The opening half of the first period featured a steady exchange of chances as both teams settled in, with goaltenders Sam Ersson and Greaves sharp early to keep things scoreless. The Flyers generated a few quality looks, including net-front scrambles, while the Blue Jackets countered with speed in transition. Both sides defended well, limiting second-chance opportunities and keeping the pace high through the neutral zone in what was a fast, evenly played start.
Philadelphia earned the game’s first power play at 9:58 when Justin Danforth was called for tripping Garnet Hathaway. It was an early opportunity to seize momentum, but the Flyers’ power play struggled to generate anything dangerous. Columbus’ penalty killers were aggressive and structured, forcing Philadelphia to settle for low-danger looks from the outside.
Shortly after killing off the first penalty, the Jackets were tested again when Dmitri Voronkov went off for tripping. Despite extended zone time, the Flyers couldn’t convert. Columbus remained disciplined, collapsing in front of Greaves and clearing loose pucks with ease. As Voronkov stepped out of the box, the Blue Jackets had killed off both early penalties, keeping the game level.
The first period ended in a scoreless tie with both teams logging nine shots on goal. Ersson and Greaves were solid throughout, turning away everything they faced in a balanced, tightly contested opening frame.
SECOND PERIOD
The second period picked up right where the first left off — tightly contested, physical, and goaltender-driven. Both teams continued to exchange chances early in the frame, with Travis Konecny testing Greaves on a slap shot just after a faceoff, and Ersson answering shortly after with a stop on a wrister from Adam Fantilli.
Philadelphia pushed the pace midway through the period, generating a flurry of pressure. Tyson Foerster had multiple quality chances, including a pair of heavy slap shots and a wrister that forced Greaves to make a sharp glove save. Brink came closest to breaking the deadlock when he rang a wrist shot off the post at 10:17, narrowly missing what would have been the game’s opening goal.
The Flyers dominated stretches of offensive zone time, outshooting Columbus during that span and throwing bodies around — notably Hathaway, Nicolas Deslauriers, and Karsen Dorwart, who delivered key hits to set the tone. But for every push, Greaves remained steady between the pipes, turning aside shot after shot to keep the Blue Jackets in the game.
Columbus weathered the storm and slowly tilted momentum back in their favor. After a long stretch in the Flyers’ zone, they finally broke through at 17:28. Defenseman Dante Fabbro buried a shot from the high slot through traffic for his eighth goal of the season, giving the Blue Jackets a crucial 1-0 lead. Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan picked up the assists on the play, which could not have come at a more critical moment for Columbus as it continued to cling to its playoff hopes.
The Blue Jackets built off the goal with several strong shifts, forcing Ersson to make key saves in the final minutes of the period, including a pair of stops on Werenski and a point-blank tip-in attempt from Kirill Marchenko. Despite Philadelphia’s best efforts to answer back, they entered the second intermission trailing by one.
With 6:03 remaining in the second period, Columbus had a prime opportunity to double its lead when Foerster was whistled for a high-sticking minor, sending the Blue Jackets to their first power play of the night. Already ahead 1-0 after Fabbro’s go-ahead goal early in the period, the Jackets looked to build on their momentum and put the Flyers on their heels. A kill from the orange and black kept Columbus up by one.
After coming up empty on their first power play opportunity, Columbus didn’t have to wait long for a second chance. Just minutes later, Emil Andrae was called for interference, sending the Blue Jackets back to the man advantage.
This time, they wasted no time — just five seconds into the power play, Kent Johnson found space on the right side and ripped a shot past Ersson to give Columbus a 2-0 lead. It was a clinical finish and a crucial insurance goal as the Jackets tightened their grip on the game — and their faint playoff hopes.
After 40 minutes, Philadelphia found itself in a familiar spot: down on the scoreboard despite stretches of solid play. Columbus, meanwhile, had taken a step closer to staying alive in the playoff race.
THIRD PERIOD
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