Jackets and Flyers Face Off With Struggling Offenses
Both teams are in slumps, with Columbus holding the fewest non-shootout goals in the NHL and Philadelphia failing to score in overtime.
By Diego Mendoza ·
Columbus and Philadelphia enter Saturday’s matchup at the Nationwide Arena with a shared problem: neither team can consistently score. The Blue Jackets host the Flyers in a game that could determine whether either franchise gains momentum before the holiday break.
Columbus won their first meeting on Oct. 27 by a score of 4-3 in overtime. Since that night, the Jackets have won just two of seven games. They sit in a three-game losing streak, having fallen 5-2 to Buffalo, 4-1 to Florida, and 3-1 to Tampa Bay. In the most recent loss, Matthew Knies scored the only Columbus goal in the first period. The team was outshot 11-5 in the second period but led 12-6 in shots during the third before conceding two late goals. Goaltender Jet Greaves stopped 25 shots.
Defenseman Ivan Provorov said the team needs to generate more physical plays to create scoring chances. He noted that the Blue Jackets have the fewest non-shootout goals in the league, totaling 40. “We’ve got to find a way to score more greasy goals, more traffic, deflections, whatever it takes,” Provorov said.
Philadelphia arrives after a five-game road trip that included stops in New York, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. The Flyers are 1-1-2 on that trip. They lost four of their last five games, including a 3-2 overtime defeat to the Edmonton Oilers. Philadelphia outshot Edmonton 13-6 in the first period and 16-7 in the second, yet trailed 2-1 after two periods. Travis Sanheim tied the game 2-2 with 11:42 left in the third period. The Flyers recorded no shots on goal in overtime before Evan Bouchard beat goaltender Dan Vladar, who made 21 saves.
Center Sean Couturier said his team competed well against the Oilers’ physical style. “I thought, for the most part, we did a good job and created some chances, and unfortunately they got that extra opportunity,” Couturier said. Head coach Rick Tocchet called the regular season effort against Edmonton “structured.” He identified overtime play as the primary area for improvement, adding, “I guess the only negative is our overtime is something, we’ve got to figure this out.”
