By Joe Coopersmith

JAN. 14, 2025 II NATIONWIDE ARENA II VS. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TV:  FanDuel Sports Network

Steve Mears (play-by-play), Jody Shelley (analyst), Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre (analyst), Dave Maetzold (reporter), Brian Giesenschlag (Host)

Radio:  93.3 The Bus

Bob McElligott (play-by-play), Dylan Tyrer (host)

Flyers to Watch

• RW Travis Konecny has recorded 2-5-7 during a three-game points streak entering tonight’s game against the Panthers. He leads the Flyers in goals, assists and points with 20-30-50 in 43 games and has registered 17-18-35 in 28 career games against the Blue Jackets, including 2-3-5 in the first two meetings of the season series.
• RW Matvei Michkov leads NHL rookies in goals (tied) and ranks second in assists and points with 13-17-30 in 41 outings and registered two assists in the first game of the season series at Nationwide Arena on Dec. 10.

All-Time Series

• The Blue Jackets have gone 27-19-7 in 53 all-time games against the Flyers, including 16-6-4 at home.
• CBJ have recorded points in three of the last four games of the all-time series (2-1-1).
• The winning team has scored four or more goals in 11 of the last 12 meetings of the series overall since Apr. 5, 2022.
• The teams have combined for seven-plus goals in three-straight and eight of the last 10 meetings of the series since Nov. 10, 2022.
• The winning team has won by multiple goals in four of the last six contests of the series.
• CBJ have recorded three of the five shutouts (MR: Bobrovsky, 36 saves in 1-0 W at CBJ on Mar. 25, 2017) and the lone hat trick (Atkinson, 3 goals in 5-3 W at PHI on Mar. 15, 2018) in the all-time series.

This Season (CBJ, 0-1-1)

• Dec. 10, 2024 – PHI 5, at CBJ 3
• Dec. 21, 2024 – at PHI 5, CBJ 4 (OT)
• Jan. 14, 2025 – at Columbus (7 pm ET)
• Apr. 15, 2025 – at Philadelphia (7 pm ET)

Player Notables vs. Flyers

• LW Zach Aston-Reese – 5-3-8 in 20 career GP, including three goals in his last six games against the club.
• F Kent Johnson – 2-3-5 in 6 career GP, including assists in both games of the 2024-25 season series (1-2-3).
• RW Kevin Labanc – 3-10-13 in 11 career GP, including assists in two of the last three games (1-2-3).
• D Damon Severson – 10-11-21 in 44 career GP, including points in three of his past four outings (3-1-4) as well as points in his last two home contests (2-1-3).
• LW James van Riemsdyk – 6-5-11 in 19 career GP, including an assist in the first game at Nationwide Arena on Dec. 10.
• D Zach Werenski – 6-9-15 in 23 career GP, including goals in two of his last three contests overall (3-1-4) and goals in three of his past four played at Nationwide Arena (4-2-6, 2 multi-point efforts).

BLUE JACKETS TEAM NOTES

• Columbus won a season-high fourth-straight game and has collected points in nine of the last 11 contests since Dec. 19 (8-2-1) following a 2-1 win at St. Louis on Saturday.  The club leads the league in points percentage (.773, tied), goals-for per game (3.91) and power play percentage (45.8) and ranks second-T in wins and points over that stretch.
• CBJ are 14-5-3 (31 points) at Nationwide Arena in 2024-25, posting the second-most points and third-most wins (tied) through the first 22 home games of a campaign in CBJ history (17-4-1, 35 points in 2016-17).
• The team has recorded points in 16 of its last 19 home games (13-3-3; .763 points pct) and leads the NHL in goals-for (4.32) and power play pct. (34.0), while ranking third in points pct. at home since Oct. 22.
• The Jackets are in a stretch of eight of 11 contests played at Nationwide Arena from Dec. 23-Jan. 16.
• The Blue Jackets’ 3.40 goals-for/game in 2024-25 are the fifth-highest in the NHL.  The club averaged a franchise-best 3.15 goals-per-game during the 2021-22 season.
• The club’s 146 goals (not including SO goals) are tied for sixth-most in the league in 2024-25 (Colorado) and the most through the first 42 games of a season in franchise history, surpassing the 143 posted to start the 2016-17 campaign.
• The Blue Jackets scored in all three periods in regulation on Thursday vs. Seattle and have accomplished the feat in seven of the last 11 games, including six of the last seven home contests.  CBJ have scored in all three periods in a game 18 times this season, including 14 occasions at home.  Last season, the club scored in all three periods 20 times (10 times at home).
• The club has also registered 39 multi-goal frames after scoring four of its six goals in the third period on Thursday.
• CBJ lead the NHL in six-goal games this season, after recording their 10^th outing on Thursday against Seattle.  It’s the second time in franchise history that CBJ have scored at least six goals in 10 or more contests in a campaign after setting the club record with 11 occurrences in 2018-19.
• Columbus was the first team to reach 100 even strength goals this season (101), reaching the mark on Thursday vs. Seattle.  The club is tied with Washington for most goals scored at 5-on-5 play in the NHL (102).
• The Jackets scored the first goal against St. Louis and have scored the first goal in six-straight, 10 of the last 11 contests and in 27 (17-6-4) of the first 43 contests this season.  The team has scored first in a league-high 62.8 percent of its games.
• The Blue Jackets finished 1-of-2 on the power play on Saturday and have scored a power play goal in five of the last six contests (6-of-12; 50.0 pct.).  The club has recorded a PPG in 13 of the last 17 games (16-of-45; 35.6 pct.), ranking second in the league in PP pct since Dec. 8 (WPG, 37.8).  CBJ also lead the league in PP percentage at home since Dec. 8 (44.0 pct; 11-of-25).
• CBJ rank fourth in the NHL in first period goals scored (45) and seventh-T in second period (47) and third period goals scored (53).
• Columbus plays the 10th (3-5-1) of 17 Tuesday games when it hosts Philadelphia.  The club has won its last two Tuesday contests.

