The Flyers absolutely ambushed the Blue Jackets in the third period Saturday night for a 7-4 win at the Wells Fargo Center.
The team ripped off five third-period goals to storm past Columbus, giving the Flyers (5-3-1) their first three-game winning streak in October since the 2014-15 season.
Kevin Hayes scored the game-winner, while Shayne Gostisbehere, James van Riemsdyk, Michael Raffl and Travis Konecny also scored in the final stanza.
The Flyers outshot the Blue Jackets (5-4-2), 46-26.
The Flyers went 10-16-2 against the Metropolitan Division last season. They are 2-0-0 so far against divisional opponents in 2019-20.
• Late in the third period, Hayes delivered on why the Flyers wanted him so badly.
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He came to Philly with a reputation for shorthanded goals and buried one on a clutch play to give the Flyers a 5-4 lead in the final six minutes of regulation.
He has three goals in his last four games, had three points Saturday and has been a terror on the PK.
• van Riemsdyk is heating up.
He went scoreless in the first seven games but was creating so many chances that the goal-scoring winger was bound to start putting the puck in the net.
After delivering two goals and an assist Saturday, van Riemsdyk has five points in his last two games.
Jakub Voracek was also slow to crack the score sheet. He was without a point through the opening four games. Since then, he has seven points (three goals, four assists) in five games.
• Brian Elliott made his third consecutive start after delivering 56 saves on 59 shots in the Flyers' previous two wins.
The 34-year-old came back to earth Saturday as he wasn't sharp. He just looked slow to react and on the third goal, which put the Blue Jackets ahead late in the second period, Elliott failed to corral a rebound on multiple tries.
However, he entered with a 1.69 goals-against average in his previous three starts. The Flyers should be happy with Elliott thus far.
Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who was 4-0-1 in his last five games, couldn't hold Columbus' advantage.
• Third-line winger Scott Laughton exited the game a little over seven minutes into the second period with an injury and did not return.
The Flyers survived a scare with Raffl. Losing Laughton for a period of time is a blow. He can play center or winger in the bottom six, scored a career-high 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) last season and is one of the team's best penalty-killers.
With Laughton sidelined, Tyler Pitlick will insert the lineup. He plays a similar role to Laughton's and is the Flyers' only extra forward. If the team calls up a forward, Carsen Twarynski, German Rubtsov and Andy Andreoff would be likely candidates (see story).
• The Flyers' penalty kill went 5 for 5 and is now 24 for 29 on the season.
Through nine games last season, the PK was 22 for 32, second worst in the league at 68.8 percent.
• Might we see Samuel Morin make his season debut Sunday? Robert Hagg has been durable but struggled Saturday and was a minus-3.
With Sunday's game being the second of a back-to-back set, the Flyers could look to get Morin game action.
• Flyers fans were in the Halloween spirit.
• The Flyers are playing their second of 17 back-to-back sets this season. They hit the road to play the Islanders Sunday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Carter Hart will start for the Flyers. The 21-year-old goalie has allowed seven goals on 29 shots faced in his last two games after making 75 saves on 80 shots over his first three outings.
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