Brayden Schenn, denied twice, finally scores for Flyers

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Center Brayden Schenn enabled the Flyers to salvage a point Sunday night in Columbus.

Frustrated because he missed open nets on two golden chances earlier in the game, Schenn scored with 16.5 seconds left in regulation in an 2-1 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

"The puck just didn't want to go in," he said of his earlier misfires from point-blank range. "We'll take a point out of it and move on."

The Flyers' offense isn't conjuring memories of its early-season dominance.

Schenn's late goal prevented them from suffering their third shutout loss in their last seven games.

"It was a tight game out there; there wasn't much open [space]," said right winger Jake Voracek after the Flyers' eighth loss in their last 10 games. "We got a point, but too bad we didn't get the other one."

Schenn has eight goals in his last 13 games. Each of those goals has either tied a game, given the Flyers a lead, or produced a win.

For the first month of the season, the Flyers were frequently among the league's top three teams in goals per game. But they have dropped to ninth (2.81 goals per game), primarily because their power play is stuck in neutral.

The power play is just 3 for 32 (9.4 percent) in the last 12 games.

Columbus right winger Sam Gagner, 27, is probably making Flyers general manager Ron Hextall wish he had re-signed him.

The right winger, signed as a bargain-basement free agent ($650,00) in the offseason, has 17 points in his last 17 games.

Overall, Gagner has 14 goals, 30 points, and a plus-14 rating in 37 games.

By comparison, Dale Weise, the player the Flyers basically signed for four years ($2.35 million per season) to replace Gagner, has two goals, four points, and a plus-1 rating in 37 games.

Gagner is on productive fourth line, which includes former Flyers left winger Scott Hartnell (10 goals, 24 points).

The Flyers have not allowed a power-play goal in four straight games, all against the NHL's top PP teams: Columbus, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, and the New York Rangers. . . . After being a healthy scratch in three of the previous four games, right winger Roman Lyubimov returned to the lineup and replaced Boyd Gordon on the fourth line. . . . Ivan Provorov led the Flyers with 23 minutes, 47 seconds of ice time. . . . Flyers defensemen have an NHL-high 99 points.