Game Preview: Hapless, Helpless Blue Jackets Venture To Philadelphia For Sunday Matinee Against Flyers

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
9-7-1 (19 pts; .559%) ROSTER SCHEDULE
5:30 P.M. – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19 WELLS FARGO CENTER PHILADELPHIA, PA
TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ Power Play
ODDS & PROJECTIONS:
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 28%
PLAYOFF ODDS PER MONEYPUCK:  PHI: 52% CBJ: 3%
TIPICO SPORTSBOOK: CBJ +130

The Columbus Blue Jackets have had a lead in the second period or later in seven straight games.

And they have zero victories to show for it.

If that looks familiar, that's because (with the exception of changing "six" to "seven") it's copy and pasted from Saturday's game preview. 

And if that sounds familiar, it's because the Blue Jackets are regurgitating the same performance game after game as of late.

The winless streak hit eight games in Saturday night's 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals. Johnny Gaudreau gave the Blue Jackets a second period lead with his first non-empty netter of the season, but Columbus would lose the lead within minutes and never get it back. 

To avoid a ninth straight loss, the Blue Jackets will need to beat a surging Philadelphia Flyers team that has been amongst the biggest surprises in the league through the first five weeks. Here's what to know in advance of puck-drop at Wells Fargo Center in Philly: 

TALKING POINTS: PHI

• In different ways, both the Blue Jackets and Flyers are going through rebuilds. Columbus was projected to be on the incline this year with the Flyers still on the decline, but that hasn't been the case. John Tortorella's bunch picked up their fourth straight win Saturday — an overtime win against the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights. The Carolina Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings were also taken down (both at home) by Philadelphia, so this streak is against some of the more elite teams in the league.
   
• A pair of Travis' — Konecny and Sanheim — are leading the Flyers in goals, assists, and points. But former Blue Jacket Cam Atkinson is second on the team with eight goals, and 24-year-old Owen Tippett is showing his 27-goal campaign last season was not a fluke. The former Florida Panther has a 7-6-13 stat line this season and is on pace to surpass last season's goal total.
   
• The Flyers balance on offense is complimented by Carter Hart having a career-best season so far. His 2.34 goals against average and .919 save percentage are both the best of his six-year career. Whether or not that's who Columbus will see in net Sunday remains to be seen as of early this morning, but it's worth noting that Hart has not started on back-to-back days yet this season.

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• One potential ray of light in Saturday's loss was Gaudreau's goal. He beat a goalie for the first time this season and historically, when scorers like #13 get out of a slump, they break out of it in a big way. 
   
• This is the second game of the season between the Flyers and the Blue Jackets. The two met opening night and it was roughly halfway through the game when Philadelphia's Garnet Hathaway took out Zach Werenski with a knee that could have been significant worse than it was for the Blue Jackets defensive leader. 
   
• Patrik Laine is a hell of a hockey player, but after another below-average (okay, it was downright bad) performance Saturday, it's worth wondering how much longer the experiment at center will go on. 

Updated: 7:05 a.m. // Subject to Change
Lines are based on most recent practice/game, as well as injury updates and news.