Flyers Leapfrog Blue Jackets In Metropolitan Division Standings With Crucial Win
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Travis Konecny had a goal and two assists, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 Tuesday night.
Kevin Hayes, Sean Couturier, Philippe Myers and Jakub Voracek also scored for the Flyers (33-20-7, 73 points), who moved a point ahead of Columbus (30-19-12, 72 points) and into third place in the Metropolitan Division with the win.
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for the Blue Jackets, who lost their sixth straight. Columbus has earned points in three of those defeats.
Philadelphia won despite setting a season-low with 15 shots on goal. The Flyers' Carter Hart stopped 28 of 29 shots.
The game was the first of a home-and-home set, with the Blue Jackets hosting Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Konecny scored his team-leading 20th of the season on a deflection 3:40 into the third period to make it 4-1. Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella pulled goalie Elvis Merzlikins after the tally for backup Matiss Kivlenieks.
It was 5-1 when Voracek scored from a sharp angle on the power play with 9:46 remaining. Claude Giroux assisted the power-play goal to become the franchise's assist leader on the man-advantage with 235.
Philadelphia went ahead 3-0 with 7:28 left in the second when Myers sent a pass to the net that caromed off Columbus defenseman Andrew Peeke.
The Blue Jackets got on the board with 2:39 remaining in the period when Bjorkstrand got his team-leading 20th of the season on a power play when his wrist shot from the slot beat Hart on the glove side. It was the sixth goal in 11 games for Bjorkstrand.
The Flyers scored the only two goals of the opening period.
Hayes gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead 3:28 into the contest when his shot from the right side of the net bounced off Peeke before going off Merzlikins' mask.
Peeke also was in the middle of Philadelphia's second goal, which came just 1:02 later. The Blue Jackets defenseman whiffed on his attempt to stop Giroux's outlet pass, which went through Peeke's legs and on the stick of Couturier. Couturier scored on the breakaway with a slick move where he slid the puck through Merzlikins' legs with a forehand shot while faking to his backhand.
Philadelphia also had a goal disallowed in the opening period on a coach's challenge as officials ruled that Joel Farabee interfered with Merzlikins on Ivan Provorov's deflection that entered the goal with 4:52 left in the first.
NOTES: The Blue Jackets continued to be without their top goalie, defenseman and forward. G Joonas Korpisalo (lower body) hasn't played since Dec. 29; D Seth Jones (fractured ankle) and F Cam Atkinson (ankle) were both hurt Feb. 8. Jones is expected to miss 8-to-10 weeks while Atkinson is out 2-to-3 weeks. ... Philadelphia improved to 20-5-4 at home. ... The Flyers also won the first two games of the season series, 7-4 at home on Oct. 26 and 3-2 at Columbus on Nov. 27. Thursday will wrap up the four-game season tilt.
UP NEXT
Blue Jackets: Host Philadelphia on Thursday.
Flyers: At Columbus on Thursday.
