March 25, 2026

The Flyers aren't done yet, but the Columbus loss was a statement fumbled

The Flyers came back home with a chance to tell Philly that things could be different. Instead, they fell flat in a key game against the Blue Jackets.

By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

Noah-Cates-Penalty-Shot-Flyers-Jackets-3.24.26-NHL.jpg

Kyle Ross/Imagn Images

Noah Cates' first-period penalty shot is stopped by Columbus goaltender Jet Greaves.

The Flyers took to the home ice at Xfinity Mobile Arena with a genuine chance to tell Philadelphia that things can be different.

They're not a true playoff contender, not yet. But they entered Tuesday night in the postseason chase and with a win standing to make up ground toward a Wild Card spot against a Columbus Blue Jackets team right in the thick of it with them.

But they couldn't do it.

The Flyers lost to Columbus, 3-2.

They stormed out of the gate, with Owen Tippett jumping on a puck through center ice for a breakaway chance that was stopped, with Noah Cates drawing a penalty shot on his own break that was fought away, too, and finally, with Sean Couturier's opening goal from slipping home a rebound not long after stapling Columbus' Mason Marchment to the boards.

But that edge faded, and the Blue Jackets took over when their star defenseman Zach Werenski took control, first with an assist on the setup for Mathieu Olivier's game-tying snapshot, and then with his own shot for the lead when he stuck into the slot all alone through a flurry of passes that tied the Flyers' defense up in front of their own net.

Then in the third, Marchment came back to unleash a shot from in tight, goaltender Dan Vladar couldn't see it with his defenseman Cam York trying to switch over in front of him, and the puck went rocketing out from the back of the net so quickly that the refs kept play resuming, even though the Blue Jackets knew they scored.

The building seemed to know just as well, too, because even before the horn sounded to properly signal the goal that put Columbus up 3-1, the noise from the seats had already dampened. The official ruling was just the fans' cue to start heading for the parking lots or maybe grab one last land of dollar dogs.

The Flyers could've told Philadelphia, clearly, Tuesday night that things can be different. That they were about to be. That they could take that step into the playoffs now, even though they still have a lot more growing to do and a lot more talent still to collect.

But they fumbled it.

"A couple mistakes, now you're chasing the game," head coach Rick Tocchet assessed afterward.

"On to the next," winger Travis Konecny asserted to the press in the locker room.

The Flyers aren't done yet, but Tuesday night's regulation loss certainly didn't make the situation any easier on themselves.

They have 12 games left and trail an Ottawa Senators team that has won four straight for the nearest Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference by five points (the Flyers have 80 points in the standings, and the Senators have 85).

Columbus taking the win propelled them up to second place in the Metropolitan Division, leaving the Flyers to trail the rival Pittsburgh Penguins by six points for third in the Metro, while the Boston Bruins hold the top Wild Card spot at 86 points, with the Detroit Red Wings (84 points) and the New York Islanders (85 points) both sitting in between.

The Flyers will play the Red Wings three times in the home stretch of the schedule, and the Islanders and Bruins once each.

All of them mark crucial four-point swing games that the Flyers have to take if they still want a playoff shot.

Tuesday night against Columbus was one of them, too, and could've stood as a real statement following a sweep of a three-game road trip out West, the prospect of the standings deficit seriously cut into, and still with plenty of time left to keep climbing.

But the Flyers couldn't do it.

They left that opportunity, a prime one to say things were going to be different, on the table.

Still, they have to keep playing.

"Just regroup. On to the next," Konency reiterated. "We had a great road trip. We lost one. We weren't gonna win 'em all.

"It's not like we were gonna win out the rest of the year, you know what I mean? We lost one game against an opponent that was above us. It's frustrating, but it is what it is. We just regroup. Nothing else you can do."