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| PHILADELPHIA FLYERS |
| 7–3–2 (16 points) |
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7:00 P.M. – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OHIO |
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Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Market) |
After what Patrik Laine called a "waste of time" in Finland, the Columbus Blue Jackets are back on American soil and return to Nationwide Arena on Thursday for a battle with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Laine's comments came after the Blue Jackets were overwhelmed in a pair of games in Tampere, Finland against the Colorado Avalanche. Laine, a native of Tampere, said after the second game that he was "kind of wishing the trip had never happened after (losing both games). I feel like it was just a waste of time for us. It sucks."
Columbus was outscored 11-4 overseas, losing both games and looking outmatched for a vast majority of the 120 minutes of hockey. Laine's comments may have been speaking from a place of frustration, but with a league-worst 3-9-0 record and on their longest losing streak in seven years, they weren't necessarily inaccurate.
Back in the Buckeye State, the Blue Jackets now have a chance to pick up points (and not waste time) against a division rival — and against a familiar face. John Tortorella, who coached the Blue Jackets from early in the 2015-16 season until his departure in the summer of 2021, is now the bench boss for the Flyers. During his stint in Columbus, the man known simply as Torts had a record of 227-166-54 and coached the Blue Jackets in 13 of their franchise-total 15 playoff wins. In 2017, Tortorella was the recipient of the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL's Coach of the Year, and it was Torts behind the bench in Columbus' sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in a magical 2018-19 season.
Now, he has the chance to keep Philadelphia's early-season magic going.
| CBJ | SEASON STATS | PHI |
|---|---|---|
| 2.50 | GOALS FOR | 2.75 |
| 4.58 | GOALS AGAINST | 2.42 |
| 6.1% | POWER PLAY | 19.5% |
| 79.0% | PENALTY KILL | 82.9% |
| 30.7 | SHOTS FOR | 27.2 |
| 35.5 | SHOTS AGAINST | 35.8 |
| 44.4% | CF% (EVEN) | 40.5% |
| 50.3% | FACEOFF % | 45.2% |
| PROJECTIONS | ||
| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK | 47.1% | |
| ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER THE 538 | 57.0% | |
| CAESAR'S SPORTSBOOK BETTING | CBJ -125 | |
| FLYERS: LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| TUE, 11/8 | vs. ST. LOUIS | W, 5-1 |
| SAT, 11/5 | @ OTTAWA | W, 2-1 |
| WED, 11/2 | @ TORONTO | L, 5-2 |
| FLYERS: TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | TRAVIS KONECNY | 5 |
| ASSISTS | KEVIN HAYES | 10 |
| POINTS | TRAVIS KONECNY | 14 |
TALKING POINTS: FLYERS
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Expected to be one of the worst teams in the league, Philadelphia's 16 points through 12 games has them sitting with the second-best points per game total in the Metro, trailing only the New Jersey Devils.
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Is the start an anomaly? Maybe. The Flyers rank 26th in the league in goals per game, 21st in power play percentage, 30th in shots for, and dead last in the league in 5-on-5 and total Corsi.
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Despite the putrid numbers on offense, the Flyers are 7-3-2 for one reason: Carter Hart. The 24-year-old may be having a breakout season: he's 6-0-2 as a starter with a 1.97 goals against and .946 save percentage.
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Of all goalies with multiple appearances this year, Hart's 1.96 difference between expected goals against average (3.93) and actual (1.97) leads the league by a country mile. That figure is 24% better than Jake Oettinger, who's 1.57 ranks second, and 75% better (?!) than all goalies outside of Dallas' Oettinger. In other words, Hart has picked up the team and carried them on his back. (The Flyers are yet to have a shutout, though.)
- Former Blue Jacket Cam Atkinson has missed the entire season with an upper-body injury, and there's no timetable for his return. With both of Philadelphia's trips to Columbus this season coming in the next week, Atkinson won't be playing in front of the Nationwide Arena crowd this season.
CBJ STORYLINES
- BLACK & BLUE JACKETS
Emil Bemstrom and Brendan Gaunce have been recalled from the Cleveland Monsters, following injuries to Jakub Voracek and Sean Kuraly in Tampere. Kuraly is listed as day-to-day, while Voracek is out indefinitely. Bemstrom will be in for Voracek, and Gaunce for Kuraly if Kuraly is unable to play. Patrik Laine was also not on the ice for practice due to a non-Covid illness. His status for Thursday is yet to be determined as of early Thursday morning.
- PP ON THE MOVE?
No power play goals in ten games in the United States? Alright. Finland it is, then. The Blue Jackets connected on the power play in both games from Tampere, and are now at 6.1% on the year. That's still miserable, that's still last, and that's still nothing to be proud of — but it was a building block. Let's see if they can make it three games in a row.
- GOALIE WOES
It's all bad when it comes to the Blue Jackets goaltending metrics this season. The Blue Jackets need a better defense in front of whichever goalie is on the ice, but the goalies need to be better too. A starting point? Having one step up and become a number one option. Right now, that just does not exist.
PROJECTED LINES
Updated: 7:05 a.m.
Subject To Change
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Johnny Gaudreau | 38 | Boone Jenner | 29 | Patrik Laine |
| 14 | Gus Nyquist | 96 | Jack Roslovic | 52 | Emil Bemstrom |
| 50 | Eric Robinson | 34 | Cole Sillinger | 91 | Kent Johnson |
| 19 | Liam Foudy | 12 | Brendan Gaunce | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 77 | Nick Blankenburg |
| 4 | Vladislav Gavrikov | 2 | Andrew Peeke |
| 22 | Jake Bean | 44 | Erik Gudbranson |
| Starting Goalie | Backup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 90 | Elvis Merzlikins |
