Wrap: Flyers Drop 4-3 OT Decision in Columbus
Needing two points, preferably in regulation, the Philadelphia Flyers had to settle for one as they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday night. The Flyers lacked nothing for effort and energy in a game of momentum swings, but Columbus had more control overall.
The Flyers led by scores of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first period. The game went to the third period tied at 2-2 after the Blue Jackets controlled the latter half of the middle frame. Columbus forged ahead in the third period and dominated early only for the Flyers to push back to force overtime after being the better team over the latter portion of the period. In OT, the Flyers had the majority of the puck control, before Columbus scored on a mini 2-on-1 to win the game.
The Flyers got swept in the season series with Columbus, going 0-2-2. With the win, Columbus vaulted from below the playoff cutoff line to third place in the Metropolitan Division. The small consolation prize for the Flyers was that they gained one point on idle Carolina and Pittsburgh. Philly is seven points (six standings points and a ROW tiebreaker disadvantage) under the playoff cutoff.
Seth Jones capped an excellent all-around performance by scoring the winning goal (8th) for Columbus, taking a pass from Artemi Panarin (46th assist) after the "Bread Man" squeezed past Claude Giroux on the boards and created a 2-on-1 opportunity with 33 seconds remaining in overtime. Earlier, Panarin scored a five-hole goal (25th) near the left post that tied the game at 2-2 in the second period. Oliver Bjorkstrand (power play, 13th) scored a disputed goal that tied the game at 1-1 at 10:45 of the third period. Scott Harrington put Tampa ahead, 3-2, at 4:15 of the third period with a seeing-eye shot to the long side from the point.
Sergei Bobrovsky got the win in goal. The two-time Vezina winner stopped 28 of 31 shots.
For the Flyers, Travis Sanheim played a stellar all-around game in his own right, most notably by scoring his 7th and 8th goals of the season; the first one giving the Flyers a 2-1 lead in the first period and the latter tying the game in the third period. Overall, he logged 24:16 of ice time, and was credited with one hit and one block while playing quite well without the puck. With the puck, he was not charged with any giveaways in this game.
Jakub Voracek opened the scoring (power play, 18th) in the first period. Later, he set up Sanheim's second goal with his 38th assist of the season. The Flyers also received one assist apiece from Giroux (47th), Shayne Gostisbehere (23rd), Nolan Patrick (14th), Travis Konecny (21st) and Ivan Provorov (17th).
Brian Elliott took the loss in goal. He stopped 36 of 40 shots. The Panarin goal was stoppable. The Harrington tally was partially screened but not unstoppable. He also had some rebound issues early. On the flip side, Elliott made tough saves in all three periods, especially in the latter part of the second period and early in the third.
At 3:30 of the first period, the Flyers grabbed a 1-0 lead as a glove-side snipe from the left circle by Voracek made Columbus pay the price for an offensive zone penalty. Giroux and Gostisbehere got the helpers. The Columbus penalty was actually preceded by a dangerous neutral zone turnover by Phil Varone. The Flyers quickly recovered defensively and Nick Foligno took out Konecny skate near the right side boards.
Elliott received a questionable delay of game penalty for pushing the net off its moorings as he tried to grab an aerial puck. The net may have been partially off its peg before Elliott pushed it the rest of the way after the puck sailed over the net. During the PK, Oskar Lindblom was tripped but play continued. With one second left in the penalty, Bjorkstrand scored. The Flyers challenged for goaltender interference, as Boone Jenner made contact with Elliott. The Situation Room in Toronto upheld the call on the ice, claiming Jenner was pushed into Elliott.
At 13:21 of the first period, an awful bounce went against -- and then for -- the Flyers. Elliott made a glove save near the net on Bjorkstrand, who then kicked the puck across the crease. The puck went off Ivan Provorov's skate and into the net. The goal was initially allowed, then disallowed after review. The play fell under Rule 49.2: "A kicked puck that deflects off the body of any player of either team (including the goalkeeper) shall be ruled no goal.…
The Flyers killed a subsequent Robert Hà¤gg tripping penalty. The wild action continued with the Flyers having a 2-on-1 rush. Claude Giroux elected to shoot, but Bobrovsky made the save. With 3:27 left in the period, a third-effort, between the legs goal by James van Riemsdyk was subsequently wiped out by a Columbus challenge for offside. Replays determined Voracek was offside on the entry.
The Flyers made it 2-1 -- this time for real -- with 2:00 left in the first period. After a scoring chance for Konecny and a Patrick rebound off the post, a pinching Sanheim cleaned up in front for a 2-1 lead. He has scored goals in back-to-back games.
Columbus controlled the second period (10-6 shot edge) as the middle stanza progressed. Elliott let in a leaky goal as Columbus tied the game at 2-2 at 7:31 of the second period.
Panarin had a flat angle near the left post but Elliott, with time to seal off everything, had the puck trickle through his pads. As play resumed, Hartman (who had a rough second Flyers game after a strong debut) took an undisciplined charging penalty near the attack blueline.
On the ensuing kill, Giroux sprung Couturier on what seemed to be a breakaway with clear control from the red line on, and in which the Flyers' center was fouled from behind and lost a scoring chance. It was ruled a penalty on Cam Atkinson rather than penalty shot for Couturier. Columbus dominated the ensuing 4-on-4 but the score held at 2-2.
Columbus roared out of the gates in the third period. A glove-side point shot by Harrington through a partial screen by Sean Couturier beat Elliott at 4:15 of the third period to give Columbus a 3-2 lead. Columbus completely dominated the next six-plus minutes, hemming the Flyers deep in their own zone.
Then the Flyers regained equilibrium and started to generate some push the other way. Third period shots ended up 14-13 in Columbus' favor, with most of the Flyers' salvos coming over the latter half of the period.
Sanheim made a good pinch and Voracek made a tape-to-tape feed to the second-year defenseman. From the right slot, Sanheim buried a perfect shot to tie the game at 3-3 at 13:12. All eight of Sanheim's goals this season have come in December and onward. It was also Sanheim's second two-goal game this season against Columbus.
The Flyers had most of the puck possession in OT. Columbus' Jones made a couple of big defensive stops. Finally, Columbus had a 2-on-1 as Panarin beat Giroux along the wall. The Bread Man then fed across to Jones, who deposited the winning goal into a half-open net at 4:27.
Philly is right back in action on Friday night. They will travel to Newark to take on a New Jersey Devils team that was idle on Thursday.