. He returned to the bench at the start of the middle period.

"I wasn't feeling well in the afternoon, and we thought we'd give it a try in warm-ups," Mason said. "Unfortunately, it put Razor in a tough spot, too."

The Flyers, who were seeking their first road win since a 2-1 victory at Buffalo on Feb. 15, built a 3-1 lead thanks to Giroux's goals and Ryan White's fourth score of the season.

Teddy Purcell cut the Flyers' lead to 3-2 by beating Emery with a one-timer form the high slot with 3:45 left in the opening period. Matt Hendricks tied it at 3 when he knocked in a rebound that Emery couldn't find.

Jordan Eberle, driving to the net, took a pass from Benoit Pouliot and beat Emery up high, putting Edmonton ahead, 4-3, with 18:49 left in the second period.

Emery settled down and stopped the last 10 shots of the second period and all nine shots in the third.

The Flyers have eight games left, six at home, two on the road. They are 20-9-6 at home, 9-20-10 on the road.

They have one win in eight games (1-4-3) since losing in Boston in a game they led with 15 seconds left. If they held onto that lead, they would have been two points out of a playoff spot. Now they are 10 points out.

"We definitely wanted that one," Emery said of the defeat in Boston, "but you also want to bounce back from losses like that. We have to pick it up. We have pride as a group, and even though the playoffs probably aren't in the picture, we want to finish up strong."