Philidelphia Flyers @ Columbus Blue Jackets: Season 26 Game 18 Recap

First and foremost, I want to extend my best thoughts to Head Coach Rick Bowness, who wasn't behind the bench for a second game in a row. When I see the team release anything about what's going on, or when he'll return, I'll repost it. Now, onto the recap. 

The Blue Jackets wouldn't waste time getting on the scoreboard tonight on home ice. Dimitir Voronkov scored his first goal of the season at 3:19! Valeri Nichushkin adds his eighth assist this season on the primary, while Damon Severson adds his fifth assist this season on the secondary. Matthew Knies would quickly follow that up with his fourth goal of the season, putting the home team up 2-0! Luca Del Bel Belluz finally gets his first point of the season with the primary assist on this goal, while Kent Johnson enters double digits in assists with his tenth assist this season on the secondary. The Flyers are just as hungry for points as we are, so naturally Trevor Zegras would score his fifth goal of the season at 16:06, cutting our lead to 2-1. Tyson Foerst, with the only assist on this goal, adds his third of the season. The period would end with that 2-1 Blue Jackets lead. We would also lead in shots on goal by one, 7-6. 

Matvei Michkov would come out of the locker room and score for his visiting Flyers, tying the game at 2-2, just 1:19 into period 2. His unassisted goal would become his eleventh this season. Blue Jackets' Dante Fabbro and Flyers' Owen Tippett would fight at 158. Each man would get a 5-minute fighting major, but Dante Fabbro would also be charged a 2-minute penalty for roughing. While he sat in the box, the Flyers' Denver Barkey would add his third goal of the season, giving his team their first lead of the night. Peter Martone picks up his sixth assist this season on the primary, while Jamie Drysdale picks up his ninth assist this season on the secondary. Adam Fantilli would answer with his fifth goal of the season, tying the game at 5:44! Cole Sillinger would add his fifth assist this season on the primary, while Zach Werenski would add his thirteenth assist this season on the secondary. With this being the final goal of the period, the third was promised to be exciting as both teams would look to break the 3-3 tie, preferably in regulation! The Blue Jackets again led shots on goal, 14-6. 

Unfortunately, only one goal would come in period three, and it wouldn't belong to our Blue Jackets. Denver Barkey would score his second goal of the night, fourth this season, at 11:54. Noel Acciari would add his second assist this season with the only assist on this game-winning goal. For the third period in a row, the Blue Jackets led in shots on goal, 10-9, but fell 4-3 in regulation.

Blue Jackets' Matthew Knies gets the Third Star of the Game with a 1-0-1 night. 

Flyers Matvel Michkov gets the Second Star of the Game with a 1-0-1 night. 

Flyers Denver Barkey gets the First Star of the Game with a 2-0-2 night, including the game-winner. 

The Blue Jackets will now pack their bags for a long road trip. The first stop will be New York to face off with the Islanders on Tuesday night. The puck will drop at 7:00 p.m., when the Blue Jackets will look to bring the offense and a winning mindset to a defense in desperate need of help, too. Hopefully, this team can come together on this road trip, and we can go into Thanksgiving with a team and points to be thankful for! 

Go CBJ!            


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is There a Team Altering Trade Forming in Columbus? 3/3/2026

I'll start out by saying what I normally do the first week of March every season: Unless under special circumstances, I only allow myself to speculate one week a year, and that is NHL Trade Deadline Week.  I could be wrong, and I only have information avalible to the public. I am not an insider, and I've never claimed to be. That said, something has happened tonight that gives me a gut feeling our General Manager, Don Waddell, could be up to something. What I am about to lay out is either a coincidence or a fact, and only time will tell. Here are my thoughts. Let me make this very clear: I have multiple reasons to love each of our players. So, what I'm about to say comes from a business standpoint only. Kent Johnson had been a healthy scratch for the last two games. He's a young player with decent numbers, which could be an asset to any of the other 31 NHL teams. I firmly believed that he'd be leaving us, and, if he did, I would of course wish him nothing but the be...
Read more

If I Were in Charge of the Columbus Blue Jackets: My Captain and Alternates...(8/8/26)

 A disclaimer before we begin. I study this team and keep up with press releases. I am not on the inside. I am just a thoughtful fan who is often optimistically realistic. Also, anything I say about players in this post is strictly business. I shouldn't have to say this, but my loyal readers know how much I care about every player on this team. If you're new here, now you know. You don't have to agree with me, but if I were in charge of the Columbus Blue Jackets, this is what I'd do regarding our outstanding decisions.  Captain This is a big debate amongst fans. Honestly, around the March trade deadline, I was wondering if Boone Jenner would be dealt. He wasn't and finished out what would ultimately be his final season as the leader of our Blue Jackets. I wish him nothing but the best in Washington, and am very eager to see how he fits in. That said, it was clear a new leader would be named for the 2026-27 season. My mind was set on who would take that 'C': ...
Read more

If I Were Don Waddell, This is What I'd Do Ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

So, a few days ago, I wrote a blog post that I hoped wouldn't hold up. I think my hopes have been realized. In that post, I centered on how our captain, Boone Jenner, had been listed as out against the Nashville Predators under 'maintenance'. I got an uneasy feeling this could result in a trade due to the timing and the reason he wouldn't play. Tonight, he not only played against the Florida Panthers but also had the game-winning goal. So, although anything can still happen, I feel less anxious about Boone leading us tomorrow before the NHL Trade Deadline at 3:00 p.m. So, with that said, what would I do if I were Don Waddell?  Nothing.  You read that right, 5th Line, I wouldn't touch this team. I say this for two main reasons. First, our best player and defenseman, Zach Werenski, has been out ill for the last three games. This team has rallied without him to win once in overtime and twice in regulation in those three games. Further, the first game they won without h...
Read more