Sean Monahan scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period as the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied for a 5–3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night at Nationwide Arena, extending their strong run to seven wins in their last eight games.
Before puck drop, the Blue Jackets honored Charlie Coyle with a pregame ceremony recognizing his 1,000th NHL game, a milestone he officially reached earlier in the week. Wednesday’s contest marked Coyle’s 1,002nd career game, but the tribute set the tone for a night that saw the veteran forward continue his recent scoring surge.
Columbus wasted no time once the game began. Just 38 seconds into the opening period, Coyle opened the scoring with a quick wrist shot past Dan Vladar for his 12th goal of the season. The goal continued a hot stretch for Coyle, who has now scored six times in his last eight games, playing an important role in Columbus’ recent climb in the standings.
Philadelphia answered at 9:03 of the first when Travis Konecny snapped a shot past Elvis Merzlikins to tie the game 1–1. The Flyers’ top winger was heavily involved throughout, but Columbus regained the lead late in the period during four-on-four play. Kirill Marchenko finished a cross-ice feed to score his 19th goal of the season, sending the Blue Jackets into the first intermission ahead 2–1.
The home side added to its lead early in the second period. Following an offensive-zone faceoff win, Erik Gudbranson blasted a long slap shot through traffic to make it 3–1, scoring his first goal of the season and giving Columbus some breathing room.
Philadelphia pushed back in the third period behind Konecny. He cut the deficit to one at 4:08, then completed the hat trick at 15:14, redirecting a pass at the left post to tie the game 3–3. The three-goal night brought Konecny to 20 goals on the season, nearly single-handedly pulling the Flyers back into the game.
The tie was short-lived. Just 1:18 later, at 16:32 of the third, Sean Monahan slipped into open space near the left post and lifted a cross-ice feed from Damon Severson over Dan Vladar’s pad for his ninth goal of the season, the decisive goal.
With the Flyers pressing late and Vladar pulled, Mathieu Olivier sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal at 18:54.
Merzlikins finished with 24 saves for Columbus, while Vladar stopped 26 shots in his return to the Flyers’ crease. The Blue Jackets received scoring from throughout the lineup and continued to show confidence in close games, while Philadelphia wasted a strong individual effort from Konecny.
Columbus remains one of the hotter teams in the Metropolitan Division, while the Flyers leave the night still searching for consistency as the season moves deeper.
Inside the Locker Room
“I think that it’s a good sign for us,” Sean Monahan said. “Obviously, putting the puck in that situation, it always feels good.
You’ve got that feeling on the bench, when you’re out there, that you’re going to win games. So, it’s a good feeling to have.”
“It doesn’t matter how you get to that point,” Charlie Coyle said. “It doesn’t matter if we score two goals or they score two on us — it’s a 3–3 hockey game, a big game. Who wouldn’t want to be in that position?”
“Good teams find a way to win, and we found a way to win tonight,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. “Early in the third period, you have to give their goalie credit. He made some big saves. We could’ve made it 4–1 very easily, but that’s his job, and he did it.”
Notes
- Cole Sillinger, Zach Werenski, Charlie Coyle, and Mathieu Olivier each finished with two points.
- Werenski recorded multi-point games in back-to-back outings and now has 19 multi-point games this season.
- Coyle’s goal was his 12th of the season, coming in his 1,002nd NHL game, following a pregame ceremony recognizing his 1,000-game milestone.
Next Game:
Saturday, Jan. 31 at St. Louis — 7:00 PM EDT
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