Blue Jackets downed by Flyers, 'sloppy' in dropping fifth straight

PHILADELPHIA ― The losses are melding together now in a swirling blend of frustrating causes.

Costly mistakes, blown coverages, turnovers, inexperience, letdowns and momentum gifted back as quickly as the Blue Jackets can seize it have all contributed to this injury-addled team falling into a losing streak that reached five straight games Tuesday with a 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.

“We were sloppy and it cost us, straight to the end really,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “We had some pockets of decent moments, but we weren’t there. The execution wasn’t there, we were a half step slow … we just couldn’t connect tonight.”

Along with the losing skid, the loss was the Blue Jackets’ second in as many days. They also lost 2-1 to the Dallas Stars on Monday at Nationwide Arena to open a back-to-back that finished with a thud 24 hours later in Philadelphia.

Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson and Andrew Peeke scored for the Blue Jackets (10-20-2), but their contributions weren’t enough to overcome the blunders that helped the Flyers (11-15-7) give coach John Tortorella his first win against his former team since leaving Columbus in 2021.

Marchenko and Johnson gave Columbus a 2-1 lead on back-to-back goals early in the second period, but Philadelphia countered with four unanswered goals over the next 32 minutes to win for the second time in its past three games. Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett each scored two goals to lead the Flyers, who also got a goal from Morgan Frost that tied it 2-2 in the second.

Columbus leads the season series with wins in the first two games at Nationwide Arena, but returns to Wells Fargo Center on April 11 for the finale. If that seems like an eternity after watching the first 32 games of this nightmarish Blue Jackets season, imagine being a player, coach or member of the front office.

Here’s a breakdown of the Jackets' latest letdown:

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Philadelphia Flyers takeaways

Marchenko, Johnson showing offensive sparks

Start with a positive.

The big picture goal for the Blue Jackets is to make Marchenko and Johnson better two-way players. That’s the goal of every NHL coach that has young forwards that are gifted with natural offensive abilities. It’s rarely a painless process and usually takes a lot of patience, but the payoff can be well worth it.

In the meantime, the offensive skills come in handy during the learning process. Marchenko and Johnson are showing that more consistently now, including back-to-back goals that put the Blue Jackets up 2-1 on the Flyers early in the second.

"It's frustrating (losing), but it's part of the growth process for this group," veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. "These young guys are playing really well. Some of them are finding their games and gaining some real confidence now, and it's fun to watch."

Marchenko’s hand-eye coordination allowed him to tip Jake Christiansen’s shot from the left point into the Flyers’ net at 5:58, tying it 1-1 on his third goal in nine NHL games, and Johnson made it 2-1 just 2:43 later with a laser beam under goalie Carter Hart's glove to cap a 2-on-1 rush for his eighth goal.

Johnson scored for the second straight game while centering the top line in Boone Jenner’s absence, skating with Gaudreau and Laine. Marchenko has moved up to left wing on the second line to replace Yegor Chinakhov, who sustained a serious ankle injury Monday against Dallas.

This season is now all about the development of young players following a slew of injuries, so having two rookie forwards score big goals is exactly what the Blue Jackets need to see as both go through the defensive learning process.

"It's fun to be apart of it," Gudbranson said. "It's frustrating not getting the results, but it's not like there's not growth there. It's not like there's no good things happening in a lot of different areas."

Goal slump continues for Laine, Gaudreau

It’s no coincidence that Laine and Gaudreau have combined for just one goal, scored by Laine, and four assists during the Blue Jackets’ current losing streak, which is tied for their season-long mark at five games.

Johnson has scored in back-to-back games and both stars picked up assists on his goal against the Flyers, but there’s no denying the Blue Jackets’ top two offensive weapons have gone cold. The injury situation factors into it, allowing opposing coaches to focus top defense pairs and checking lines against the Blue Jackets’ top forwards ― especially in road games when the home coach gets the last line change ― but that’s not the entire story.

Laine and Gaudreau have both hit the crossbar or posts multiple times the past week and Gaudreau fired just wide in the first period against the Flyers, after making a fantastic move to get himself open in the slot. If the Blue Jackets are going to end their current skid Friday in Chicago, they need Gaudreau and Laine to heat up going into the NHL’s short holiday pause this weekend.

"Last game (against Dallas), we hit two or three posts (as a team)," Gaudreau said. "Tonight we hit the crossbar a couple posts. We're right there. We're getting opportunities to score. We've just got to bear down and put it in the net."

Gaudreau enjoys another trip ‘home’ to Philly

Gaudreau grew up a Flyers fan in nearby Salem, New Jersey and had plaques on his wall of former Flyers favorites like John LeClair and Danny Briere.

