Flyers’ playoff push takes a hit with 2-1 home shootout loss to Columbus

The Flyers are knocking on the door.

In a chippy game that had a playoff vibe, the Flyers were only able to collect a point against a team standing in their way of the postseason, with the Columbus Blue Jackets defeating them in a shootout, 2-1.

Philly’s winning streak ended at two games, but its point streak extended to three, with Kirill Marchenko scoring the only goal in the shootout, a backhander over Dan Vladař. The Flyers have now earned at least a point in seven of the past nine games (6-2-1).

“I think the building was rocking. The fans showed up for us,” said defenseman Jamie Drysdale. “Would have been a much better feeling coming in [to the locker room] with two points and, yeah, I think these are games that we can definitely learn from. Every game moving forward is a playoff mindset, and if we want to get in, that’s how we’re going to have to approach it.”

The Flyers have 74 points, putting them six back of the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings for the two wild cards in the Eastern Conference. Boston beat the Washington Capitals, with whom the Flyers are tied with in points, in a shootout, and Detroit lost in overtime to the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

The Flyers trailed 1-0 for the 45th time in 66 games this season, as Columbus scored 4 minutes, 21 seconds into the game.

“It’s been going on for a long time, so it’s frustrating, obviously, for the goaltending department, me, [Sam Ersson], and [goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh],” Vladař said. “I don’t know, maybe going forward, maybe be a little bit more alert. So it’s going to be, for sure, a discussion from our end because it’s not easy.”

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A Travis Konecny pass intended for Alex Bump inside the offensive zone ended up on the stick of Marchenko, and the Blue Jackets broke out two-on-two. Mason Marchment ended up with the puck and got a shot off from the bottom of the left circle, before Adam Fantilli got two good whacks at the puck atop the crease.

Damon Severson corralled the puck, but the defenseman’s shot hit Konecny as he was tied up with Fantilli in front. The Flyers winger went down and stayed down as Fantilli got up and found Marchenko for the goal with Vladař out of position.

Konecny stayed down in pain and spoke with assistant athletic trainer Alex Ambrose for a while on the bench by the tunnel, but did not go down it.

That was a good thing because Konecny and his linemates soon tied the game up.

Bump made a nice play to maintain control of his zone entry and the Flyers got to work. Although they kept it to the perimeter, they possessed the puck, leading to Nick Seeler getting it at the left point. He passed it over to Christian Dvorak as he sliced through the top of the zone before dropping it back to Emil Andrae seconds after he hopped over the boards.

Andrae had some time and space and walked in before sending a wrister toward the net with Bump in front. The rookie, in his fifth game, got his second career goal with a tip-in — but he had to wait a bit to celebrate.

The referees didn’t realize the puck went in, as it hit the left post, the back of the net, and popped right back out. Play continued for 14 seconds — as the Flyers’ bench stood pointing — before Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves covered the puck up. The play was quickly reviewed and ruled a goal.

Bump now has three points in five NHL games, and Andrae has points in consecutive games since being reinserted into the lineup on Thursday. Dvorak’s assist gives him a new career high in points (39), topping his previous best set in 2019-20 under coach Rick Tocchet in Arizona.

The second period was less eventful — although Owen Tippett had a great look as he cut across the crease on a pass by Nikita Grebenkin, who also delivered an alley-oop that set up Luke Glendening for a partial breakaway — but it was fierier, with the teams combining for 18 hits.

Carl Grundström nailed Severson behind the Blue Jackets’ net, and Fantilli responded by dropping the gloves. Both got minors — Grundström for boarding and Fantilli for roughing — and five for fighting. Dvorak later took a hard hit from Kent Johnson as he tried to turn up the ice, leading to a scoring chance by Boone Jenner that Vladař stopped.

And then Barkey nailed Severson, who has a few inches and more than a decade of experience on him, behind the net during a Flyers power play. The former New Jersey Devils defenseman took exception, cross-checking Barkey multiple times behind the net and then doing it again in front, notably high on the 20-year-old winger while he was down on the ice.

The only problem was that the Flyers’ power play was powerless once again. Despite having four separate man advantages, including 3:35 to start the third period, the Flyers couldn’t buy a goal. According to Natural Stat Trick, they had 13 shot attempts and five shots on goal across almost eight minutes of five-on-four power-play time.

“I think it hasn’t been very good,” said Drysdale, who played almost five minutes on the power play. “I think we’ve had, actually, a lot of looks [but] haven’t buried virtually any at this point. I think when that happens, you start to maybe slow it down, look for perfect plays, and just wasn’t clicking, and it needed to.”

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Barkey took a hard, scary hit from Marchenko in the corner of the offensive zone with 5:47 left in the first period. The hit, high and from behind, knocked his helmet off. Barkey stayed down for a considerable amount of time, eventually skated off under his own power, but went down the tunnel. Originally ruled a major, it was downgraded to a minor for boarding after review. Barkey did not start the second period on the bench but was back on the ice less than two minutes in. After the game, Barkey said he had not seen the hit and did not want to comment on the call. ... Forward Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Noah Juulsen were each healthy scratches. ... Former Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula returned to Xfinity Mobile Arena for the first time since being traded in December to Pittsburgh. He was released by the Penguins and signed by Columbus in early January. According to reporters, Marchenko gave Zamula credit for helping him beat Vladař in the shootout.

Flyers after dark will be percolating as they head west for a three-game California trip, beginning on Wednesday against Cutter Gauthier and the Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m., NBCSP). The game marks Trevor Zegras’ return to Anaheim.