The Columbus Blue Jackets will look to extend their season-high winning streak to five games when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.
Columbus’ recent success has earned the Jackets a spot in the Eastern Conference’s final wild card slot. Just five points separate the Blue Jackets from the 15th-ranked New York Islanders, highlighting the crowded nature of the East.
Saturday’s 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues was a much-needed defensive showcase for the club, as Columbus is one of the NHL leaders in goals allowed. Goaltender Jet Greaves made 31 saves and the Jackets stopped 23 shots, holding St. Louis’ lead until the final 12 seconds of the third period. Kept Louis off the scoreboard.
“It’s a team game, right? Everyone’s on board to do the right things to keep the puck out of the net. … We’ve done a really good job of playing a sound defensive hockey game.” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said.
The Jackets earned the win despite losing several key veterans (including captains Boone Jenner, Sean Monahan, Erik Gudbranson and Justin Danforth) to injured reserve. Jack Aston-Reese is questionable to play against Philadelphia after leaving Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury.
Despite this absence, the Blue Jackets’ young stars continued to excel. Adam Pantilli has six points (three goals, three assists) during his five-game point streak, while Kirill Marchenko (two goals, three assists) and Dmitry Voronkov (four goals, two assists) each have points in four straight games. .
Jack Walensky leads Columbus with 48 points (13 goals, 35 assists) and is fighting for the NHL lead by a defenseman.
Like the Blue Jackets, the Flyers are trying to bounce back from an early-season slump, but comebacks have become a habit in Philadelphia. The Flyers recorded Philadelphia’s NHL-high-tying sixth win with a 4-3 win over the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Monday.
“We’re a very resilient team. … If you want to be one of these teams, you’ve got to beat them,” forward Noah Cates said. “And you have to beat them at their own game, and that’s getting the puck deep and playing hard.”
Cates scored twice on Monday, including a highlight-reel effort for the game-winning goal at 14:09 of the third period. Cates has 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) in his last 16 games.
Philadelphia has won its last two games, scoring two power-play goals in each contest. The 4-for-9 total, including the extra attackers, comes after a dismal 5-for-48 performance from the Flyers’ long-struggling power play unit.
By contrast, the Blue Jackets’ red-hot power play is 16-for-45 in the team’s last 17 games.
Since Samuel Ersson faced the Panthers on Monday, either Ivan Fedotov or Aleksei Kolosov will play for the Flyers on Tuesday for the second straight day. Philadelphia is 1-6-0 in the second half of this season.
Elvis Merzlikins is expected to start in net for the Jackets on Tuesday. Merzlikins is 6-1-1 in his last eight games despite a sluggish 3.17 goals-against average.
Philadelphia has won both of its meetings with the Blue Jackets this season. The Flyers won 5-3 in Columbus on December 10 and won 5-4 in overtime in Philadelphia on December 21.
–Field level media