money Blue Jackets win 5-4 over Philadelphia Flyers thanks to Vladislav Gavrikov's overtime goal
For the second straight home game, the Blue Jackets beat the Philadelphia Flyers but with a potentially significant injury cost.
The Jackets led Tuesday's game 2-0 and 4-2 but allowed the Flyers to come back and tie the game with two goals in the first 10 minutes of the third period, after losing defenseman Jake Bean and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to injuries in the second period.
But in overtime, Vladislav Gavrikov scored his second overtime goal of the season to lift the Jackets (5-9-1) to a 5-4 win, their second win in three games.
"We had some good minutes," captain Boone Jenner said. "It wasn’t perfect at times. They had their push a couple times. We’re up two twice and they come back and tie it. It’s going to happen, but it’s a good way to stay with it and find a way to win once they pushed back."
Sean Kuraly opened the scoring at 12:36 of the first period. He collected a rebound from Gavrikov's shot and brought the puck out to the right circle before sending a wrist shot toward the net that skipped through Flyers defenseman Justin Braun and past goaltender Carter Hart.
The Jackets took a 2-0 lead on a power-play goal from Jenner 5:36 into the second period, but the ongoing injury woes appeared again just a few minutes later. Bean, already playing a larger role with both Zach Werenski and Nick Blankenburg out of the lineup, was checked into the boards and left the ice in pain at the 7:56 mark of the second period.
Less than a minute later, Kevin Hayes made it 2-1 on a quick shot from the center of the slot as he was left unmarked in front of Merzlikins. The Flyers tied the game at 12:16 of the second, and to add injury to insult, Merzlikins was injured on the play. He skated off immediately after the goal with assistance from Gavrikov, putting minimal weight on his left leg.
The Jackets scored twice 13 seconds apart in the opening minutes of the third period to stretch their lead to 4-2, as Jenner scored on a breakaway and Eric Robinson buried a rebound. The Flyers made it 4-3 just over a minute later and tied the game at 9:14 of the third.
The three-on-three overtime was played at a slower pace than the typical frenetic, back-and-forth style expected in extra time, but it worked to the Jackets' advantage as Yegor Chinakhov sprung a three-on-one rush that Gavrikov buried to win the game.
"I could see right away that it was three-on-one, so it could be a perfect chance," Gavrikov said. "Even Chinny has the shot from the flank or Silly from the top, doesn’t matter. That was a huge opportunity for us. Fortunately, we scored a goal."
Key moments from Blue Jackets' 5-4 overtime win over Philadelphia Flyers
— Bean and Merzlikins' injuries just minutes apart in the second period meant the Jackets' injured list grew to eight players — Justin Danforth, Adam Boqvist, Nick Blankenburg, Zach Werenski, Jakub Voracek, Patrik Laine and now Bean and Merzlikins — with six of those injuries occurring in the last two weeks. Jackets coach Brad Larsen didn't have an update on either player after the game, but the last thing the Jackets need right now is more players to miss significant time.
Bean's injury occurred on a hit into the boards by Owen Tippett that left him crumpled on the ice in pain for a moment before he skated off. Merzlikins' injury was more subtle; he appeared to be laboring a second before Noah Cates' shot off the rush tied the game at two. Trainer Mike Vogt came out to speak with him after the goal, and Merzlikins then left the game without putting much weight on his left leg.
— Jenner's power-play goal in the second period began with a pass from Kent Johnson, who returned to the lineup after missing the last two games, the first with a minor injury and the second as a healthy scratch. Johnson ascended to the first power-play unit to fill the gap left by Jack Roslovic, who was a healthy scratch Tuesday.
Johnson played just 9:45, and only 18 seconds on the power play, but those 18 seconds were all the Jackets needed to score the goal. He picked up the secondary assist for his pass to Johnny Gaudreau, and Gaudreau delivered the pass that Jenner tapped into the net.
"Great passing by KJ and then Johnny just put it right on my stick," Jenner said. "That’s what we want to do. We want to play quick. It’s not your natural power play setup. We’re just kind of playing out there. It was good to get one."
— Andrew Peeke's stick broke on a shot from the point with under five minutes left to play, which gave the Flyers a dangerous rush opportunity back up the ice. The stretch pass took a strange bounce, which gave Peeke an extra second to get back into the defensive zone. He tracked back and pinned Zack MacEwen against the boards to smother the scoring opportunity, eliciting a cheer from the crowd at Nationwide Arena — and likely saving a go-ahead goal from being scored.
— It ultimately didn't matter much, since the Jackets secured two points with the overtime win, but Emil Bemstrom had a chance to score the game-winning goal with 3:50 left in regulation. Bemstrom was elevated to the top line with Gaudreau and Jenner in Laine's absence, and his attempt off the rush late in the third period would've been a solid goal for the forward as he finds his way back in the NHL. But instead, the puck deflected high into the netting, and the Jackets had to take the game to overtime.
Sean Kuraly, Erik Gudbranson return to Blue Jackets' lineup from upper body injuries
Kuraly suffered an upper body injury Nov. 5 after being inadvertently elbowed in the head and missed two games before returning Tuesday. He skated 16:20 in his return with one goal, three shots, four hits and went 9-of-15 in the faceoff circle.
Gudbranson was injured in the last game against the Flyers on Thursday in an awkward collision with Nicolas Deslauriers. He missed one game with an upper body injury. He played 27:06, the second-most among Jackets' defenseman and by far his heaviest usage of the season. Gudbranson's previous high in ice time was 21:25 against the New York Rangers on Oct. 23.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets beat Flyers 5-4 in overtime behind Gavrikov goal