He also dreamed of one day playing for his favorite team, which many thought would happen last summer when Gaudreau became an unrestricted free agent. Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said he couldn’t clear enough salary-cap space to make it happen, so Gaudreau eliminated Philadelphia and the Blue Jackets won the sweepstakes with a seven-year, $68.25 million deal. 

Not wearing a Flyers uniform in his first return trip to 'Philly' since signing with a new team didn’t spoil his enjoyment of playing in his "hometown" arena.

“It’s always special coming back here,” Gaudreau said. “I’ve got so many friends and family and relatives all coming to watch the game … kids that helped my dad runs camps. You name it. It’s a great following out here and I always enjoy it.”

Unlike other Eastern stops to play the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders, Gaudreau wasn’t booed by Flyers fans whenever he touched the puck. In fact, he wasn’t booed at all by the fanbase he grew up cheering alongside.

"No, it was nice to hear ... or not hear," Gaudreau said. "It doesn't matter (when fans boo). I just keep playing my game. I'm happy where I'm at and we'll go from there."

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Philadelphia Flyers notes

— Two more health issues impacted the Blue Jackets on Tuesday when it was announced that forward Yegor Chinakhov was out “indefinitely” with an ankle injury sustained Monday against the Dallas Stars and goalie Elvis Merzlikins was out with an illness. Rookie forward Liam Foudy drew into the lineup to fill the void left by Chinakhov and rookie goalie Jet Greaves backed up Daniil Tarasov as an emergency recall from the Cleveland Monsters.

— Including Chinakhov and Merzlikins, the Blue Jackets had 11 lineup regulars out against the Flyers. Nine were listed on injured reserve, center Cole Sillinger missed his second game with an upper-body injury and Merzlikins was out sick. The Flyers had seven players out, including five on IR.

— Former Blue Jackets star Cam Atkinson will not play this season for the Flyers after making a decision to undergo neck surgery Wednesday to alleviate lingering pain from what general manager Chuck Fletcher called a “wear and tear” issue. Atkinson, 33, is expected to make a full recovery and be ready to play next season. He has two years remaining on his contract.

Quotable: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Philadelphia Flyers

"There's nothing that trains you better than being in it every single night. These back-to-backs, flying and getting in late and then going right back at it, it's really good experience. And these guys are taking the bull by the horns and learning a lot. That part is really fun to see."

— Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson on a large contingent of rookies learning on the fly during the team's injury spate.

“You hope those floodgates open a little bit just to allow them to relax, so that instead of just hitting the post, it’s post-and-in. When you’re struggling to score, it feels like it can be insurmountable at times, but when you have that swagger offensively, you feel like you’re never out of a game.”

— Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen on his team’s lack of offense in four games prior to facing the Flyers.

“In 2010, I was in juniors at the time. I was getting ready to go to college. I was a huge Flyers fan at that point. I wasn’t drafted anywhere and I was also a huge Patrick Kane fan, so he kind of ruined the dreams of Philly when he scored (the Stanley Cup clinching goal). I was a big fan of his, so I was happy he scored it, but that hurt.”

— Gaudreau, who’s from Salem, New Jersey, on cheering for the Flyers against Kane’s Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. 

“Just watching some of these younger kids, they really have a knack for the game and it’s fun to watch. I think we’re going to have a bright future here, getting to watch all these younger kids play now. Hopefully they don’t push me out the door too quick, but the way they’re playing, it’s fun to watch.”

— Gaudreau on getting to know the Blue Jackets’ prospect pipeline better because of the team’s glut of injuries to lineup regulars.

Columbus Blue Jackets lineup vs Philadelphia Flyers

Forwards

Johnny Gaudreau – Kent Johnson – Patrik Laine

Kirill Marchenko– Jack Roslovic – Gustav Nyquist

Eric Robinson – Sean Kuraly – Mathieu Olivier

Liam Foudy – Josh Dunne – Carson Meyer

Defensemen

Vladislav Gavrikov – Marcus Bjork

Tim Berni – Erik Gudbranson

Jake Christiansen – Andrew Peeke

Goalies

Daniil Tarasov

Jet Greaves

Scratched: D Gavin Bayreuther

Injury/illness: C Boone Jenner (fractured thumb), G Elvis Merzlikins (illness), C Cole Sillinger (upper body), F Yegor Chinakhov (ankle), D Zach Werenski (shoulder), F Justin Danforth (shoulder), D Jake Bean (shoulder), D Adam Boqvist (broken foot), D Nick Blankenburg (broken ankle/high-ankle sprain), F Jakub Voracek (concussion), G Joonas Korpisalo (lower body).

Up next for the Columbus Blue Jackets

One more game remains for the Blue Jackets on Friday in Chicago before the NHL’s short holiday pause begins Friday.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets 'sloppy' in loss to Philadelphia Flyers