BOOM: Blue Jackets Put Dent Into Flyers' Playoff Hopes With 6-2 Thrashing On Saturday

By Coby Maeir on April 6, 2024 at 9:43 pm
Philadelphia Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson (33) makes a save as Columbus Blue Jackets center Brendan Gaunce (16) looks for a rebound during the first period at Nationwide Arena.
© Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
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The Blue Jackets used a franchise-record six goals from their blueline to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-2 at Nationwide Arena on Saturday night. 

  1 2 3 F
PHI FLYERS 0 1 1 2
BLUE JACKETS 2 2 2 6

1st Period

Erik Gudbranson opened the scoring with his sixth goal of the season at 12:08 with a right-point wrist shot through traffic.

Damon Severson doubled the lead with his eighth tally of the season at 18:54 with a left-circle one-timer thanks to a cross-ice feed from Zach Werenski.

The Blue Jackets led 2-0 after 20 minutes and took a 14-10 advantage in shots on goal into the second period.

2nd Period

Severson scored his second of the game and ninth of the season at 8:23 with a left-circle one-timer to finish off a give-and-go sequence with Johnny Gaudreau.

The Flyers answered at 14:32 after a turnover at the blueline by Werenski led to a two-on-one rush that saw Garnet Hathaway send a cross-ice feed to Olle Lycksell at the left doorstep for the goal.

In his first NHL game since Dec. 19, Nick Blankenburg scored his first goal of the season with a left-point wrist shot at 15:20.

The Blue Jackets led 4-1 after 40 minutes and had a 27-25 advantage in shots on goal.

3rd Period

The Jackets took a 5-1 lead when Werenski tallied his eighth goal of the season at 9:29 with a left-point wrist shot on the power play that snuck through traffic and went past Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson. 

Werenski scored his ninth goal of the season at 11:26 when Carson Meyer's centering pass was deflected and found Werenski in the left circle where he scored on an open net. 

Adam Ginning scored for Philadelphia at 15:07 to cut the Columbus lead to four. 

With the 6-2 win, the Blue Jackets improved to 26-39-12.

Stats

  • Shots on Goal: PHI 39-34 CBJ
  • Face-off %: PHI 51-49 CBJ
  • Power play: PHI 0/3-1/1 CBJ
  • Giveaways: PHI 8-7 CBJ
  • Takeaways: PHI 3-8 CBJ
  • Blocked shots: PHI 20-16 CBJ
  • Hits: PHI 8-10 CBJ
  • 5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
    • Expected Goals (xG): PHI 2.48-3.36 CBJ
    • Shot Attempts (CF): PHI 65-65 CBJ
    • Shots on Goal (SF): PHI 35-30 CBJ
    • Scoring Chances (SCF): PHI 22-24 CBJ
    • High-Danger Chances (HDCF): PHI 12-12 CBJ

Injury Update

  • Boone Jenner is out.
  • Adam Boqvist is out with an upper-body injury sustained on Mar. 14 against the Ottawa Senators. There is no timetable for his return. 
  • Sean Kuraly is day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained on Mar. 12 against the Montreal Canadiens.
  • Yegor Chinakhov is day-to-day with an upper-body injury he suffered on Mar. 12 against the Canadiens. 
  • Elvis Merzlikins is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. 
  • Kent Johnson has been placed on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his left shoulder that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. He underwent successful surgery on Mar. 7 and is expected to make a full recovery in six months.
  • Patrik Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28 and will be away from the team indefinitely.
  • Adam Fantilli suffered a calf laceration on Jan. 28 and is expected to miss eight weeks.
  • Jake Bean is out for the season with a broken hand suffered on Apr. 4. 
  • Daniil Tarasov is out with an upper-body injury suffered on Apr. 4. 

Next Up

The club will hit the ice on Sunday from PNC Arena when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes at 5 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.

They'll continue their road trip on Tuesday when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.

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