Artem Anisimov fires a shot in the Blue Jackets 2-0 win over the Flyers. (Photo by Amy Irvin/38Photography)
The 2-0 score showing on the scoreboard at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night indicated a close game. It was far from that.
It was a game that had dire consequences for both teams. For the Flyers, a win would have all but guaranteed them a playoff spot. For the Columbus Blue Jackets, a loss would have all but ended their playoff hopes.
From start to finish, the Flyers played unispired hockey. For a team just seven games away from the playoffs, they didn't look energized. They didn't look ready. Did they even know there was a game on Thursday?
"We came out flat, we let them come into our zone too easy and just let move the puck around way too easy," Scott Hartnell said. "To come out flat like that wasn’t our MO and it hasn’t been our MO all year."
The Flyers did manage a handful of quality scoring chances on Sergei Bobrovsky, but not nearly enough to win. When Bobrovsky was tested and left rebounds, no Flyers was close to the puck.
The Flyers were also out-worked for most of the game. Puck battles were lost. They played a step behind. For a team that opened a stretch of 12 games against playoff opponents with five wins, this looked like the Flyers team that opened the season 1-7-0.
"Any time you don’t score, you didn’t test him enough," coach Craig Berube said. "We certainly didn’t test him enough in the third period. We stopped playing our game for a while. They came at us hard and it looked like we got frustrated."
The Flyers also tried to pull the positives out of the loss. There were a few.
“Even though we didn’t score, we did a lot of good things,” Claude Giroux said. “Our third period has to be better.”
"We haven’t been able to score over the last two games, but we’re playing great defensively," Wayne Simmonds said. "Obviously, our power play has to step it up. Special teams are a key. Our power play hasn’t been the best these last couple games."
Defensively, Andrew MacDonald stood out as one of the better Flyers on the ice. He led the Flyers in ice time and the Blue Jackets could have scored at least two more goals if not for MacDonald's stick work on a couple of Columbus odd-man rushes.
In all aspects of the game, the Flyers lacked physical presence, an attribute that usually aids the Orange and Black in winning puck battles. Zac Rinaldo led the Flyers with eight hits and seemed to be the only forward playing with the energy the Flyers had just a week ago. When the best forward on the ice is Rinaldo, it usually doesn't mean good things for the Flyers.
Mason was also solid in net. For nearly two periods, he kept the Blue Jackets off the board.
The Flyers were rewarded justly for their effort – a 2-0 loss seemed fitting for how they played. That said, the loss also moves Columbus just two points back of the Flyers in the standings. Don't look now, but needing just six points to clinch a playoff spot, the Flyers are also just three points ahead of the first team out of the playoff picture.
Earth to Flyers, it's April, and teams are making a late surge at being a part of the playoffs. If you want to be a part, you best get back to your game and the hard work that won five straight games.
At this point, call it however you like. The Flyers could get the Rangers. They could get the Blue Jackets. They could get Pittsburgh or Boston. No matter how you spin it, it wouldn't be promising.
Thursday's effort spells an early exit from the playoffs. The team that seemed best suited to challenge the top teams in the conference is slipping in certain areas at the wrong time. And of course, with the standings jammed as the final week of the regular season approaches, a trip to Boston beckons.
Kevin Durso is the lead beat writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
