PREVIEW: Blue Jackets hit the road to take on Flyers

The Blue Jackets have dropped their past two games, including their first contest of the new year against Boston on Tuesday night.

After a tough overtime loss in Buffalo on Saturday night, the Jackets were hoping to have a better showing at Nationwide Arena, but Tuesday’s 4-1 loss was just the second time over the last 13 contests that the Blue Jackets were held to less than two goals.

The squad hopes to grow from the loss against one of the top teams in the NHL and move forward. Playing a full 60 minutes has been an important task for the Jackets, and something they are going to continue to work on, as they were only down by one goal heading into the third period against the Bruins.

“They're a good team,” lone goal-scorer Kent Johnson said. “They're consistent, but I don't know if it's wearing us down. I mean, we played good at times, for sure. But just not the full 60.”

Head coach Pascal Vincent spoke with the media after the loss on Tuesday about how the goal for the Jackets is to grow into a team that can find ways to win even against tough defensive teams like the Bruins.

“It's a team that has 22 wins (going into the game),” Vincent said. "We're aspiring to be a team like this, eventually. We talked about the culture this morning and the players that you see have learned from the (Zdeno) Chára and the (Patrice) Bergeron or Mark Recchi in the past. And that's how they play. They wear you down. It's nothing flashy, just strong one-on-one, simple plays, and every mistake you make, they’re going to make you pay, but they don't force things with the puck.”

“So, real good teaching game for us on how to play where we want to be. First period, like you said, good energy. We had more scoring chances than they did. They just elevate their playing, and we're not there yet but we're gonna get there.”

Know The Foe: Philadelphia Flyers

Head coach: John Tortorella (second season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.94 (16th) | Scoring defense: 2.72 (8th) | PP: 10.2 percent (32nd) | PK: 85.3 percent (3rd)

The narrative: The Flyers have had a few rebuilding years, having not made it to the postseason since the 2019-20 season, where they lost in the second round. This year has been a bounceback season with the team in playoff contention, and more help is on the way in top-10 draft picks Matvei Michkov (No. 7 overall in 2023) and Cutter Gauthier (No. 5 overall in 2022), respectively. Former CBJ head coach Tortorella is in the running for coach of the year for his work with the squad this season.

Team leaders: Center Travis Konecny leads the team in goals and points with 17-14-31 in 36 games played. Defenseman Travis Sanheim leads the squad in assists, posting 21 helpers in 35 games. Joel Farabee has registered points in two consecutive outings (0-3-3) and has picked up 4-8-12 with points in nine of his last 12 contests, and he ranks second on the Flyers in points with 12-15-27 in 37 appearances this season.

In net, Carter Hart has put up a 9-6-3 record with a .915 save percentage in 20 games, while Samuel Ersson is 9-5-2 with a .902 SV% in 16 games. Both were drafted by the Flyers, Hart in 2016 (48th overall) and Ersson in 2018 (143rd overall).

What's new: The Flyers have stayed mostly healthy up until now, with only two players on injured reserve in forward Noah Cates and defenseman Ryan Ellis. The team was sent on its annual Western Canada trip right out of the holiday break and lost the last three games, ending a 14-4-3 run for the Flyers that solidified the squad as a playoff contender.

Trending: Columbus has gone 25-18-6 in 49 all-time games against Philadelphia, including 10-13-2 on the road. Columbus is 9-7-2 in the series since March 15, 2018, but the Flyers have won four consecutive games. The Blue Jackets have recorded points in three of the last five road contests of the series (2-2-1).

Former CBJ: Cam Atkinson is in his second season with the Flyers, putting up 8-10-18 in 36 games, but he has no goals and six assists in his last 22 games after a hot start.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Adam Fantilli – Jack Roslovic
Yegor Chinakhov – Dmitri Voronkov – Kirill Marchenko
Kent Johnson – Cole Sillinger – Emil Bemstrom
Alexandre Texier – Justin Danforth – Mathieu Olivier
Damon Severson – Ivan Provorov
Jake Bean – David Jiricek
Jake Christiansen – Erik Gudbranson
Daniil Tarasov
Spencer Martin

Scratches: Brendan Gaunce, Andrew Peeke, Elvis Merzlikins

Injured reserve: Sean Kuraly (abdominal, day to day); Zach Werenski (ankle, out four to six weeks as of Dec. 27); Nick Blankenburg (upper body, day to day); Patrik Laine (fractured clavicle, out six weeks as of Dec. 15); Boone Jenner (fractured jaw, out six weeks as of Dec. 9); Adam Boqvist (shoulder strain, out approximately four weeks as of Dec. 6)

Roster Report: Columbus practiced without Chinakhov and Provorov because of illness yesterday, and the two are game-time decisions. Olivier returns to the lineup, while Tarasov gets the start and will be backed up by Martin.

3 Stats to Know

• Adam Fantilli has scored in two straight games and posted a 7-6-13 line in December, both of which place third in CBJ history for a rookie in any month of the season. His seven even-strength goals during the month tied for fifth in the league, and he had a four-game point streak (2-2-4) ended vs. Boston.
• Kent Johnson has notched goals in two of the past three contests and has posted 5-5-10 with three multipoint efforts in his last 12 games overall.
• Milestone watch: Johnny Gaudreau is one point from 100 for his Blue Jackets career (28-71-99, 120 GP). … Jack Roslovic is two points from 200 for his NHL career (73-125-198, 403 GP). … Emil Bemstrom is four games from 200 for his NHL career (30-38-68, 196 GP). … Kirill Marchenko is four games from 100 for his NHL career (34-12-46, 96 GP).

Who’s Hot

Dmitri Voronkov reached 20 points on Tuesday night vs. Boston and has posted points in each of his past three contests (1-2-3). He ranks fifth among NHL rookies in points and tied for sixth in goals with 7-13-20 in 33 games this season. ... Yegor Chinakhov has registered points in eight of his last 11 games (7-5-12). He has tallied 9-6-15 with four multipoint games in the past 17 outings to rank tied for 13t in the NHL in goals since Nov. 27. ... Justin Danforth had his career-high four-game point streak (2-2-4) snapped on Tuesday against the Bruins. He has registered 3-4-7 in the last 11 games and has already set single-season career highs in assists and points with 9-9-18 in 39 outings. ... Johnny Gaudreau has recorded 3-7-10 in the last nine games and 6-13-19 with five multipoint outings in his last 22 contests.

This Day in CBJ History

Jan. 4, 2003: Marc Denis records his third shutout as a Jacket against Phoenix, making 23 saves in a 2-0 win.

Jan. 4, 2011: Columbus acquires forward Trevor Smith from Anaheim in exchange for defenseman Nate Guenin.