Final Score: Flyers 2 – Blue Jackets 1
Game Summary
In a game the Jackets had to win they somehow found a way to lose. This was a pretty poor effort from all skaters not named Sergei Bobrovsky. The numbers say one thing, the Jackets outshot Philadelphia 36-25 and had a very good 62.14% Corsi at 5 on 5.
Those numbers are very good, but for this game they are very misleading. Columbus owned the puck but they were shooting from everywhere. They were not getting good looks, of their 64 shot attempts at 5 on 5, just 10 were high danger scoring chances. Compare that to the Flyers who had just 39 attempts but had 11 HD chances and you get a good idea how this game went.
The Flyers seemed pretty content to let the Jackets take those outside shots, and focuses on counter attacking. They got some odd-man rushes and really good chances off Blue Jackets mistakes. If not for Sergei Bobrovsky this game could have been over in the first period.
Outside of Bobrovsky, one player who had a strong game was Oliver Bjorkstrand. He played 18:41; his second most minutes in a game this season, and fired eight shots on goal, a career high. He was constantly in the Flyers end, he had a 71.43% Corsi, and he personally had three of the 10 high danger chances. The problem was those were the only three chances he was on the ice for, his line couldn’t create anything else, and like the rest of team they were victimized by the Flyers counter attack. Bjorkstrand was on the ice for 10 attempts against, three were HD chances.
The Jackets managed to salvage a point from this game thanks to a crazy goal scored by Cam Atkinson late in the third. David Savard puts his point shot into the traffic in front of the net. The puck bounces around everyone scrambles. Atkinson is able to find the puck and no look fires it on net and beats Michal Neuvirth.
In overtime, the Jackets finally cracked for the first time this season. They were 6-0 in OT headed into this one. Sean Couturier ended that streak scoring 1:52 into the extra frame.
The Jackets weren’t able to gain any ground in the standings from this game, but the loser point keeps them around the Wild Card chase. They sit at 63 points, tied with Carolina with a game in hand, and just one point back of the Islanders for that second Wild Card spot, with two games in hand. The Jackets are still very much in the driver’s seat here. If only they could just score a few goals.
Stat of the Night
Stats courtesy of
Natural Stat Trick and
Hockey-Reference.
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