The Columbus Blue Jackets were beaten badly by the Philadelphia Flyers in a 5-3 loss.
Zach Werenski(9), Sean Monahan(9), and Kent Johnson(9) all scored their ninth goals, while Elvis Merzļikins struggled in a 19-save 5-3 Blue Jackets loss.
The only word to describe this game is UGLY.
The Jackets seemed slow, sloppy, and out of sync from the opening puck drop. After coming home on Sunday having beaten arguably the best team in the league in Winnipeg, everyone thought they'd be able to handle a struggling Flyers team, but that was the furthest from what happened.
The Flyers jumped on the Jackets early and won the game by the second period's end. The score said 5-3, but it felt like a 5-0 shutout. After Zach Werenski scored a power-play goal to make it 3-1, it felt like the momentum was shifting. However, a little over two minutes later, Travis Konecny scored to push the lead to 3 goals yet again, essentially stealing both the momentum and the game. Columbus would score two goals in the third, but it was too little too late.
They need to learn from this loss and move on quickly because Metro-leading Washington is rolling into NWA on Thursday, and they've had four days off to get ready.
Dean Evason said after the game, "We had nothing. Absolutely nothing. Even in the games we've lost out on the road, we were still playing right, going north, playing hard. Tonight we played south and we played soft."
Final Stats
CBJ vs. PHIPlayer Stats
- Zach Werenski scored his 9th goal and 29th point. The goal moves him back into a first-place tie with Cale Makar for goals by a defenseman.
- Sean Monahan scored his 9th goal and 24th point.
- Kent Johnson scored his 9th goal. He also collected his 7th assist.
- Kirill Marchenko tallied his 17th assist.
- Damon Severson got his 10th assist.
- Mathieu Olivier had 8 hits.
Team Stats
- The Jackets power play converted on 1 of 2 man advantages.
- The penalty kill for the Jackets gave up a power play goal for the 14th consecutive game.
- Columbus won 64.4% of the faceoffs.
- The Jackets have scored multiple goals in a period 27 times this season.
- Columbus only had 45 shot attempts in the game, 29 of which went unblocked.
What's Next - The Blue Jackets are back home on Thursday to play the Washington Capitals.
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