POSTGAME 5: Flyers Stumble in Columbus, 5-2

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-2, on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena. Philly made it two-thirds of the way back from a 3-0 deficit but were unable to find an equalizer. Columbus tacked on two late empty net goals.

Goals by Johnny Gaudreau (6th of the season) and Zack Werenski (3rd), scored off Philadelphia turnovers, built a 2-0 lead in the first period for the Blue Jackets. Werenski assisted on Gaudreau's tally and "Johnny Hockey" returned the favor on Werenski's courtesy of a favorable bounce of the puck. Werenski left the game late in the first period and did not return.
Boone Jenner (3rd) opened a 3-0 lead for the Blue Jackets just 37 seconds into the second period. Tony DeAngelo (3rd) narrowed the gap to 3-1 with a rebound goal at 13:07.
Ivan Provorov drove the net and turned a Travis Konecny feed into a goal from the doorstep that cut the gap to 3-2 at 8:41 of the third period. Empty net goals by Nick Blankenburg (2nd) and Jenner (2nd of the game, 4th of the season) enabled the Blue Jackets to pull away late.
Carter Hart suffered his first regulation loss of the season. Hart stopped 24 of 27 shots. Joonas Korpisalo, in his second game back from hip surgery, earned the win with 32 saves on 34 shots.
Columbus played much of the game with only four defensemen. After losing Werenski in the first period, Erik Gudbranson exited in the second.
The Flyers did not receive a power play in this game. The Blue Jackets were 0-for-2
FLYERS STARTING LINEUP
74 Owen Tippett - 13 Kevin Hayes - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 21 Scott Laughton - 57 Wade Allison
49 Noah Cates - 23 Lukas Sedlak - 17 Zack MacEwen
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 48 Morgan Frost - 58 Tanner Laczynski
9 Ivan Provorov - 77 Tony DeAngelo
6 Travis Sanheim - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Nick Seeler - 61 Justin Braun
79 Carter Hart
[32 Felix Sandström]
TURNING POINT
The Flyers' puck management was awful as the Blue Jackets built a 3-0 lead. Two turnovers by Tippett and one by Konecny played directly into the first three goals scored by Columbus. Pucks were turned over to Columbus' most dangerous attackers and the Flyers got picked apart in transition.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1. On the game's first shift, the Flyers' top line established a strong forecheck as Tippett recorded a hit and Hayes stole a puck. It was a good start for the Flyers but things went downhill.
The Blue Jackets had the game's first scoring chance three minutes into the period on a counterattack by Liam Foudy off an errant centering pass by the Flyers' fourth line.
At 3:53, the Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead. Werenski collected a Tippett turnover in the neutral zone on a stretch pass intended for Konecny. Werenski passed on the tape ahead to Gaudreau. From the left faceoff dot area, Gaudreau fired a well-placed shot over Hart's glove.
Deslairiers Mathieu Olivier dropped the gloves and had a spirited fight at 5:59 of the first period. Farabee had a scoring chance from center slot at 6:38,
Shots were 5-2 Columbus through 8:12. Shortly thereafter, a Werenski scoring chance at one end was followed by a Provorov opportunity at the other end of the ice at the 9:58 mark.
A MacEwen turnover one shift that forced a bang-bang save by Hart on one shift was followed by MacEwen working the puck in on deep and getting a scoring chance.
Tippett turnover on a cross-ice pass attempt in the Columbus zone proved costly. The puck was picked off by Gaudreau to start a 3-on-1. Sanheim blocked Gaudreu's pass attempt but it went right to Werenski, who scored to make it 2-0 at 12:03.
At 13:34, there was an after-the-whistle scrum in the Columbus zone. Nick Blankenburg and Farabee drew coincidental roughing minors, setting up two minutes of 4-on-4 play.
Near the defensive blueline, Frost took the puck away from a Columbus player. At the other end, Frost set up a prime chance -- and then a follow-up backhanded attempt -- for Tippett, who made a power move to net. Korpisalo made a pair of saves to keep Columbus ahead, 2-0.
The Flyers strung together three solid shifts in the next four. Around the 17:00 mark, however, there was a nearly costly Flyers coverage breakdown, Jenner left alone for a high-danger chance.
In the final minute of the opening period, DeAngelo broke up a developing scoring chance for Gaudreau. Hart stopped a blast by Patrik Laine before the buzzer.
