The Blue Jackets surrendered another early lead Monday night in Philadelphia, but unlike Saturday night in Buffalo, had enough in the tank to rally back for a 5-3 win against the Flyers.
Seth Jones turned in two assists, while Cam Atkinson scored two goals, including an empty-netter to clinch the win. Tonight's hero, however, was Brandon Dubinsky. The forward scored the game-winner on a power play halfway through the final period.
Sam Gagner, who's been scorching lately, opened the scoring with a blast from the high slot at 7:42 of the first. The goal was his 18th of the year, tying his career-high.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| FLYERS | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Sixty seconds later, Zach Werenski found Atkinson creeping towards the Flyers' zone, triggering a 2-on-none with Brandon Saad. Atkinson abused Flyer goalie Steve Mason to make it 2-0, Blue Jackets.
And then the Flyers came roaring back.
Travis Konecny got the first of his two goals on the night with a little over five minutes remaining in the opening period to cut Columbus' lead to one, a score that would hold into the first intermission.
Brandon Schenn scored his 20th of the season four minutes into the second period on a power play to tie things up, and then Konecny added another seven minutes later to give the Flyers a one-goal lead after falling into an 0-2 hole.
| Blue Jackets | Flyers | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | SHOTS | 26 |
| 20 | PIM | 8 |
| 20 | HITS | 24 |
| 13 | GIVEAWAYS | 11 |
| 8 | TAKEAWAYS | 2 |
| 31 | FACEOFFS WON | 34 |
Zach Werenski evened things up on a blast from the point with five minutes to play in the second – his 10th goal and 43rd point of the season as he continues to stretch his franchise rookie record for points.
With the teams locked at three, Dubinsky scored on a wicked wrist shot that found the top shelf behind Mason for a power play goal. It was his 10th goal of the season – making him the 11th Blue Jacket with at least 10 goals on the year – and Saad collected his 100th point as a Blue Jacket on the secondary assist.
Atkinson closed out the scoring on an empty-netter with 21 seconds remaining.
The win gave Columbus 94 points and 44 wins on the season, setting new franchise records for both metrics. The Blue Jackets have 14 regular season games remaining.
A Wacky Second
The Blue Jackets were whistled for seven penalties in the second period, including a four-minute double-minor on defenseman Seth Jones, which came on the end of an interference penalty on William Karlsson.
The Flyers were only able to convert on one of their six power plays during the period, however, as the Jackets rose to the occasion short-handed.
We're unsure of what the record is for most penalties against in one period, but it's a safe bet this wasn't it. The team record for penalties against in one game is 21, set against Pittsburgh on Jan. 11, 2006.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets welcome the Florida Panthers to Nationwide Arena Thursday night (7 p.m./FSOH).
Columbus is 0–1–1 against the Panthers this season, having lost a 2–1 SO in late November – incidentally, the team's last loss before setting a franchise record 16-game winning-streak – and then later dropping a 4-3 January road game in Miami.
