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Strong third period sends Jackets past Flyers

Dec 22, 2013 - 4:22 AM Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - David Savard, Boone Jenner, Ryan Johansen and R.J. Umberger picked up third-period goals to help Columbus claim a 6-3 victory over the Flyers in the back end of a home-and-home set.

Corey Tropp and Nikita Nikitin each recorded a pair of assists for the Blue Jackets, who responded well after wasting a three-goal lead and surrendering five goals in the final period in a 5-4 loss in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Curtis McElhinney was strong in the crease with 33 saves.

"It was a gutsy win for a lot of reasons," Columbus head coach Todd Richards remarked. "Curtis played very well. He responded, as well."

Wayne Simmonds tallied twice and Sean Couturier once for the Flyers, who have a home game on Monday against Minnesota before embarking on a six-game holiday road trip.

"I don't think we were flat," Flyers head coach Craig Berube said. "We made mistakes on their goals that will be easy to correct. They didn't have to happen."

Ray Emery was shelled for five scores on 28 shots in defeat.

Savard lofted a shot over traffic and past Emery for a 3-2 Blue Jackets lead with 3:36 played in the third, and the hosts went up by two a short time later.

McElhinney was on his back in the crease, but still managed to get enough of a Vincent Lecavalier chance to keep it from crossing the goal line. The puck went the other way on an Artem Anisimov rush, and his pass to Savard found Nikitin at the point for a successful shot inside the right post tipped there by Jenner.

Johansen's rising shot from the right circle off a 2-on-1 break made it 5-2 for Columbus with 7:38 to play.

In a surprise move, Emery was pulled as the clock ticked down to three minutes remaining, and Simmonds finally capitalized for the visitors with 1:41 to go.

Umberger tapped a shot into the empty net 24 seconds later to seal it.

Columbus picked up the game's first goal with 9:17 left in the first. Emery turned away a contested Marian Gaborik shot from the left wing, then Nick Foligno took the rebound, curled around the net and fed Johansen for a shot under the crossbar.

Gaborik, who was hit up high by Philly's Zac Rinaldo just prior to the score, left the game and did not return. He was later diagnosed with a broken collarbone and is out indefinitely and the club announced his placement on injured reserve after the contest.

It was a two-goal lead for the hosts just 10 seconds into a power play created after Mark Streit was sent off for hooking, as James Wisniewski cranked one home from the right point for an Umberger redirection with 5:31 remaining in the second period.

Brandon Dubinsky rocketed a short-handed chance off the crossbar and far post at the tail end of a Flyers power play, and on the next rush up ice, Simmonds managed to slide a shot through McElhinney with 2:20 left.

Couturier batted in a cross-ice pass from Matt Read only 20 seconds later to tie the score.

Game Notes

Columbus improved to 3-2-2 against Philly on home ice ... Gaborik and Wisniewski made their returns to the lineup after both were activated from injured reserve late Friday ... Jackets forward Matt Calvert left the game at the end of the second and did not return due to an upper-body injury ... Simmonds posted his eighth career two-goal effort, while Umberger recorded his 24th career multi-goal contest ... Prior to the contest, the Flyers announced that forward Steve Downie will miss the next 7-to-10 days, but Vincent Lecavalier returned after a nine-game absence ... Defenseman Nick Grossman was a late Philly scratch due to the flu, and Hall Gill appeared for the first time since Nov. 7.