Flyers falter at the finish as Blue Jackets win in overtime

COLUMBUS - Barely 4 minutes had elapsed since the Civil War-replica cannon exploded, signaling an overtime win for the Blue Jackets.

Claude Giroux was already out of his equipment. He angrily threw his sneakers at a stationary bike in the hallway before beginning his postgame exercise routine.

For the second game in a row, the Flyers threw away a valuable point, coughing up a lead with under 10 minutes to play. On Tuesday night, it was Montreal. Last night, the Flyers blew a two-goal lead in the final 8:38 before Artem Anisimov poked in a rebound in overtime to hand them a 4-3 defeat at Nationwide Arena.

So much for a playoff attitude.

The Flyers have gained a point in eight consecutive games, their 5-0-3 run being the first eight-game point streak since Oct. 29 to Nov. 17, 2011, but they don't look or feel any closer to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"That's three points we've pissed down the drain in the last week," Wayne Simmonds said. "We've got to do something about that. We can't let that happen. We were fine. Seven or 8 minutes left, we were up, 3-1. No excuses."

With the overtime loss, the Flyers pulled to within seven points of Boston, the closest they've been to a playoff spot since Dec. 27. However, it left them susceptible to sliding even lower. Boston's game in Vancouver last night ended too late for this edition.

Over the past 2 weeks, the Flyers' offense has come alive. Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek have scored only one even-strength goal since Jan. 1, but the rest of the team has picked up the slack. Simmonds became the first Flyer to hit the 20-goal plateau last night, before he added his team-leading 21st in the third period.

The Flyers' penalty kill is on a season-best 22-for-24 (92 percent) run. Ray Emery replaced the injured Steve Mason in goal and has strung together some of the best three games of his career, seemingly out of nowhere.

Yet, the Flyers have been badly outplayed in large stretches during this eight-game run, to the point at which their defensive-zone play is a close to an utter disaster.

The Flyers have outshot their opponent just twice (at Washington, vs. Arizona) in this eight-game stretch. The total shot attempts (according to Corsi) have been 504-419 in favor of the opposition, making a 5-0-3 record during it borderline miraculous - and unsustainable.

"It's great when you have a goaltender playing like that. He's doing a heck of a job," Simmonds said. "It's everyone in front of him that's got to wake up and figure it out. Especially when a guy's playing like that. It sucks for him we can't pull it out."

Last night, the Blue Jackets hummed in the Flyers' end for long stretches of time, their forecheck flummoxing any attempt to leave the zone.

"It's pretty embarrassing," Sean Couturier said. "We're in the playoff hunt, and you can't have an effort like that. I think it's about going back to basics and playing the right way. We're maybe cheating a little bit too much for offense right now, and it's costing us. We're turning pucks over at our blue line and they're coming right back at us."

The Flyers have been extremely opportunistic, scoring three times on 24 shots in regulation. Their power play is a staggering 6-for-18 over this run. But they're in for a rude awakening with a run in the opposite direction when Emery isn't so sharp, the power play isn't so dominant, and their luck runs out.

"You're not going to go far with the way we've played," Couturier said. "The last two games have been pretty embarrassing the way that we lost them. There's something wrong losing these games the way we're losing them."

Defenseman Andrew MacDonald missed the game, leaving town to join family after the death of his grandmother . . . Carlo Colaiacovo subbed in for MacDonald, skating in his second game in the row after he replaced Luke Schenn in Montreal on Tuesday. Schenn ("upper body") returned to the lineup . . . Zac Rinaldo will serve the last of his eight-game suspension tomorrow night in Buffalo . . . The Flyers have lost six straight games at Nationwide Arena. Their last win there came on Dec. 13, 2005.

Blog: ph.ly/FrequentFlyers