Corey Perry's Fiery Fight Could Be the Turning Point in the Oilers' Season

With the game tied going into the final period, the arena was electrified as the hatred between the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers erupted into a series of fights. The Edmonton Oilers' entire season changed after a close game and obvious tension turned physical.

Sean Couturier, the captain of the Flyers, struck Oilers goalie Jeff Skinner in the back of Edmonton's net during the first altercation. Though it appeared to be more of an accident, Edmonton defenseman Troy Stecher immediately defended his goalie by charging at Couturier and starting a furious altercation that sent both benches into action. And that was only the beginning. The fight is visible below.

The action continued after that. Another altercation broke out a few seconds later. With each flying punch, Oilers veteran Corey Perry and Flyers forward Joel Farabee roared as they squared off, adding even more intensity to an already intense matchup. The nearly 40-year-old NHL veteran's fight probably saved the Oilers from yet another dreadfully poor start to the season. The sequence is shown below.

These back-to-back altercations appeared to ignite something within the Oilers that had yet to settle into a pattern this season. They behaved like a team for the first time this season, competing for each other as well as the scoreboard. The fans enjoyed every second of the physicality that gave this hockey game a genuine energy boost that the Oilers had been lacking.

That courageous performance might be the spark this Oilers team has been waiting for. It was more about coming out and playing with some passion and purpose-two things this team has been searching for-than it was about getting into fights.