BLUE JACKETS PLAYER NOTES

• CBJ blueliners have combined for 7-29-36 in the last 11 games, including seven assists against Seattle on Thursday.  The team leads the league in goals by defensemen and ranks second in points and point percentage, third in goal percentage and fifth in assists with 28-83-111, 19.2 pct. of the club’s goals and 28.2 pct. of the team’s points in 43 contests.
• C Luca Del Bel Belluz has registered assists in his first two games this season, including his first NHL assist and multi-point effort with 1-1-2 vs. Seattel on Jan. 9.  After also scoring in his NHL debut on Apr. 16, 2024 vs. Carolina, he became the second player in club history to record at least a point in each of his first three career games, following Zach Werenski (4 GP in 2016-17).
• C Adam Fantilli has recorded points in a career-high five-straight games (3-3-6) after scoring at St. Louis on Saturday.  The only Blue Jackets to record longer point streaks before age 21 are Rick Nash (8 GP in 2003-04) and Jakub Voracek (6 GP in 2009-10).
• F Kent Johnson has collected points in three of the last four games (1-2-3).  He has recorded points in 19 of his first 29 games this season (11-13-24) and has already surpassed his season totals from 2023-24 (6-10-16, 42 GP).
• RW Kirill Marchenko recorded an assist on Saturday and has registered points in four consecutive outings (2-3-5), 12 of his last 14 games (8-12-20) and 15 of the last 18 (8-15-23).  The forward ranks ninth-T in the league in points since Nov. 21 with 12-19-31 in 25 contests.  He leads the club in goals, multi-assist and multi-point efforts and ranks second in assists and points with 18-29-47, nine multi-assist and 14 multi-point efforts in 43 contests and has already set a single-season career high in assists and points (23-19-42, 2023-24).
• RW Mathieu Olivier has already set single-season career highs in goals and points (5-10-15, 66 GP in 2022-23) and ranks second-T in the NHL in penalty minutes and fifth in hits with 10-7-17, 81 PIM and 154 hits in 43 games.  He is one of two NHL players (Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk) with seven-plus goals, 50 PIM and 100 hits in 2024-25.
• D Ivan Provorov has collected 0-5-5 in the past five outings since Jan. 2 and 1-8-9 in the last 13 contests dating back to Dec. 15.
• C Cole Sillinger notched the game-winning goal on Saturday and has collected points in three of his last four games played (1-2-3).  He ranks fourth-T on the club in assists and sixth in points with 7-16-23 in 41 outings and is three assists shy of tying his single-season career high (77 GP in 2023-24).
• LW James van Riemsdyk has collected assists in two-straight outings (0-3-3) and has 2-4-6 in the past five contests.
• F Dmitri Voronkov stretched his points streak to four-straight (4-2-6) with an assist on Saturday.  He has posted six multi-point efforts in the last 10 contests (9-6-15) and has notched points in 11 of the last 13 contests (10-8-18).  The forward has registered 16-13-29 with nine multi-point efforts in his last 28 contests since Nov. 15 after starting the campaign with 1-0-1 in the first six.  Since that date, he ranks third-T in the NHL in goals, trailing only Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl (19 goals in 25 GP) and Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point (17 in 25 GP).
• D Zach Werenski had his five-game assists and points streaks (2-7-9) snapped on Saturday.  The blueliner has picked up five multi-point efforts in the last nine games (2-14-16).  He owns the club record for longest home points streak at 16 games (10-22-32) and is the seventh different defenseman in NHL history to post a run of at least that length and the first since Ray Bourque in 1992-93 (6-19-25 in 17 GP).  The 27-year-old Grosse Pointe, Michigan native leads the NHL in TOI/GP and ranks third-T in shots on goal (David Pastrnak, 183) as well leads league blueliners in goals (tied) and ranks second in points and third in assists with 13-35-48 and 166 shots on 26:33 of ice time in 43 contests this season.  He leads NHL blueliners in goals, assists, and points and is tied for third among all skaters in scoring (36; Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov) since Nov. 21 with 9-25-34 in 25 contests.

BLUE JACKETS MILESTONES

• HC Dean Evason is six games from 300 for his NHL HC career (167-94-33, 294 GC).
• LW Zach Aston-Reese is nine points from 100 for his NHL career (46-45-91, 352 GP).
• D Jake Christiansen is 14 games from 100 for his NHL career (2-12-14, 87 GP).
• C Adam Fantilli is eight games from 100 for his NHL career (22-26-48, 92 GP).
• D Ivan Provorov is five assists from 200 for his NHL career (73-195-268, 657 GP).
• C Cole Sillinger is three points from 100 for his CBJ/NHL career (39-58-97, 261 GP).

OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT

• F Boone Jenner (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 7; (43 Games)
• D Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 16; (40 Games)
• C Yegor Chinakhov (upper body); is on Injured Reserve retroactive to Nov. 27 (22 Games)
• F Justin Danforth (lower body); is on Injured Reserve retroactive to Dec. 10 (15 Games)
• C Sean Monahan (upper body); is on Injured Reserve retroactive to Dec. 7 (2 Games)

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 173

COURTESY BLUE JACKETS COMMUNICATIONS