Raffl lifts Flyers past Bryz, Oilers

EDMONTON, Alberta _ Ilya Bryzgalov was in a playful mood.

The Edmonton goalie brushed his fingers through his hair as he met with reporters following the Oilers' 4-3 shootout loss Saturday night to his former team, the Flyers.

"Do I look all right?" he asked.

On the ice, Bryzgalov looked very good….until the shootout.

The Flyers scored on two of their three shootout shots, getting goals from Claude Giroux (five hole) and rookie Michael Raffl (roof shot) to finish their comeback win.

Raffl scored on the first shootout shot of his young NHL career.

"It's a nice feeling," Raffl said of the goal. "To get the win, it's even better."

The Flyers overcame an early 2-0 deficit and raised their record to 18-16-4. They ended a five-game road losing streak, thanks mainly to the fact they were 3 for 5 on the power play.

"I know them well, and they have many options on the power play, and it's tough to defend," said Bryzgalov, who was 4-7 in shootouts during his time with the Flyers.

Bryzgalov, bought out by the Flyers after last season, downplayed the matchup against his ex-teammates and said he was just happy to get a point. Edmonton got the point because of Bryzgalov.

The Flyers outshot the Oilers, 38-16.

After falling into a 2-0 hole, the Flyers stayed composed and dominated the second period, outscoring the Oilers, 2-0, and outshooting them, 14-3. Both of the second-period goals were scored by Wayne Simmonds on the power play (see story).

"We were basically hanging on by a thread in the second," Edmonton coach Dallas Eakins said. "I thought Bryz held us in the game."

Trailing 3-2, the Flyers got the equalizer when Scott Hartnell tipped in Kimmo Timonen's point drive with 5:32 left in regulation, giving the team its first 5-on-3 goal this season.

Bryzgalov flipped his stick in anger after the goal.

"I tried to lose the steam," he said. "It was a little bit of frustration."

The Flyers, who play in Vancouver on Monday, started their six-game road trip on the right skate. They remained in third place in the Metro Division, and they are 17-9-4 after their 1-7 start.

Breakaways. Steve Mason notched the win and is now 14-22 in career shootouts. Bryzgalov has a 23-30 career record in shootouts….. Simmonds leads the Flyers with 12 goals….Simmonds, Hartnell, Giroux and Jake Voracek each had two points….Simmonds had six shots, and Luke Schenn had five hits.

Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.