I dare you to find a more gnarly .500 team in professional sports than the 2024-2025 Philadelphia Flyers (15-15-4).
Elvis Merzlikins was on ‘shutout watch.’ If Merzlikins secured the shutout, it would have been the 12th of his career. He would have tied Marc Denis for third all-time in the history of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Throughout the second period, the Blue Jackets held the Flyers’ forwards without a shot on goal for 19:56. Scott Laughton was the only forward in the lineup to notch a shot on goal in a period where Nick Seeler led the offensive firepower. Columbus stifled Philadelphia. Olle Lycksell seemingly cut the deficit in half until Dean Evason won his challenge, overturning the goal.
Scouting reports dictate that the floodgates would open if the Flyers could score on Merzlikins. Those reports were loud and clear, but Philadelphia almost lost in regulation.
Forcing overtime versus the Blue Jackets felt like a small victory. But, with two points on the line, one point does not fulfill the hunger. It is a consolation prize. John Tortorella stressed how important it is to salvage wins before the Flyers travel west. Owen Tippett settled Philadelphia on home ice before they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
First Period
Shots on Goal: 10-8, Flyers
Score: 1-0, Blue Jackets
During the opening round of shifts, Lycksell and Jamie Drysdale helped sustain pressure in the offensive zone. Drysdale walked the blue line, containing the puck and creating a couple of shot attempts.
Morgan Frost served a minor penalty for interference. Ryan Poehling did a great job getting the puck deep into the offensive zone. He took the heat off of Sam Ersson. Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen cleared the puck from danger, killing the remainder of the penalty. The Flyers finished 1/1 (100%) on the penalty kill.
Traffic congested the line of sight and shooting lanes in front of Ersson. Ersson sealed the posts and squared up with the shooters for a while, but he could not keep Columbus off the scoreboard for much longer. The cracks in the defense began to show when Garnet Hathaway blew his coverage on Adam Fantilli.
Zach Aston-Reese served a minor penalty for holding. The Blue Jackets stumbled into a shorthanded scenario after finding some momentum while even strength. Columbus forced Philadelphia away from the slot for the few moments they appeared in the offensive zone. The Flyers finished 0/3 (0%) on the powerplay.
Mathieu Olivier put the Blue Jackets on the scoreboard, 1-0, with 4:13 remaining in the first period. Drysdale tried to start a transition out of the defensive zone but turned the puck over to Olivier. Ersson made the original save on Olivier, but Kent Johnson recovered the rebound, circled the net, and fed Olivier for another hearty look at an otherwise open net with Ersson out of position.
Second Period
Shots on Goal: 16-15, Flyers
Score: 2-0, Blue Jackets
Mikael Pyyhtiä extended the lead for Columbus, 2-0, with 12:55 remaining in the second period. Ersson went behind the net on a puck dumped by James Malatesta. He turned the puck over to Sean Kuraly, who found Pyyhtiä with a look at a wide-open net.
Turnovers from defensemen and goaltenders put Philadelphia down by a deuce. The Flyers essentially were beating themselves, but an unlikely source became a catalyst.
A recall from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms stepped into the lineup. Lycksell, for a moment, sparked the Wells Fargo Center. Then, Evason challenged the scoring play. It turned out the puck escaped the offensive zone. Lycksell beat Merzlikins, but the goal did not stand since Philadelphia never exited the offensive zone to reset.
The Blue Jackets held the Flyers’ forwards without a shot on goal in the second period until 0:04 remained on the game clock. Seeler led the attack during a period when Philadelphia had another powerplay. He never appeared on either powerplay unit for a second.
Third Period
Shots on Goal: 28-24, Flyers
Score: 4-4
Merzlikins was pitching a shutout, but the earlier sequence of events featuring Lycksell had to rent some space in his head. Whether the goal counted or not, Lycksell beat Merzlikins.
Zach Werenski briefly left the ice. He checked Tippett from behind and collided with the boards. Later in the period, Werenski returned.
Frost cut the deficit in half, 2-1, with 13:07 remaining in the third period. Tippett realized, like Lycksell, that the idea was to stretch and move Merzlikins in the crease. He crossed through the slot, then traversed a pass back to Frost, who buried a shot on an open net.
Noah Cates tied the game, 2-2, with 11:12 remaining in the third period. Cam York aimed his shot on goal from the point, and Tyson Foerster deflected the trajectory. Merzlikins allowed the rebound, and Cates cleaned up the crease.
Kirill Marchenko regained the lead, 3-2, with 9:59 remaining in the third period. Ivan Provorov did not get all the power he needed on his shot on goal, and Drysdale could not clear the defensive zone. Dmitri Voronkov moved the puck to Marchenko quickly, who scored.
Scoring his second of the period, Frost tied the game, 3-3, with 8:09 remaining in the third period. Tippett crossed the puck deep into the offensive zone, off the boards. On the carom, Frost sniped the puck past Merzlikins.
Then, Olivier hit Hathaway following a play pause. He taunted Hathaway to the box, claiming he dived. Both served a minor penalty for roughing, though Olivier was the only skater who did anything illegal. During four-on-four, Merzlikins made a save on York, who had a breakaway chance. Ersson made a sprawling save on Aston-Reese.
Jake Christiansen regained the lead, 4-3, with 4:11 remaining in the third period. Tortorella bit into his lineup sheet because of the constant issues with the defense allowing goals when losing faceoffs in the defensive zone.
Tortorella pulled Ersson for the six-on-five advantage. Foerster tied the game, 4-4, with 1:44 remaining in the third period. Travis Konecny pulled into the faceoff circle, firing on goal. Foerster deflected another shot, this time past Merzlikins. Konecny has 77 points in the 2024 calendar year with the Flyers.
Overtime
Shots on Goal: 30-25, Flyers
Score: 5-4, Flyers
Tippett completed the comeback versus Columbus, 5-4, with 2:30 remaining. Cates, who forechecked Merzlikins moments earlier, led Tippett beautifully on a short break. On a backhanded shot, Tippett brought a win to the crowd on home ice at the Wells Fargo Center.
Up Next
Next, the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday at 7:00pm/ET.
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