Entering Saturday’s game, the Flyers had fallen behind by two goals in three of the last four games. That trend continued on Saturday night in Columbus.
A 2-0 deficit after the first period kick-started another loss for the Flyers, who lost for the seventh straight game, 6-2, to the Blue Jackets. The result, coupled with a Pittsburgh win earlier on Saturday, also moved them out of a playoff spot for the first time since Dec. 4, with just four games remaining on the schedule.
The Flyers got a four-minute power play just 1:58 into the first, but were unable to do anything with it. After the penalty expired, Columbus took over for the rest of the first period.
The Blue Jackets got on the board first at 12:08. A point shot along the ice by Erik Gudbranson beat Sam Ersson through the five-hole to make it 1-0.
With 1:06 remaining in the period, the Blue Jackets made it 2-0 on a one-timer by Damon Severson.
Through 20 minutes, shots were 14-10 Columbus.
Columbus extended the lead at 8:23 of the second. Severson scored on another one-timer to make it 3-0 with his ninth goal of the season and second of the night.
The Flyers got on the board at 14:32, as Olle Lycksell scored his first NHL goal to cut the lead to two.
But just 48 seconds later, Nick Blankenburg threw a shot on goal that sailed past Ersson to make it 4-1 and restore the three-goal lead.
Through two periods, shots were 28-23 Columbus.
Columbus continued to pile on in the third. Zach Werenski scored two goals separated by 1:57, including one on the power play to make it a 6-1 game.
Adam Ginning also added his first NHL goal with 4:52 to play.
Jet Greaves made 37 saves on 39 shots in the win. Ersson made 28 saves on 34 shots in the loss.
Werenski had a three-point game in the win. Severson and Johnny Gaudreau each had two points.
The Flyers get back on the ice on Tuesday night to take on the Montreal Canadiens.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Flyers | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Blue Jackets | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- CBJ Erik Gudbranson (6) (Mikael Pyyhtia, Justin Danforth) 12:08
- CBJ Damon Severson (8) (Zach Werenski, Johnny Gaudreau) 18:54
2nd Period
- CBJ Severson (9) (Gaudreau, Alex Nylander) 8:23
- PHI Olle Lycksell (1) (Garnet Hathaway) 14:32
- CBJ Nick Blankenburg (1) (David Jiricek, Alexandre Texier) 15:20
3rd Period
- CBJ Zach Werenski (8) PP (Dmitri Voronkov) 9:27
- CBJ Werenski (9) (Carson Meyer, James Malatesta) 11:26
- PHI Adam Ginning (1) (Noah Cates) 15:08
Game Statistics
| Flyers | Blue Jackets | |
| Shots | 39 | 34 |
| Power Play | 0/2 | 1/3 |
| Hits | 8 | 10 |
| Faceoff % | 50% | 50% |
| Giveaways | 8 | 7 |
| Takeaways | 3 | 8 |
| Blocked Shots | 20 | 16 |
| Penalty Minutes | 6 | 4 |
