The three-game sweep of the NHL schedule begins in Columbus where the Blue Jackets upended the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3. Artem Anisimov scored midway through the extra session to give the Jackets the win.
“I feel like it’s a weight off my shoulders,” Anisimov said. “As you know, I haven’t scored for a lot of games.”
Columbus rallied from a 3-1 deficit for the win and the Flyers made mistakes on defensive zone coverage and it cost them the extra point.
“We made two mistakes,” Philadelphia coach Craig Berube said. “We left the net on the one goal. No reason for it. Bad line change on the other goal.”
The Flyers have been on a roll going 6-0-3 in their last nine bu the last twop games have ended as losses in overtime.
“It’s pretty embarrassing,” Flyers center Sean Couturier said. “We’re in the [Stanley Cup Playoff] hunt. You can’t have an effort like that. You’re not going to go far if we play like that.
“If we want to, we can be one of the best teams in the League. There’s something wrong losing these games the way we’re losing.”
Brandon Dubinsky had a goal and an assist in the win for Columbus.
In Vancouver, the Canuicks’ Shawn Matthias potted a hat trick in a 5-2 over the Boston Bruins Friday night.
The hats rained down on the ice including those from his father on the annual dad’s gasme.
“Surreal,” Matthias said. “To just see them on their feet throwing their hats, it was pretty cool. I’ll remember it for a long time.”
Tuukka Rask took the loss making 20 saves on the night for Boston.
“When things go south, they go south deep,” Rask said. “The mistakes in our defensive zone play was just, it was awful. … You can’t do that in pee wee hockey, let alone in the NHL.”
Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins was pleased with the effort over a big rival but also for the two points as his club chases down a wild card spot in the western conference.
“It’s big,” Desjardins said. “We needed someone to step in at center. With Matthias coming in that helped us a lot. We could have been in a bit of trouble, but he stepped up and did a good job.”
The Bruins had an opportunity to gain some momentum in the game but the Canucks wre always able to step up their game one more step.
“We give teams time to establish their confidence and their game and then we are always playing catch-up hockey and it’s tough,” Patrice Bergeron said. “We’ve talked about this road trip being a big one and definitely not the effort we want and too many unforced errors on our part.”
In Chicago, the Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa had a fgoal and assist to lead Chicago to a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.
“[Hossa is] on fire,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “He’s got it going. He’s got that touch. When he scored that first goal tonight, it was almost like the [game-tying goal] the other night [against the Vancouver Canucks]. Pucks are going in for him, so keep putting it at the net.”
Jonathan Toews also scored for Chicago.
“He’s been working for this all year,” Toews said. “I think as a line, especially, we’re creating a lot. I think [Hossa] has been putting some pressure on himself, which is unfair. Everyone knows how good he plays all over the rink, and I just don’t think people realize the offense he’s creating, especially when it doesn’t go in. So, it’s nice to see him filling it the way he has this week.”
Cory Schneider made 32 saves in the loss.
“They’re one of those teams that, you see it almost every game, if they’re down, they find a way,” Schneider said. “They find a way to get back in it. Wish I hadn’t given up that one so early on the power play maybe, but they kept coming. It’s disappointing to let that one slip away. You’re not getting any points.”
Chicago’s Corey Crawford made 25 saves for the win.
“I was pretty dialed in [in the third], but I felt better as the game went on,” Crawford said. “I felt like maybe in the first I was kind of moving the opposite way of the play a couple times and I wasn’t able to get out to where I wanted to be. I just felt better as the game wore on and there was more action.”
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