Blue Jackets 3, Flyers 2 (SO)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If the Philadelphia Flyers miss the Stanley Cup playoffs, they might well remember this Tuesday night in March.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, with a full embrace of the spoiler’s role, scored two desperation goals in the final 1:04 of regulation, then went on to beat the Flyers 3-2 in a shootout in Nationwide Arena.
Boone Jenner was the only player to score in the five-round shootout, beating Flyers goaltender Steve Mason with a nifty backhand move.
Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped Philadelphia's Sean Couturier moments later to seal a most improbable victory.
The Blue Jackets, on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs, jumped off the bench to surround Bobrovsky, and coach John Tortorella stood on the bench pumping a fist.
The Jackets got goals from Jenner and Cam Atkinson in the final 64 seconds of regulation.
It was a gut-wrenching loss for Philadelphia, even though they picked up a point in the standings.
The Flyers had a chance to take over the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs but instead remained behind the Detroit Red Wings, who lost at Tampa Bay.
Philadelphia got a first-period goal from Claude Giroux and a third-period goal from Ryan White, and Mason finished with 51 saves.
The Flyers appeared to be in full control.
But the Blue Jackets scored two goals with Bobrovsky pulled for an extra skater, believed to be a franchise first.
Jenner scored with 1:04 remaining to give Columbus a chance, pulling them within 2-1.
With 7.6 seconds left, Atkinson scored from the doorstep off a loose puck to tie.
Bobrovsky, also facing his former club, finished with 31 saves.
Giroux scored at 11:42 of the first period, slipping behind the Columbus defense and coming fast through the slot when Brayden Schenn found him with a perfect feed.
White added a goal at 11:54 of the third period on a power play goal when he scored from a scrum.
The game took a violent turn early in the second period when Blue Jackets tough guy Jared Boll delivered a huge hit on Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellmare as Philadelphia was skating the puck out of the Columbus end.
Boll circled back and thrust the right side of his body, shoulder first, into Bellmare, appearing to get mostly Bellmare's chest but also hitting his chin.
Bellmare landed flat on his back and appeared temporarily staggered by the hit, and skirmishes broke out all over the neutral zone.
Boll was given a five-minute interference call and a game misconduct, ending his evening.
Bellmare went to the room for observation but returned later in the second period.
NOTES: Blue Jackets G Sergei Bobrovsky matched the franchise record for career victories (96). The player who also holds the franchise mark is Flyers goaltender Steve Mason, who played from the Blue Jackets from 2008-09 to 2012-13. ... Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno was a late scratch because of the flu. ... Flyers G Anthony Stolarz is likely to make his NHL debut on Thursday in Denver or Saturday in Arizona.