Meyer helps Blue Jackets defeat Flyers, end seven-game skid

PHILADELPHIA -- Carson Meyer scored his first NHL goal and had an assist, and the Columbus Blue Jackets won for the first time in eight games, 4-2 against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday.

Elvis Merzlikins made 47 saves for Columbus (33-32-6), which had been 0-4-3 in its previous seven games, including a 3-2 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Monday.
"Obviously that's something I'll remember for the rest of my life," Meyer said. "It's something that you dream of forever. Just seeing the puck cross the line was pretty awesome."
Meyer had been recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Sunday and made his NHL debut Monday.
"I'm happy for him," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "He's an honest worker. He puts out an effort out there, so good for him."

Noah Cates scored his first NHL goal, and Carter Hart made 26 saves for Philadelphia (22-37-11), which had a season-high 49 shots on goal.
"The whole story of this game was their goalie," Flyers coach Mike Yeo said. "We should have had a pretty darn good lead after two periods."
It was because of Merzlikins that they weren't.
"This is one of those games, if he's not on, we don't win this game," Larsen said. "There's no question. He's got 38 shots on him in two periods, that's ridiculous. It's too much, but he stood in there. It's a 2-2 game and we're one shot away from getting the lead, which is what happened."
Brendan Gaunce gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 2:38 of the first period when he jammed the puck between Hart's left skate the post. Meyer had an assist for his first NHL point.
Meyer made it 2-0 at 13:23 when he finished a 2-on-1 rush with Zach Werenski.
"I kind of just assumed he would be able to find me," Meyer said. "I didn't see him take a peek to see if I was there. I called for it once and after that ... I'm just going to go straight to the net as hard as I can, and then he took care of the rest."
Meyer said he knows where the puck will go.
"Probably put it in my dad's man cave in the basement," he said. "I owe it to him to give him that puck. It can go right next to his Cincinnati Bengals towel."
Cates, playing his fourth NHL game, cut it to 2-1 at 17:35. Patrick Brown skated the puck below the goal line near the Blue Jackets net and centered for Cates.
"You work to be in this league and contribute," Cates said. "I watched my brother [Flyers forward Jackson Cates] do it. It's pretty special to put one home and help contribute and be able to say you scored a goal in the NHL."

James van Riemsdyk tied it 2-2 at 13:16 of the second period when he tipped Ronnie Attard's shot past Merzlikins. The assist was Attard's first NHL point in his third NHL game.
Justin Danforth put Columbus ahead 3-2 at 13:16 of the third period when he scored on the rebound of a shot by Jake Bean.
"You have to find different ways to score goals in this league and right now that's kind of the way I've able to produce," Danforth said. "I keep going to the net and sometimes you get a lucky bounce and kind of finish."
Sean Kuraly scored an empty-net goal with 20 seconds left for the 4-2 final.

NOTES:Merzlikins' 47 saves were the second-most in his NHL career; he made 56 saves in a 6-0 loss to the Calgary Flames on Jan. 26. … The Flyers had two players get their first NHL point in the same game for the first time since forward Connor Bunnaman and defenseman Mark Friedman on Jan. 13, 2020. ... Philadelphia defenseman Keith Yandle was minus-2 in 10:47 in his 1,100th NHL game after being a healthy scratch the past two games. He had his NHL-record 989 consecutive game streak end in a 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. … Flyers forward Scott Laughton had two shots on goal in 13:38 after missing 12 games with a concussion. … The Flyers' 49 shots on goal were their most since they had 52 against the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 16, 2019. ... The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play and are 1-for-22 (4.5 percent) in their past eight games. ... Bean played his 100th NHL game. … The Blue Jackets were outscored 29-15 in the skid. … The second game of their home-and-home series will be played Thursday in Columbus.