Flyers (34-31-8) at Blue Jackets (47-19-7)
2 p.m. on CSN, CSNPhilly.com and the NBC Sports App
You had to know the Flyers wouldn't go away without making things somewhat interesting.
They stayed clinging to relevancy in the wild-card standings with a 3-2 road win over the Wild on Thursday.
Continuing any momentum won't be easy as the Flyers travel to Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday to meet the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
Here are five things to know for the game:
1. Stayin' alive
The Flyers are still breathing -- barely.
But an impressive win over one of the Western Conference's top teams doesn't mean much unless the Flyers can sustain that success, something they haven't shown nearly enough this season save for a 10-game winning streak.
The Flyers haven't won back-to-back games since Feb. 28-March 2 or consecutive road games since Jan. 22-25.
"I think on the road, you've got to be at least a .500 team and take care of business at home, and we haven't done that this year," Nick Schultz said postgame Thursday. "So, obviously, we've got to get better and I think we did respond tonight. Now we have to build on it."
2. Wild thing
At 76 points with nine regular-season games remaining, the Flyers are six points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.
Yes, a miracle would be needed for the Flyers, especially given they trail four teams in the race. The Islanders currently hold the berth at 82 points. They hold a tiebreaker with Bruins, also at 82 points, because of fewer games played.
Following the leaders and ahead of the Flyers are the Lightning with 81 points and the Hurricanes with 77.
Still, it's all worth keeping an eye on because you never know with these Flyers, who have a game left against the Islanders at home next Thursday.
3. Nationwide not on your side
Columbus has not been kind to the Flyers.
On home ice, the Blue Jackets have won nine straight over the Flyers, who have not won at Nationwide Arena since Dec. 13, 2005.
The Flyers have also lost eight of their last nine matchups with Columbus dating back to December of 2014.
Oh, and the Blue Jackets are pretty good this season. They've already clinched a playoff spot and are still in the running for the East's top seed.
A good sign for the Flyers: Columbus is coming off two straight losses. A bad sign for the Flyers: Columbus has not lost three games in a row all season.
4. Keep an eye on ...
Flyers: Brayden Schenn has two goals in two games against the Blue Jackets this season, and also has six points (three goals, three assists) in his last six games for a plus-3 rating.
Blue Jackets: Boone Jenner is playing well of late, with four points (two goals, two assists) in his last three games. Columbus is tough to beat when Jenner's playing well alongside Cam Atkinson. The Blue Jackets are 14-1-0 when Jenner scores a goal.
5. This and that
• Steve Mason is fresh off his 100th career victory in a Flyers uniform. He's been durable down the stretch, making his 12th start in the last 13 games. (Update: Michal Neuvirth will start in net, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi.)
• Former Flyer Sergei Bobrovsky, the 2012-13 Vezina Trophy winner, is having a career season between the pipes in Columbus. He is 39-13-5 with a 2.02 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and six shutouts.
• The Blue Jackets own a plus-60 goal differential, second best in the NHL to only the Capitals (plus-72).
• The Flyers' power play is 3 for 40 in March.
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