Postgame 5: Flyers Lose in Columbus, 6-2

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 6-2, at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. The Flyers dropped their seventh consecutive game. All six Columbus goals were scored by defensemen; just the second in NHL history that a team has gotten six goals in a game by defensemen.

An unsuccessful four-minute power play for the Flyers in the first period seemed to be a springboard for Columbus to gain momentum.

Erik Gudbranson (6th goal of the season) gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 12:08 of the first period. His point shot found its way through traffic into the net. The assists went to Mikael Pyythiä and Justin Danforth.

Columbus extended the lead to 2-0 at 18:54 of the opening period. Defenseman Damon Severson (8th goal of the season) was open on the weak side. Taking a pass from Zach Werenski, Severson fired home a shot from 40 feet. The assists went to Werenski and Johnny Gaudreau.

The second period got off to a good start for the Flyers but they were unable to capitalize. Columbus led 4-1 at the second intermission.

Severson scored his second goal of the game (9th of the season) at 8:23 of the second period, finding the net from the lower left circle. The assists were credited to Gaudreau and Alex Nylander. The Blue Jackets made a pair of cross-seam passes leading up to the goal.

On a delayed penalty against the Blue Jackets, the Flyers narrowed the deficit to 3-1. Garnet Hathaway made a perfect pass across to Olle Lycksell going to the net. Lycksell (1st career NHL goal) finished it off.  The only assist went to Hathaway at 14:32 of the second period.

Columbus responded on the very next shift, restoring a three-goal lead at 15:20 of the second period. Nick Blankenburg (1st) scored on a seeing-eye shot through bodies and sticks from the side boards. The assists went to David Jiricek and Alexandre Texier.

The Flyers needed to mount a huge comeback in the third period and it needed to get started quickly. It didn't happen. Philly ended up yielding two more goals and scoring one.

Directly off a power play off win by Dmitri Voronkov, Werenski (PPG, 8th) opened a 5-1 lead for Columbus at 9:29 of the third period. Werenski scored again (9th) at 11:26 as he skated in from the point and the puck bounced from Carson Meyer to the goal scorer. The second assist went to James Malatesta.

At 15:08 of the third period, Adam Ginning (1st career NHL scored from the left point) with traffic in front of the net. Noah Cates received the lone assist.

Jet Greaves stopped 37 of 39 shots to earn the win. Samuel Ersson made 28 saves on 34 shots.

The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. The Blue Jackets were 1-for-3.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

71 Tyson Foerster - 48 Morgan Frost - 11 Travis Konecny
74 Owen Tippett - 21 Scott Laughton - 89 Cam Atkinson
62 Olle Lycksell - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway
86 Joel Farabee - 27 Noah Cates - 10 Bobby Brink

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
24 Nick Seeler - 9 Jamie Drysdale

50 Adam Ginning - 23 Ronnie Attard

33 Samuel Ersson
[82 Ivan Fedotov]

TURNING POINT

The Flyers needed to set a positive tone with their early four-minute power play. They were not able to do so. The Blue Jackets started to outplay Philly, and never looked back.

POSTGAME 5

1) Forty-eight seconds into the game, Nick Seeler's point shot was the first on net of the game. At 1:58, Brink was high-sticked outside the Flyers' blueline. Nick Blankenburg received a double minor. 

On the ensuing power play, Tippett fired a one-timer on net. Cates had a look from the left slot. The first minor expired. Drysdale fired a point shot with Frost trying to screen in front. The remainder of the penalty expired.

With play back at 5-on-5, Lycksell had a chance near the net. At the other end, Gaudreau had opportunities at the beginning and the end of a shift. Through 7:09, shots on goal were 6-5 in the Flyers' favor.

Shots were tied at 8-8. Columbus' Gudbranson scored at 12:08.

Atkinson was unable to finish a breakaway opportunity, running out of space and not getting a shot on net. With three minutes left, the Flyers had a 3-on-1 and Konecny was unable to convert a one-timer from the left circle.

At 18:54, the deficit grew to 2-0. Atkinson lost his weak side coverage on the play.

2) First period shots on goal were 13-11 Columbus. Shot attempts were 30-19 Columbus. Scoring chances were 14-9 Columbus. High-danger scoring chances were 8-5 Columbus. Faceoffs were 13-10 Flyers.

3) The revised Laughton line, with Farabee and Konecny on the wings, pressured on the first shift of the second period. Frost, now skating with Brink as well as Foerster, had an opportunity in close on the next shift.

Columbus went to their first power play at 3:21 as Laughton was called for elbowing Blankenburg in the corner of the attack zone. It took 1:15 for Columbus to finally get set up in the Philly zone. There were no scoring chances.

Ersson denied a 3-on-2 for Columbus to keep the deficit at two goals with a save on James Malatesta. Shots through 7:18 were 5-3 Columbus.  Severson scored his second goal of the game at 8:23 for a 3-0 lead.

At 9:38, the Flyers iced the puck. Columbus won the draw but no scoring chances came from it.

Sanheim, York and Farabee had shot attempts on the same shift, including a shot that went off the post. Greaves froze the puck with 7:28 left in the middle frame.

Lycksell got the Flyers on the board at 14:32. On the next shift, Columbus' Blankenburg answered to make it 4-1 at 15:20. 

4) Second period shots on goal were 14-13 Blue Jackets (28-23 Columbus overall). Shot attempts were 26-22 Flyers (52-45 Columbus overall). Scoring chances were 10-9 Flyers (24-19 Columbus overall). High-danger scoring chances were 6-2 Flyers (11-10 Flyers overall). Faceoffs were 12-8 Blue Jackets (22-21 Columbus overall).

5) Through the first 3:15 of the third period, shots were 4-1 Flyers.

The Poehling line generated the Flyers' first extended puck possession of the third period. 

The Blue Jackets went to the power play at 7:17. On a counterattacking rush by Columbus, Ersson tripped Carson Meyer. Kirill Marchenko narrowly missed scoring on a wraparound.

Columbus went right back to the power play at 9:25. Konecny slashed Danforth, although he was called for hooking. Werenski scored directly off the next faceoff. Werenski and Ginning subsequently traded off goals.

Third period shots on goal were 14-7 Flyers (39-34 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 27-18 Flyers (74-71 Flyers overall). Scoring chances were 7-3 Flyers (29-27 Flyers overall). High-danger scoring chances were 3-2 Flyers (16-13 Flyers overall). Faceoffs were 9-8 Flyers  (30-30 overall).