Blue Jackets at Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers look to extend their home winning streak to six games when they welcome the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets to Wells Fargo Center on Friday. Philadelphia, which has been idle since Saturday, has earned at least one point in seven straight in the City of Brotherly Love since losing its home opener against New Jersey. The Flyers are perfect through the first three contests of their four-game homestand, as they defeated Edmonton and Florida by identical 4-1 scores and netted the first four goals against Colorado before hanging on for a 4-3 triumph.
Columbus is hoping to halt its franchise record-tying nine-game slide (0-8-1) as it wraps up a brief two-game road trip. The Blue Jackets suffered a 4-2 loss at Washington on Tuesday to remain winless since edging the Sharks 5-4 in San Jose on Oct. 23. Scott Hartnell, who spent the previous seven seasons with the Flyers, returns to Philadelphia for the first time since being traded during the offseason.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Columbus), TCN (Philadelphia)
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (4-10-1): Crippled by injuries, Columbus is getting closer to having two key players back in the lineup. Sergei Bobrovsky practiced Thursday for the first time since suffering a broken finger on Oct. 27, while Artem Anisimov participated for the second straight day as he attempts to return from a concussion. Bobrovsky has been sidelined for seven games and Anisimov has missed six contests after getting hurt on Oct. 28.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (7-5-2): While Hartnell has registered 14 points in 15 games with Columbus, Philadelphia has not received much from R.J. Umberger, who came over from the Blue Jackets in the offseason trade. The 32-year-old Umberger, who spent the first three seasons of his career with the Flyers, has recorded one goal and three points in 14 games this campaign and hasn't landed on the scoresheet since notching a tally and an assist on Oct. 22 at Pittsburgh. Jakub Voracek, another former Blue Jacket, is second in the league in scoring, two points behind reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Sidney Crosby of the Penguins.
OVERTIME
1. Blue Jackets LW Matt Calvert and RW Jack Skille remain out with upper-body injuries while D Jack Johnson is set to return after serving his three-game suspension.
2. LW Wayne Simmonds has scored a team-high seven goals for the Flyers, who have 13 players with at least one tally.
3. Columbus also lost nine straight contests in December 2009.