Ryan Poehling's 3-point game helps Flyers top slumping Blue Jackets for 5th straight victory
Ryan Poehling had a goal and two assists, Joel Farabee added a goal and an assist and the Philadelphia Flyers won their fifth straight game, beating the slumping Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Sunday night.
Bobby Brink and Travis Konecny also scored for the Flyers. Cam York scored an empty-netter when his clearing attempt from behind Philadelphia's own goal line ricocheted off the side boards. Samuel Ersson made 20 saves in the victory.
"To me, it's belief," Flyers head coach John Tortorella said of the team's streak. "You start believing that we're doing this right. It's not a physical skill. It's a mental skill. Belief is huge and has to be the main constant."
Boone Jenner and Alexandre Texier scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost nine in a row. Spencer Martin had 21 saves.
"We have to have a lot better effort if we want to get out of it," Jenner said. "The urgency, the emotion needs to be ramped up if we want to get out of this funk."
Columbus was without Patrik Laine, a three-time 30-goal scorer with Winnipeg who was a healthy scratch. Coach Pascal Vincent said prior to the game that he wanted to give Laine a chance to reset in order to regain his confidence. Laine has three points in nine games this season.
Afterward, Vincent said the struggles the team is facing, while not ideal, could pay off in the long run.
"Adversity is a beautiful challenge," he said. "It's frustrating for everyone. (But) going through adversity is not necessarily a bad thing. I think we're creating a sense of, 'We're in this together.'"
Philadelphia jumped in front 5:11 into the first when Farabee's backhander got past Martin on the blocker side. Texier tied it with 4:58 remaining in the period on a wrist shot from the slot.
The Flyers took a two-goal lead in the second. Brink scored on a power play with a wrist shot, and Poehling' scored short-handed, on a 2-on-0 with Garnet Hathaway with 13:19 to play in the period. The officials' call on the ice was confirmed by video replay, which showed the puck just crossing the goal line under Martin's pads. It was Philadelphia's fifth short-handed goal of the season and the fourth score for Brink, who returned to the lineup after missing three straight as a healthy scratch.
Provorov assisted Jenner's goal that pulled the Blue Jackets within 3-2 in his first game back in Philadelphia, where he played 532 games over seven seasons. The defenseman's fluttering wrist shot went off Jenner and just got past Ersson with 2:03 left in the second. Earlier, Provorov received lukewarm reception when acknowledged on the video scoreboard.
Provorov became the subject of controversy last season in Philadelphia when he refused to participate in warmups when the Flyers wore Pride-themed jerseys, citing his Russian Orthodox religion, when the club celebrated their annual Pride night in support of the LGBTQ community in a January contest against Anaheim.
Konecny scored his team-leading 11th goal with 7:20 left on a wrist shot over Martin's left shoulder.
UP NEXT
Blue Jackets: Host Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.
Flyers: At New York Islanders on Wednesday night.
