Flyers at Blue Jackets
Two teams with fledgling playoff hopes meet at Nationwide Arena on Friday, when the Columbus Blue Jackets entertain the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blue Jackets are running out of games and still have several teams to pass in their quest for an Eastern Conference playoff spot as they've dropped four of six contests and are coming off a 4-3 defeat against Los Angeles. The Flyers are in slightly better shape, having recorded points in each of their last seven games (5-0-2).
Friday marks the third contest of a pivotal four-game road trip for Philadelphia, which opened the trek with a sensational defensive effort in a 3-1 triumph over Washington before dropping a 2-1 overtime decision in Montreal on Tuesday. The games served as a fitting representation of the Flyers' up-and-down season, as they held the Capitals to 14 shots before allowing 41 by the Canadiens. Columbus hits the road for five games in a row after Friday's contest.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (23-22-9): Philadelphia's injury log is an extensive one at the moment, and general manager Ron Hextall shared some updates with reporters following Thursday's practice. Defenseman Kimmo Timonen continues to skate by himself, though Hextall isn't confident that he'll return until the end of the month. Netminder Steve Mason underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier in the week and will miss the next few weeks, while forward Michael Raffl (illness) and defenseman Braydon Coburn (foot) both are skating and may return by the end of the week.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (23-26-3): Not only does Columbus have a lot to catching up to do in the playoff race, it won't be getting much of a breather the rest of the way. The Blue Jackets have one of the roughest remaining schedules, having to play their final 30 games over a 58-day stretch that will see the team get no more than two consecutive days between games at any point. Columbus will honor Scott Hartnell prior to the contest as the veteran reached the 1,000-game milestone against the Kings.
OVERTIME
1. Columbus has won five of the last six meetings, including two of three this season.
2. Philadelphia has lost its last five trips to Ohio.
3. Hartnell spent seven seasons with the Flyers, scoring 157 goals in 517 games before being traded to the Blue Jackets last June.