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Manning shows 'old-school mentality,' but Flyers continue skidding

EDMONTON, Alberta - Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning showed lots of feistiness Thursday night in Edmonton. His teammates? Not so much.

EDMONTON, Alberta - Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning showed lots of feistiness Thursday night in Edmonton.

His teammates?

Not so much.

Manning is Public Enemy No. 1 in Edmonton because of a well-documented feud with Oilers superstar Connor McDavid. He was booed whenever he touched the puck and was targeted all night by the Oilers before he gallantly fought a player - former Flyers farmhand Patrick Maroon - who had two inches and 25 pounds on him.

Midway through the second period, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Maroon pounded the 6-1, 205-pound Manning, who did manage to throw a few good rights.

The Oilers, with McDavid collecting his 19th goal and two assists, whipped the Flyers, 6-3, at Rogers Place.

Manning "really did a good job and it's something we're going to drop now," Maroon said after the upstart Oilers reached 70 points - their final total last season - in their 58th game. "We're going to move forward here and we're not going to hear about it anymore."

No Flyer went after Maroon or Milan Lucic - who slashed Manning in the first period - the rest of the game. They took the high road, didn't allow any power plays all night, and hoped the Oilers' undisciplined ways would lead to penalties and scoring chances.

The strategy didn't work, so the Flyers lost for the fifth time in sixth games, and fell behind another team, the New York Islanders, in the standings.

With 24 games left, the Flyers entered Friday having to pass two teams to get into the final wild-card spot. And that number could grow because many teams behind them have games in hand.

Manning played a solid game and gained lots of respect in both locker rooms. He took five shots (two on goal), delivered two hits, absorbed tons of punishment, and displayed hard-nosed defense.

"He's first-class in terms of competitiveness and old-school mentality," said coach Dave Hakstol, whose freefalling team will finish its three-game road trip Sunday night in Vancouver. "There's nobody better than Brandon in that regard. He played a heck of a game and did everything he needed to do."

"Obviously they were targeting him and chasing him all over the ice all game long," winger Wayne Simmonds said. "I thought he did a great job when he fought. Props to him, for sure."

Manning, who grew up in British Columbia, had his parents, his sister, some other relatives, and several friends at the game. He said he wasn't fazed that the Oilers made him a target.

"I'm not scared of fighting. It was just a matter of time. I picked my spot," he said. "We're down, 4-1, so there was an opportunity to go there. Maroon was willing, so you take it."

Several Oilers went out of their way to go after Manning.

Manning said that he just wanted to play his brand of physical hockey and that he hoped the feud - which took on a life of its own in hockey-crazed Canada - is over.

McDavid continually chirped at the Flyers bench and at Manning in the Oilers' 6-5 loss at the Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 8. He apparently believed Manning intentionally injured him the previous season, though replays showed he lost an edge before colliding with Manning and going into the boards.

On Thursday, McDavid did all his talking with his playmaking and scoring.

"Connor didn't say a word on the ice," Manning said. "Patrick said 'good job' afterward. We'd do the same thing if one of our superstars got hurt. I understand it. Just the chirping and the non-stop stuff kind of gets annoying."

Manning said the Flyers' focus is now directed toward regrouping and "the playoff push."

To start a push, they need to exploit a Vancouver penalty kill that has just a 72.2 percent success rate since Dec. 10.

The Flyers will be trying to avoid going winless in their three Western Canada trips over the last three seasons. They are 0-6-2 in those games.

Breakaways. Winger Jordan Weal left Thursday's game with an undisclosed upper-body injury in the first period, and the Flyers had no word on whether he would be able to play Sunday. Weal grew up in Vancouver. . . . Claude Giroux has two goals in his last 23 games and is minus-22 in his last 27. . . . Michal Neuvirth struggled mightily against Edmonton, so Steve Mason is likely to get the call Sunday.

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull www.philly.com/flyersblog