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Elliott comes through as Flyers squeak by Blue Jackets

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The Flyers scored two unanswered goals and goaltender Brian Elliott made clutch saves down the stretch to get Philadelphia two points in Columbus on Tuesday night.

The Philadelphia Flyers aren’t necessarily bowling through opponents in a way that would sound like the Columbus Blue Jackets’ cannon. Brian Elliott isn’t going to lock down a lot of first-place Vezina votes at this pace, either.

But the goalie and team got the job done in a tight 3-2 win against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, and the Flyers are in a solid position to contend for a playoff spot as they improved to 13-7-5.

Elliott encroaching?

It was honestly starting to feel like Elliott’s career was closing in on over, as he wasn’t healthy or effective enough to help the Flyers avoid last season’s historic nightmare of a goalie rotation. More than a few Flyers fans (understandably) groaned when it became clear that Elliott would be back, even if only as a backup.

Well ... maybe he shouldn’t be Carter Hart’s backup, but instead the temporary starter? OK, considering the puck politics involved with a prominent goalie prospect such as Hart, maybe the two should combine as a platoon duo, perhaps one not that unlike what Elliott enjoyed with Jake Allen on the St. Louis Blues.

Elliott carried a better-than-expected .913 save percentage into Wednesday’s game, and was strong against Columbus, stopping 28 out of the 30 shots he faced. Elliott allowed the Flyers to get away with sitting on a lead, as Columbus generated a 15-5 shots on goal advantage during the third period, yet couldn’t find the net.

So far in 2019-20, Carter Hart is 7-5-3 with a disappointing .900 save percentage. For all we know, the difference between the Flyers making or missing the playoffs might come down to how willing Alain Vigneault ends up being when it comes to riding the hotter hand, even if that means rolling with Elliott more than seemingly planned.

Clutch Claude

Claude Giroux scored the game-winner on the power play:

The Flyers must hope that this is a catalyst for Giroux to become a more consistent threat.
While he scored four points (2G, 2A) against the Hurricanes on Nov. 21, he failed to generate a single point in five of his last six games heading before this game against Columbus. His quiet work extended beyond that, as Giroux came into Wednesday’s game with points in only two of his past nine games. That big night versus Carolina makes it look better on paper (3G, 2A for five points in nine games), but Philly would still like to see more from its leader.

Korpisolid?

Much was made of the Blue Jackets losing Sergei Bobrovsky, and understandably so.

Yet, with Bob off to a fairly awful start, the Blue Jackets have to feel a little better about things. Joonas Korpisalo had been on a four-game winning streak with a .927 save percentage before this tough night where he allowed three goals on just 22 SOG. Columbus could find a way to grind its way into the postseason if Korpisalo can find a way to avoid nights like Wednesday.

The Blue Jackets fell to 10-10-4 thanks to this loss.

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.