The Flyers dug too deep a hole Tuesday night, and even a furious rally couldn’t save them.
Philadelphia fell 4-3 in overtime to the Blue Jackets at Xfinity Mobile Arena after giving up three goals in a disastrous opening period. Kent Johnson ended it for Columbus on a 2-on-0 rush, while Jamie Drysdale forced overtime with 11 seconds left in regulation after the Flyers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker.
For a team that looked shaky from the opening shift, the first period was the backbreaker. The Flyers allowed more goals than shots in the frame and were down 3-0 with 6:16 still left in the period. Columbus scored those three goals in a 2:46 burst, and Philadelphia managed only two shots in the period.
The middle period brought some life. Noah Cates buried a loose puck at the crease after Porter Martone put a shot on goal, giving the Flyers a needed jolt. Later, Matvei Michkov had a couple of chances right near the post, but he couldn’t settle the puck for the finish.
Trevor Zegras cut the Blue Jackets’ lead to one with 4:56 left in the third, setting up the late push that eventually produced Drysdale’s tying goal. But the comeback stopped there, just three days after the Flyers let two leads slip away in a 5-4 home loss to the Ducks.
The result left Philadelphia at 3-7-4 with 10 points through 14 games. Last season, in Rick Tocchet’s first year behind the bench, the Flyers had 17 points at this same point, going 8-5-1.
Dan Vladar, who had been covering up plenty of mistakes in recent games, couldn’t do it all this time. He made 11 saves on 15 shots. Vladar stopped Columbus on one 2-on-0 in overtime, but the Blue Jackets soon broke free again and finished the job on their second chance.
The Flyers were loose in their own end throughout the night. The first 2-on-0 came after Michkov was stripped. On the second, Michkov, Cam York and Denver Barkey were all caught deep.
Vladar had allowed just four goals over his previous three starts, good for a 1.30 goals-against average and .953 save percentage. Columbus blew past that in the first period alone.
The opening goal came at 4-on-4 when the Flyers lost Adam Fantilli in front as Noah Cates and Oliver Bonk both went to Johnson. Johnson made it 2-0 on a deflection after Bonk turned the puck over in the defensive zone and Zach Werenski got a shot through. Fifty seconds later, Denton Mateychuk added another after Drysdale and York lost a battle along the back boards.
Cam Talbot, the 39-year-old former Flyer, turned aside 28 of 31 shots for Columbus.
There was a brief scare for Hunter McDonald late in the second period when he left after taking a hit behind the net from Mathieu Olivier and appeared to be favoring his shoulder. The rookie defenseman returned before the period ended.
York was back in the lineup after missing eight games with an upper-body injury. He slotted in for Rasmus Ristolainen, who was out because of a reinjury to his left hand.
Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett remained sidelined as well. Konecny has now missed nine games with a lower-body injury, and Tippett has missed five with an upper-body injury.
The Flyers don’t get much time to sit on this one. They’re back in action Wednesday night when they visit the Capitals.
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Flyers Suddenly Have A Trade Rumor They Cannot Let Linger
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There is no real sign the Flyers are seriously entertaining a move, and for good reason. Konecny remains a valuable top-six forward, and the long-term commitment tied to him makes any trade far from simple, especially when a club still needs proven scoring help. For now, the rumor mill is doing most of the work, even if it is the kind of talk the Flyers probably cannot afford to let sit around for long. [Read more 🡒]