The Columbus Blue Jackets will stay hot tonight when they host the struggling Philadelphia Flyers, who appear to be sliding its way back out of the play-offs. The Blue Jackets have performed well under new head coach Rick Bowness. They are 6-1-0 since Bowness was hired on January 12, and he has given the team exactly the push they needed to qualify for the playoffs.
Related: What Edge Does Columbus Have Over the Rest of the East?
However, the mission tonight is to take down another playoff hopeful who currently sits two points ahead of them in the Metropolitan Division standings.
Let the pilots apply pressure early
The Flyers have been struggling lately. They are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, with just one win in their last eight, and have very quickly clawed their way out of what seemed like a locked-down playoff spot. The biggest thing coming out of the locker room is frustration, and they will likely apply a lot of pressure early on to take the lead. The Blue Jackets will just have to stay the course.
The Blue Jackets have played a highly structured game in all seven games under Bowness, and that system will be put to the test tonight after three days off. They’ll have to stick to the plan and not try to push anything against the Flyers early.
Columbus welcomes back Denton Mateychuk, who was activated from injured reserve on Tuesday. However, his offensive game may be limited under Bowness’ system. It will be his first game playing under the new coach, and he may not perform as well as fans have come to expect.
Blue Jackets can take advantage of high-risk opportunities and special teams
The Blue Jackets posted a big 8-5 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night as the offense came with ease from both sides. Columbus scored, but those chances all came from high-risk areas of the ice.
Bowness emphasized the risk opportunities when he took over, and the Blue Jackets have responded. They have created and taken advantage of many open looks, especially Mason Marchment, who has scored eight goals in nine games since being acquired from the Seattle Kraken on December 20.
Mason Marchment since his trade to Columbus (9 games):
šµ8 goals
š“ 3 assists
šµ+6
š“ 2 power play goals
šµ 1 game-winning goal
š“ 1 hat trick
šµReached at least one point in 7 gamesFitting for the Blue Jackets š„ pic.twitter.com/5tbuX7bMCX
ā SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) January 26, 2026
The Flyers’ special teams are among the worst in the league, with the power play ranking 30th at a 15.6% success rate, and the penalty kill ranking 20th at 78%. The Blue Jackets have scored on four of their last fourteen power play opportunities since Bowness took over, for a 28.5% success rate. That’s very efficient, and now they have their best puck-moving defenseman back in the lineup in Mateychuk.
Blue Jackets need to win the Goalkeeper Rust Battle
Tonight it will be a battle between two goaltenders who haven’t played in over a week. Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar is dealing with an injury and makes his return tonight after two weeks off, while Elvis Merzlikins is dealing with an illness that sidelined him in a Jan. 20 game against the Ottawa Senators when he allowed two goals on seven shots in the first period and was substituted for Jet Greaves.
Vladar has been good for the Flyers this season, posting a 16-7-4 record, a .905 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average. He’ll be a challenge for the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. The team has struggled against him ā he is 3-0-0 in his career against the Blue Jackets with a .918 save percentage, a 1.64 goals-against average and one shutout.
š„ : Elvis Merzlikins (CBJ) š æļø expected to start Wednesday vs. PHI.
8-8-1 | 3.81 GAA | .882 SV% https://t.co/j965vyByvN
ā Daily Confrontation ā Fantasy (@DFOFantasy) January 28, 2026
Merzlikins, on the other hand, has struggled against the Flyers. He is 2-4-2 in nine games against them in his career, with an .891 save percentage and a 3.47 goals-against average. He has lost four of the last five against Philadelphia.
Both goalkeepers will look to find their rhythm tonight with five games to go before the Olympic break to help their team climb the rankings. The Blue Jackets and Flyers both need points with this being the first back-to-back road game for Philadelphia.
The game will be broadcast on TNT and the puck will drop at Nationwide Arena at 7:30 PM.
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