RAV4 Things: Flyers vs. Blue Jackets

Playing their fourth sport in six nights, Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers (31-23-11) are again residence on Saturday night time to take veteran coach Rick Bowness’s Columbus Blue Jackets (33-21-11). Entering play on Saturday, the Flyers have gained six of their final eight video games.

This is the primary of two March conferences between Philadelphia and Columbus. Game time at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday is 7:30 pm EDT. The sport shall be broadcast on NBCSP.

The Flyers have 17 video games remaining of their schedule: eight at residence and 9 on the highway. They gained back-to-back video games on Wednesday and Thursday, defeating the Washington Capitals 4-1 at Xfinity Mobile Arena after which capturing a 3-2 (1-0) shootout highway win over a extra remaining Minnesota Wild group the subsequent night time.

The Flyers (73 factors, 20 regulation wins) nonetheless face an uphill climb for a playoff spot within the Eastern Conference however they’ve began to chip away on the deficit considerably. Every sport is a digital must-win state of affairs.

Tocchet’s group has set a aim to maintain the video games significant for so long as potential. Beyond that, the Flyers have to easily let the chips fall the place they might. Philly can solely management their very own play and fear in regards to the sport instantly in entrance of them.

Likewise, the Flyers can’t fear about catching the groups above the cutoff line for the playoffs earlier than they catch the golf equipment instantly in entrance of them. The Blue Jackets (77 factors, 23 RW) are essentially the most quick goal. Philly must win each head-to-head residence conferences with Columbus this month.

Here are the RAV4 Things to observe on Saturday.

1. Play from forward

The Flyers went into the third interval in Thursday’s sport trailing by a 2-1 rating after a tough second interval. However, Philly was nonetheless within the sport due to a powerful opening 20 minutes that produced a 1-0 lead.

Overall this season, the Flyers have solely scored first in 21 of 65 video games (13-4-4 document). They’ve yielded the primary aim in 44 video games (18-19-7); the NHL’s seventh-best profitable share when trailing first however removed from excellent. This is a resilient group however resilience has its limits. The Flyers had an off-day on Friday however a 4-in-6 continues to be a grind for any group.

Against Columbus on January 29, Philly discovered itself trailing within the opening minute of the sport after which 2-1 heading to the primary intermission. The Flyers went on to waste a Travis Konecny ​​hat trick in a 5-3 loss after tying the sport within the closing 5 minutes of regulation.

Therein lies the peril of taking part in comeback hockey so usually: it leaves no margin for error.

2. Tippett taking part in nice hockey

Owen Tippett’s mixture of dimension, velocity and bodily power make him a dominant pressure when he is on the highest of his sport. His subject has at all times been streakiness, significantly by way of getting pucks on internet constantly when not taking it on to the online.

Lately, Tippett has been producing pictures on aim from a wide range of distances and angles along with incomes breakaways and 2-on-1s along with his velocity and improved physicality. His single-season profession excessive in targets is 28 achieved in 2023-24, with 27 tallies the earlier yr.

With 17 video games left, Tippett is six targets away from tying his profession excessive and 7 from setting a brand new one. It will take a powerful end to realize it. If he can, nevertheless, the entire group’s probabilities of staying within the hunt come April enhance considerably, too.

Tippett has introduced his A sport in every of Philly’s final two video games. Can he make it three in a row? Even if he does not rating, Tippett can influence a sport when he presents a shift-in and shift-out menace to the opposition in all manpower conditions.

Tippett’s third interval shorthanded aim in Minnesota was inarguably THE pivotal springboard to Philly’s final victory.

3. Special groups

The Flyers particular groups have largely gone chilly once more late at a really inopportune time. Entering Saturday, the facility play has dropped the underside (thirty second) spot within the NHL at 15.5 %.

Meanwhile, Philly continues to be seeking to totally get better from the 1-for-4 penalty killing setback in opposition to the New York Rangers on Monday. The Flyers additionally gave up an opposing energy play on Wednesday in opposition to Washington (2-for-3 on PK) and Thursday in Minnesota (2-for-3 once more).

The Flyers, in fact, nonetheless managed to win each the Washington and Minnesota video games. However, they desperately want to completely get their penalty kill again on monitor and to tug their energy play out of the underside rung of the league.

Nearly two-thirds of the groups within the NHL have cashed in a minimum of 20 % of their energy play alternatives this season; 20 of the 32 golf equipment to be particular, with one other (Chicago) at 19.8 %. Columbus has scored on 20.3 % of their energy performs, rating 18th within the NHL.

Philly’s current penalty kill swoon has prompted the group to free fall from 14th within the league to twenty second total (78.0 %). Columbus ranks twenty fourth at 77.1 % PK success.

4. The Werenski issue

Columbus generates a big portion of its offense by having defensemen be a part of the assault. Most of the time, Zach Werenski (20 targets, 48 ​​assists, 68 factors) is the primary catalyst. Werenski, in reality, leads all Columbus gamers in factors this season.

Denton Mateychuk (10 targets, 27 factors, conventional +11 ranking) and former Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov (eight targets, 26 factors, +16) have had stable seasons in their very own proper. However, for the Flyers, beating Columbus begins with containing Werenski. Pay specific consideration when the puck begins on the opposite facet of the ice and Philly’s weak facet winger wants to trace Werenski.

On the Philly facet, the Flyers have three defensemen — Jamie Drysdale, Travis Sanheim and Cam York — who’ve reached a minimum of 20 assists this season. Drysdale has additionally began to seek out the online extra usually along with his shot.

In Minnesota, Emil Andrae scored the sport’s first aim. Andrae is usually extra of a puck transfer than a scoring menace on the NHL stage however he is completed at triggering breakouts in transition.

The Flyers do not have a comparable offensive pressure to a Werenski or Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes on the again finish. Philly has to do it by committee. However, they do have some defensemen who’re able to chipping in offense sometimes. The Flyers might have that in opposition to the Blue Jackets as a result of, much like taking part in in opposition to Hughes, it is robust to close down Werenski fully in a sport.