Flyers earn point, but skid in Columbus continues with SO loss

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — While the Flyers leave Columbus still winless since 2005, the point they earned in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss is much appreciated (see Instant Replay).

Goals by Brandon Saad and Ryan Murray in the first and second period, respectively, made the thought of leaving Nationwide Arena completely empty-handed all too real.

"I mean, we stayed patient, we had a good second period," forward Jakub Voracek, who scored his third goal of the season, said. "We came here into the locker room after the second and said, 'Stick with it, and you know, we're gonna get some bounces.'"

Those bounces started with Scott Laughton netting his fourth goal of the season, snapping a personal 16-game stretch without scoring a goal (see highlights).

"It feels like it's been a year," Laughton said. "I mean ... it's been a month and a half and it's definitely tough when you don't score, you wanna contribute and help the team win, and it was nice to get the monkey off my back."

Laughton not only removed the proverbial monkey off his back, he gave his team life.

As the Blue Jackets continued their trademark pressure, Dave Hakstol's team began to break through, creating more consistent zone entries, resulting in the road team outshooting Columbus by a 12-9 margin.

One of those shots was an equalizer off the stick of Voracek, his third goal of the season, and second in his last three games while skating on a new line with Sean Couturier and Wayne Simmonds.

"I'll be honest, it's a tough building to play in, and it's a big point for us," Voracek said. "We're gonna regroup and get focused on St. Louis."

Just how tough of a building has it been to play in for the Flyers?

In 11 games dating back to Nov. 29, 2000, the orange and black have now been held to two goals or less seven times, although it hasn't been a complete disaster of late.

Saturday's shootout loss marked the third straight overtime/shootout point collected in a losing effort in Columbus, with the latest point pulling the Flyers to within three points of the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot.

"Obviously it's frustrating not getting two points, but with all the chances we have, I think we could've won this game," said captain Claude Giroux, who was held scoreless in three straight games for the first time all season. "Guys did a good job of battling back and getting at least one point."

One contributing factor in forcing the Flyers to play from behind were the six Columbus power plays they were tasked to kill off.

Not only did Hakstol's squad spend 10:56 of the game shorthanded, they were also without Wayne Simmonds for 17:00 minutes.

Simmonds was hit with his second misconduct in his last three games after tussling with Brandon Dubinsky late in the first period. The penalties continued in the second, with Giroux taking a two-minute break in the penalty box for interference, and R.J. Umberger's 4:00 double-minor.

"That's one thing we need to get better at as a team," Giroux said of his team's recent surge in penalties. "It starts with me, I think. We need to not get too frustrated at the refs. I think we need to stay focused on our game, and what we have to do."

The Flyers will get one more chance to crack the Nationwide code in March, but as for now, the Flyers head home knowing it could've been worse.

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