Postgame RAV4: Barkey Bites Blue Jackets Twice

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3, at Nationwide Arena on Saturday night. The Flyers overcame an early 2-0 deficit to find a way to claw back and win. Denver Barkey led the way with a two-goal game.

In the process, the Flyers won their first game of the season within the Metropolitan Division. It was also Philly's first victory in a game that was tied within the third period. All six Flyers wins this season are within regulation.

First period goals spaced 60 seconds apart from Dmitri Voronkov (1st of he season) and Matthew Knies (4th) put Columbus ahead 2-0. Trevor Zegras (5th) narrowed the gap.

The middle frame was one of momentum swings.

A Matvei Michkov breakaway goal (11th) tied the score. Denver Barkey (PPG, 3rd) soon untied it. However, Adam Fantilli (5th) made it an even score again a few minutes later.

Securing the first two-goal game of his career, Barkey (4th) struck for a 5-on-5 goal in the middle stages of the third period. The Flyers hung on to win.

Winning goaltender Joseph Woll made 28 saves on 31 shots.  Jet Greaves stopped 17 of 21 shots.

The Flyers finished their road trip with a 2-1-2 record.

1ST PERIOD

A turnover behind the net by Joseph Woll was erased by the goalie on a point shot save off Zach Werenski through traffic.

At 3:19, Columbus scored first. The Blue Jackets won an offensive zone faceoff. Damon Severson made a cross-seam pass. After a bounce off the boards, Vorokov corralled the puck and scored. The assists went to Valeri Nichuskin and Severson.

Columbus struck again 60 seconds later at 4:19. Knies beat Woll over the glove after cutting to the middle. The Flyers had indecision on their coverage between Cam York and Michael Bunting, paying the price. Luca Del Bel Belluz and Kent Johnson assisted.

By the 5:30 mark, shots on goal were 6-0 Columbus and shot attempts were 10-1. Matvei Michkov finally generated Philly's first shot on goal on the next shift.

Off a missed Flyers shot, Knies had a breakaway chance but fired over the net, On the next shift, a York rebound was tucked just wide. Shots were 6-3 at mid period.

At 13:52, Woll made a sliding glove save to keep the early deficit at two goals.

The Flyers got a goal back at 16:08. Good puck support on the walls was the key. Tyson Foerster fed across to Zegras, who scored from the right slot. Foerster earned the lone assist.

On the next shift, the Flyers worked the puck low to high then to Michael Bunting in the right circle. Greaves made the save. Two shifts later, Foerster made a move to the scoring area but was denied by the blocker.

The Flyers missed the net on seven shot attempts and got blocked on three other shot attempts.

Shots: Flyers 6 -- Blue Jackets 7
Faceoffs: Flyers 8 -- Blue Jackets 6

2ND PERIOD

Woll was tested early by former Flyers' defenseman Ivan Provorov. He made the stop.

Philly tied the game at 1:19. Michov stripped Adam Fantilli of the puck and scored an unassisted goal with a nifty backhand finish on a breakaway.

Tippett hit Johnson with a crunching check. Dropping the gloves for the first time as a Flyer, Tippett fought Dante Fabbro. Fabbro received a roughing minor as well as a fighting major.

The Flyers power play struck fast. Porter Martone slipped the puck to Barkey in the bumper. Barkey fired the puck past Greaves for a 2-1 lead at 2:21.

The Flyers went back to the power play at 3:28. Severson hooked Bunting on his gloves. They were unable to score.

With play back to 5-on-5, Columbus tied the score. Fantill broke a seven-game goal drought as he steadied a bouncing puck and scored from over the middle above the circles. This one, scored over the blocker from distance, was not an easy save but not unstoppable from that distance. Cole Sillinger and Werenski picked up the apples.

Ristolainen landed a heavy hit in the neutral zone. At 7:16, the Flyers were penalized for too many men on the ice. With 15 seconds left, and Charlie Coyle in his face, Woll stopped a Fantilli shot.

The Flyers' fourth line created a flurry near the net after Sean Couturier won a battle behind the net. Noel Acciari and Barkey both had looks. Travis Konecny created a good chance off a turnover two shifts later. Greaves made a glove save.

At the other end, Woll made a clean save on Johnson. Play ticked down to the final minute of the period. Columbus continued to pressure. Columbus got the puck down near the net as the horn sounded.

Shots: Flyers 6 (12 overall) - Blue Jackets 13 (20 overall)

Faceoffs: Flyers 6 (14 overall) - Blue Jackets 14 (20 overall)

3RD PERIOD

Columbus had three of the period's first four shots on goal but none were dangerous on either side through 4:30. At 5:28, Greaves absorbed a Jamie Drysdale shot from the point. There was no rebound.

At 5:53, the Blue Jackets came within a whisker of a goal. A Drysdale turnover up the wall created some very nervous moments at the net moments later. Shots were now 6-3 Columbus for the frame.

The Flyers turned over the puck twice in the defensive zone on a single shift. They escaped without damage but Columbus had the momentum as the period passed the eight-minute mark.

The Flyers juggled their lines a bit. Michkov moved to the line with Tippett and Christian Dvorak. Bunting moved to the line with Martone and Noah Cates. At 9:38, Cates deflected a shot on net.

Konecny snapped a quick shot on net off a rush. Greaves handled it carefully.

Barkey put the Flyers ahead on the next shift. High in the offensive zone, Acciari knocked down the puck and then found Barkey moving into scoring position. Barkey found the mark at 11:54.

The Flyers turned over the puck in dangerous territory. Fantilli wasn't quite able to take advantage. Around the 16:00 mark, Woll got caught behind the net. Again, no damage resulted.

At 16:14, Nichushkin got his stick up and got Seeler up around his head near the Philly net. The Flyers got a power play. After a Michkov shot attempt got blocked up high, Severson had a shorthanded scoring chances after Drysdale blocked an initial shot. The shaky power play came to an end.

Columbus pulled Greaves for a 6-on-4 around 18:40. The Blue Jackets called timeout before a neutral zone faceoff at 18:56.

In the waning seconds, Woll made one final save. He fought off heavy traffic to stop a Severson point shot.

Shots: Flyers 9 (21 overall) - Blue Jackets 11 (31 overall)
Faceoffs: Flyers 6 (20 overall) - Blue Jackets 11 (31 overall)

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

Tyson Foerster -- Trevor Zegras – Travis Konecny

Porter Martone – Noah Cates - Matvei Michkov

Michael Bunting – Christian Dvorak – Owen Tippett
Denver Barkey – Sean Couturier — Noel Acciari

Travis Sanheim – Jamie Drysdale
Cam York – Oliver Bonk
Nick Seeler – Rasmus Ristolainen

Joseph Woll
[Dan Vladar]

POSTGAME RAV4 (RAV 4 Things Revisited)

1. Puck possession and shot suppression

The Flyers were erratic in their execution compared to the first 40 minutes of the Vancouver game and most of the match in Edmonton. Thankfully, the Flyers stepped up offensively at key times.

2.  Trevor Zegras

Zegras notched a goal and an assist the last time the Flyers played Columbus. On Saturday, he broke a four-game pointless spell -- seven games between goals -- with his fifth tally of the season. He also made a good defensive play in the first period.

3. Special Teams

The Flyers went 1-for-3 on the power play. They were 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. 

4. Offense from the defense

The Flyers held the dangerous Werenski to one secondary assist for the night. Drysdale had a hand in the first of Barkey's two tallies.