Denver Barkey notches his first NHL goal as the Flyers hold off the Oilers

Jackie Spiegel, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Jan 3, 2026

Published in Hockey

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EDMONTON, Alberta — The Philadelphia Flyers kick-started 2026 with a bang.

In their first game of the new year, the Orange and Black handed the blue and orange Edmonton Oilers a 5-2 loss. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the Flyers now are 13-1-5 after a loss.

The win helped the Flyers to close out a five-game road trip, which began in Chicago before the holiday break, with a 3-2-0 record. It was their fourth victory in their past six games.

All bark

Denver Barkey has been waiting patiently for that first NHL goal, and it was worth the wait.

Barkey started the breakout from deep in the Flyers’ end when he pickpocketed Vasily Podkolzin along the end boards and then skated the puck up between the Russian winger and the net. He hit Sean Couturier on the right wing as the captain and Owen Tippett went two-on-two with the Oilers’ defensemen.

Barkey (carrying the puck by the net) started the breakout deep in the Flyers' end. His play trapped three Oilers forwards deep, allowing the 20-year-old winger to rush up the ice to finish with his first NHL goal.

Couturier sent a leading pass to Tippett as the two crossed just before the Oilers’ blue line and carried the puck in. Meanwhile, Barkey was speeding down the center of the ice and heading toward the net. He got behind the defense and tapped the perfect pass from Tippett past former Flyers goalie Calvin Pickard.

Barkey’s first NHL goal comes in his seventh game, complementing the two assists he had in his debut. His first NHL goal also comes in the building in which Matvei Michkov scored his first two goals last season.

Building goal by goal

Barkey’s goal gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead for only the 13th time this season. It is the fewest in the NHL — which probably explains why the Flyers have the most wins when trailing, 1-0 (13-9-5).

But it was a lucky No. 13 for the Flyers, who won for the eighth time as they kept piling it on.

Travis Sanheim made it 2-0 after the Couturier line went to work again. After a Barkey pass to Tippett missed its mark, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse got the bouncing puck and sent it up the boards. Podkolzin couldn’t control the puck, and it bounced out to Couturier above the circles.

Couturier put a shot on immediately that Pickard stopped before getting it again near the slot. The rebound went out to Sanheim, and the defenseman, who was named on New Year’s Eve to Canada’s squad for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, walked into the right circle and sent the wrister into the back of the net.

The goal is Sanheim’s fourth of the year and 18th point.

Bobby Brink then made it 3-0 with his 11th of the year, one shy of his career high set last season in 79 games.

Brink started the play when he intercepted a stretch pass by Evan Bouchard on the Flyers’ side of the neutral zone. He carried the puck into the Oilers’ end before dishing it over to Michkov along the right boards.

The sophomore winger took his time and hit Cam York as he skated down the middle. York waited as the Oilers put a double screen on their goalie before he shot the puck, which ended up going off the leg of Brink.

Bending but not breaking

Much like the Flyers, there is no quit in this Oilers team, which has gone to the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons.

Connor McDavid cut into the Flyers’ lead to extend his point streak to 15 games with a breakaway goal on goalie Dan Vladař in the first period. Sanheim carried the puck from Philly’s end into the Oilers zone and tried to send a cross-ice pass to Couturier; however, it was picked off by Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

The Swede sent it up to McDavid, who skated in and notched his 25th of the season and 1,153rd point of his career in 754 games.

In the second period, Michkov was called for high-sticking Mattias Janmark as he carried the puck through the neutral zone. Not the best move when the Oilers entered the day with the NHL’s best power play at 33.3%. And just over a minute into the man advantage, Bouchard scored with a slapshot from the point.

But the Flyers did not wilt and kept the pressure on — especially in the third period. It was capped by a goal by Nick Seeler off a faceoff win by Rodrigo Ābols and an empty-netter by Tippett. The Flyers held the Oilers to six shots on goal in the final frame — all coming in the final 6 minutes, 24 seconds.

Breakaways

Defenseman Noah Juulsen and forwards Nic Deslauriers and Nikita Grebenkin were the healthy scratches. … Forward Garnet Hathaway returned to the lineup and dropped the gloves with Darnell Nurse in the first period. … The semifinals are set at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. Jack Berglund and Sweden will face Heikki Ruohonen, Max Westergård, and Finland on Sunday. In the other semi, Czechia goes up against Jett Luchanko, Porter Martone and Canada.

Up next

The Flyers return home to face Ryan Poehling, Cutter Gauthier and the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.