Sergei Bobrovsky steals show vs. former team as Blue Jackets blank Flyers

• Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 37 shots for fourth shutout of the season as Blue Jackets gained on Flyers in division
• James Wisniewski%2C Brandon Dubinsky scored as Blue Jackets won in Philly for first time in team history
• Bobrovsky and Flyers goalie Steve Mason played against their former teams

PHILADELPHIA — Sergei Bobrovsky sat in his locker stall wearing a smile he rarely had with the Philadelphia Flyers. The goalie held court with reporters after a morning skate even though it was a game that he was starting and was nonchalant about playing his old team.

The Flyers traded him at the draft two years ago and Bobrovsky's seen a lot of success since then. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner continued it by stealing the show in a 2-0 win for the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Flyers.

"It was two years to me and great years," Bobrovsky said after the morning skate, his English much improved thanks to help from his Columbus teammates. "They treated me very well. I really appreciated that. Tonight's a huge game. We need two points. The Flyers need two points. It's gonna be a huge game."

To Columbus, it kept their season afloat.

Suddenly the Blue Jackets are only two points shy of the Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division standings. They've hung on through tough times and now all of a sudden the image in the Flyers' rear-view mirror may be closer than it appears.

The first period started off slow for the Flyers, and they missed three opportunities to take the lead. On three man-advantages in the first 20 minutes, they only had two shots on net.

Both goalies — Bobrovsky and Steve Mason — were excellent against their former teams.

When the feeling out process was over, the Flyers seemed to pace the game, but their former net-minder repeatedly denied them. Bobrovsky made 10 saves in the first period and another 17 in the second, when the Flyers really applied pressure.

Only problem is that the Flyers' recent excellent penalty killing wasn't sustainable no matter how much their goalie tried to save their bacon.

Mason's best save came with time winding down in the second period when the Blue Jackets were on a power play. He stoned James Wisniewski three times on the man-advantage, including an incredible left pad save after he went down in the splits.

Moments later, Wisniewski lit the lamp by beating Mason along the ice on the left side of the net for his seventh goal of the season.

Mason made another key save right after the goal as his team committed a couple turnovers, but the Flyers couldn't get things going at the other end of the ice. He made 25 saves on the night, but never got any goal support.

The Flyers have now gone 120 minutes and 25 seconds since scoring a regulation goal spanning back to last Sunday's game against the Boston Bruins. Next up for the Flyers is that same Boston team.

At 3:20 of the second period, Columbus doubled its lead. Brandon Dubinsky turned his foot, which directed the puck into the net off the initial shot by Cam Atkinson. Since it wasn't a distinct kicking motion, Dubinsky's 16th of the year was legal.

That goal seemed to take the wind out of the Flyers' sail.

They fired 10 pucks at Bobrovsky in the final period. All were stopped shy of the goalline. For the remainder of the third period, the Blue Jackets put on a clinic featuring how to play with a lead.

It didn't take long for the Flyers to have the puck before they ran out of room. Columbus stuffed up the neutral zone to where the Flyers didn't have any time or space and made the Flyers' zone their shooting gallery.

At one point in the game, the Flyers had a commanding lead in shots. Columbus made it 37-27 by the final buzzer.

In the game's waning minutes, the Flyers applied pressure, but couldn't beat Bobrovsky who recorded his fourth shutout of the year.

With a chance to put the Blue Jackets away, the Flyers allowed them to stick around and thus extend their playoff hopes.

Both teams have now played 76 games and with little sand left in the hourglass, the Flyers are clinging to a two-point lead in the standings.

Dave Isaac writes for the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, N.J., a Gannett affiliate.