After breaking their recent losing streak on the road, the Columbus Blue Jackets are heading back home, where they’ve been performing well this season. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers are still searching for their first win in December.
The Blue Jackets, who are on a five-game home point streak, will look to hand the Flyers their fourth straight loss on Tuesday night.
Columbus began its recent five-game road trip with a 6-3 win over struggling Chicago, but then lost the next three games despite scoring five goals in each of those matches. However, the Blue Jackets ended the trip on a positive note, securing their fourth road win with a 4-1 victory against Winnipeg on Sunday.
Kent Johnson scored two goals in the third period, and Elvis Merzlikins made 24 saves. Columbus had given up 11 goals in their previous two games.
“I think it shows a lot of character,” said Columbus defenseman Ivan Provorov after the win. “Play the game the right way on the last game of the road trip, it shows a lot about this team … I think we’re trending in the right direction.”
At home, things have been going well for the Blue Jackets. They are 8-3-1 at home and are currently on a 4-0-1 stretch. Heading into Monday’s games, Columbus ranked second in the NHL, averaging 4.25 goals per game at home.
Defenseman Zach Werenski, who had an assist on Sunday, leads the team with 28 points and has five goals and eight assists in a six-game home point streak. Johnson has three goals and five assists, earning a point in each of the six home games he’s played this season.
Merzlikins has a 3.22 goals-against average and .891 save percentage at home, with a 6-2-1 record. Backup goalie Daniil Tarasov is 2-1-0 with a 3.05 goals-against average at home, compared to 1-4-1 with a 4.86 goals-against average on the road.
Philadelphia, after winning three straight games to close out November, is now on a 0-2-1 slide, giving up 15 goals during this stretch, including a 4-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday. Flyers forward Joel Farabee, who broke a 12-game goal drought in the loss, said, “We just didn’t have that edge to us (Sunday).”
The Flyers also gave up a power-play goal for the fourth game in a row on Sunday, with their opponents converting 7 of 17 power plays during this stretch.
“I thought our back end looked tired (versus Utah),” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “(We) have killed a lot of penalties. If there’s the wear and tear from killing penalties the way we have, it’s the back end.”
Columbus has scored on 5 of 17 power plays in their last six home games.
Philadelphia goalie Samuel Ersson, who returned from an 11-game injury absence, made 21 saves in Sunday’s loss. It’s unclear if he will start again on Tuesday.
Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, who turned 20 on Monday, is on a four-game point streak with three goals and five assists. He’s scored seven of his 11 goals this season on the road.
Philadelphia’s six-game point streak against the Blue Jackets ended with a 6-2 loss in Columbus on April 6, in their most recent meeting. Werenski scored two goals and added an assist in that game.
