Game 71 Preview: Flyers @ Blue Jackets
In the return match of a home-and-home set, Mike Yeo's Philadelphia Flyers (22-37-11) will visit Brad Larsen's Columbus Blue Jackets (33-32-6) at Nationwide Arena on Thursday evening. Game time is 7:00 p.m. EDT (NBCSP+, 93.3 WMMR).
This is the third and final meeting of the season series between the teams and the lone game in Columbus. The Flyers are 0-2-0 in the first game. On Jan. 21, the Flyers absorbed a 2-1 home loss. On Tuesday of this week, the Flyers took the play to the Blue Jackets for two periods despite an early 2-0 deficit. The game went to the third period tied at 2-2 before the Blue Jackets scored twice to prevail, 4-2.
The Blue Jackets scored the game's first goal at 2:38 of the first period on a tally by Brendan Gaunce (5th goal of the season). At 15:21, Carson Meyer (1st) made it 2-0. Noah Cates scored his first NHL goal at 17:35 to narrow the deficit to 2-1.
At 13:16 of the second period, the Flyers forged a 2-2 tie as James van Riemsdyk (18th goal of the season) deflected home a Ronnie Attard (first NHL assist and point) shot into the net.
The Blue Jackets re-took the lead at 13:16 of the third period as Justin Danforth (8th) potted what seemed like a controllable rebound. Sean Kuraly (12th) added an empty netter in the final minute.
Carter Hart stopped 26 of 29 shots. He was outplayed by Elvis Merzlikins, who authored 47 saves on 49 shots.
Merzlikins, who has been a workhorse for the Blue Jackets and about whom Larsen indicated would continue to get the starting net as often as possible, is slated to make his sixth start in the last 12 nights. With Hart coming off two straight so-so performances by his standards, the Flyers will turn to Martin Jones to start Thursday's game. On Sunday, Jones made 43 saves in regulation and overtime and followed it up by going 3-for-3 in the shootout as the Flyers upset the New York Rangers, 4-3 (1-0), at Madison Square Garden.
The biggest storyline going into Thursday's game is that it marks the return of Cam Atkinson to play his first game in Columbus since being traded to the Flyers for Jakub Voracek last summer. Atkinson, who still owns a home in Columbus, spent the first decade of his NHL career with the Blue Jackets and is second in their franchise history in games played, goals and points. He's the franchise all-time leader in shorthanded goals.
For an in-depth look at Thursday's matchups, statistical trends and players to watch, see Thursday's edition of Five Things on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com.
Projected lineups (subject to change, will be updated)
FLYERS
86 Joel Farabee - 21 Scott Laughton - 89 Cam Atkinson
29 Noah Cates - 13 Kevin Hayes - 74 Owen Tippett
25 James van Riemsdyk - 48 Morgan Frost - 11 Travis Konecny
23 Oskar Lindblom - 44 Nate Thompson - 38 Patrick Brown
9 Ivan Provorov - 45 Cam York
6 Travis Sanheim - 70 Rasmus Ristolainen
8 Kevin Connauton - 47 Ronnie Attard
35 Martin Jones
[79 Carter Hart]
BLUE JACKETS
93 Jakub Voracek - 96 Jack Roslovic - 29 Patrik Laine
14 Gustav Nyquist - 34 Cole Sillinger - 52 Emil Bemström
17 Justin Danforth - 7 Sean Kuraly - 28 Oliver Bjorkstrand
50 Eric Robinson - 23 Brendan Gaunce - 55 Carson Meyer
8 Zach Werenski - 2 Andrew Peeke
44 Vladislav Gavrikov - 22 Jake Bean
32 Jake Christiansen - 27 Adam Boqvist
90 Elvis Merzlikins
[30 Jean-Francois Berube]
**********
A Tribute to Lou Nolan
With Saturday's game against the San Jose Sharks being Lou Nolan Night in honor of his 55 years of continual service to the Flyers organization (dating back to the inaugural 1967-68 season) and 50 years as the public address announcer at the Spectrum and Wells Fargo Center, I wrote a tribute article for Lou on the Flyers' official website:
Click here.
************
Phantoms Falls in Wilkes-Barre
Playing a must-win road game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday night, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms suffered a 3-1 loss. Jonathan Gruden notched shorthanded ad empty net goals for the Pens after Sam Poulin tallied a rebound goal in the first period.
The backbreaker for the Phantoms on this night came at 9:02 of the second period. The Phantoms, coming off a three-goal power play outburst in Bridgeport on Sunday, had three straight power plays within the first 10 minutes of the middle stanza. Each and every one was frustrating, as the Phantoms had trouble gaining entries and getting set up much less creating scoring chances. On the third power play, the Penguins capitalized on a Lehigh Valley turnover along the attack zone side boards and Gruden scored on a 2-on-1 shorthanded counterattack to extend their lead to 2-0.
For much of the night, the Phantoms simply were not very sharp with the puck. The Pens smothered Lehigh Valley defensively and Louis Domingue (30 saves on 31 shots) was scarcely tested until the latter portion of the third period.
At 14:30 of the third period, Hayden Hodgson (19 goal of the season) scored on a throwback-looking goal; a slap shot along the ice from just over the blueline. Rarely resulting in goals in today's pro game, it was reminiscent of tallies from the 1970s to early 1990s. The assists went to Max Willman and Cal O'Reilly.
Now back within a goal, the Phantoms made a push. They came within a whisker of tying the game in a furious scramble around the net and slot, with no fewer than three cracks at making it a 2-2 game. After pulling Felix Sandström (20 saves on 22 shots) for an extra attacker, the Phantoms never got much going at 6-on-5. They escaped trouble after a Willman turnover when the Pens turned the puck right back to the Phantoms a moment later. Finally, though, Gruden scored an empty-net goal from the neutral zone.
The Phantoms had one last-ditch effort when they got a power play with 1:02 left in regulation. Laperriere pulled Sandström again for a 6-on-4 attack but the Phantoms ran out of time. Lehigh Valley went 0-for-4 on the power play overall.
With the regulation loss, the Phantoms dropped nine points behind the Penguins for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Phantoms, who have two games in hand on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, are not mathematically eliminated but Wednesday loss did major damage to their already longshot hopes.
Wade Allison (back spasms) did not practice on Tuesday or play on Wednesday. He left Sunday's game in Bridgeport after the first period.
The Phantoms (25-28-11) will host the Hershey Bears (31-26-9) at the PPL Center on Friday evening. Game time is 7:05 p.m. EDT.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»