Voracek Scores 2, Mason Earns 1st Win For Flyers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jakub Voracek scored two goals, and Steve Mason made 35 saves to earn his first win of the season as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Luke Schenn added goals for the Flyers, who began a four-game homestand with their third straight win on their own ice. They dropped their first three games in Philadelphia.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored for the Oilers, who opened a five-game trip with their third straight loss.
The Oilers played without captain Andrew Ference and leading scorer Taylor Hall. Ference served the first of a three-game suspension for his illegal hit against Vancouver's Zack Kassian in Saturday's 3-2 home loss. Hall injured his knee and is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks.
Mason, 33-18-7 with a 2.50 goals-against average last season, was 0-4-1 with a 3.55 GAA in six starts before Tuesday.
Chants of "Mason! Mason!" echoed from the crowd after a pair of point-blank saves on Nail Yakupov and David Perron with 14 minutes left in the game.
The Flyers goalie wore a new mask, switching to one that reduces glare. He had struggled to adjust to new lighting installed at the Wells Fargo Center in two home losses.
Voracek, who entered Tuesday second in the NHL with 16 points, remained on a tear. He opened the scoring with a wraparound goal 3:59 in and then tallied again on a shot from the slot that went over the left leg of Viktor Fasth with 3:56 left in the first period to put Philadelphia in front 2-0.
Fasth made his first start after missing eight games with a groin injury.
The Flyers took a three-goal advantage when Bellemare's shot from the left circle went off Fasth and trickled over the goal line 4:09 into the second.
Nugent-Hopkins beat Mason 1-on-1 from close range to put Edmonton on the board with 10:06 left in the period, but Schenn answered 2:07 later on an assist from his brother, Brayden.
As he fell to the ice, Brayden Schenn sent a pass in front from behind the net, and Luke fired a one-timer that went under Fasth's right arm before caroming in off the left post.
The goal ended a 32-game scoreless streak for Luke Schenn, who hadn't scored since March 1.
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