2. First period shots on goal were 12-9 in the Flyers' favor. Shot attempts were 24-19 Flyers. Columbus blocked five Flyers shot attempts. The Flyers were only "officially" charged with one giveaway in the first period2 but the two costly turnovers by Tippett probably should have been scored as such. Philly started to apply more pressure after falling behind, 2-0, but they were prone to some defensive breakdowns and were unable to put a puck past Korpisalo. Overall, it was a disappointing first period.
3. The Flyers were guilty of an icing right off the opening faceoff of the second period. At 37 seconds, a Konecny pass attempt along the blueline was intercepted by Gaudreau. Columbus countered on a 3-on-1 rush. Gaudreau passed to Laine, who went to Jenner in the right circle. From there, Jenner wired a shot home to open a 3-0 lead.
At 4:08, MacEwen was called for elbowing on a forechecking foray, swinging around after missing a body check. The Blue Jackets got set up and created a flurry near the Flyers' net with their second power play unit on the ice. Sedlak was denied on a shorthanded scoring chance late in the kill.
With play back at 5-on-5, TIppett was intercepted on another cross-ice pass attempt. No harm resulted this time.
At 7:15, Deslauriers and Erik Gudbranson were shaken up in a collision behind the net. Gudbranson's head seemed to hit the boards and Deslauriers favored a knee. A major penalty was initially called on Deslauriers and then reviewed by the officials. After a review, the penalty was rescinded. Gudbranson left the game.
Wade Allison created a scoring chance powering straight ahead on one shift and then landed a solid body check on Jake Been at 9:55.
Allison won a board battle deep in Columbus territory. The Hayes line had a strong forechecking shift with less that eight minuteft in the middle frame. They didn't score but the Flyers tallied on the very next shift. Cates tipped a Provorov point shot on net and DeAngelo forced the loose puck over the goal line at 13:04 to cut the deficit to 3-1. The sequence started with a Cates faceoff win in the offensive left circle against Brendan Gaunce.
At 15:10, Frost was called for tripping as his skate got tangled with a Columbus player's with a loose puck in the Columbus zone. The Flyers were unable to do anything with a 3-on-1 shorthanded as Konecny fumbled the puck. Columbus' Bemström had a chance at the other end on a 2-on-1.
Allison battled through a check and moved across the slot to set up a screen on a Braun point shot. On the same play, Farabee was on the receiving end of a stick to the cup. There was no call.
4. Second period shots on goal were 11-6 Columbus. Shot attempts were 19-12 Columbus. The Flyers were outplayed for most of the first half of the period but picked up in the latter portion of the frame. However, Philly continued to struggle with low-percentage east-west plays in dangerous areas of the ice.
5. Farabee was moved up to the top line with Hayes and Konecny to start the third period. At 2:03, after Konecny chipped the puck in deep, Farabee collected a Columbus turnover and took it to the net.
Cates won a left circle faceoff (his 7th faceoff win of the game) and had a scoring chance shortly thereafter.
Gaudreau and company kept the Flyers' Laughton line hemmed in for an extended period of time with time ticking down near 12 minutes left in regulation.
The Flyers cut the gap to 3-2 at 8:41. Prorovov went hard to the net and received a tape-to-tape pass from Konecny to set up the goal. Farabee, who made the initial entry and got the puck to TK, received the secondary assist.
The Laughton line created a flurry in the Columbus end. That was followed by pressure from the Frost line. With 6:19 on the clock, Hart stopped Gaunce from prime scoring range.
With time ticking down to the final 2:30, the Flyers pulled Hart for an extra attacker. Provorov and the Flyers got the benefit of a questionable icing call with 1:44 on the clock. The Flyers called timeout. The Flyers lost the ensuing draw. With 1:39 left, Blankenburg scored a long-distance empty-net goal to make it 4-2.
The Flyers were unable to win a faceoff or create looks at the net as they resumed attacking 6-on-4. A Provorov turnover resulted in a Jenner long distance ENG to seal a 5-2 final.
Third period shots on goal were 16-9 Flyers. Shot attempts were 29-15 Flyers. Scoring chances were 12-4 Flyer with a high-danger edge of 4-0. These numbers reflected the Flyers' multi-goal deficit and Columbus playing two defensemen short on the blueline.