Flyers-Blue Jackets preview: Philly counting on Martin Jones in rematch    

Veteran goaltender Martin Jones, who has the Philadelphia Flyers’ only two road wins since the calendar flipped to 2022, will be in the nets Thursday in Columbus.

It is the second game of a home-and-home series. The Flyers, with slumping Carter Hart as the goaltender, dropped a 4-2 decision Tuesday to the Blue Jackets at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers lost despite firing a season-high 49 shots on goal.

Jones is coming off Sunday’s 4-3 shootout win over the New York Rangers at Madison Squarer Garden. In that game, he stopped 43 of 46 shots and was 3 for 3 in the shootout.

Columbus is 2-0 against the Flyers this season, winning 2-1 and 4-2 decisions.

Storylines

Flyers right winger Cam Atkinson will be playing in Columbus for the first time since he was dealt to Philadelphia in July. He spent 10 seasons with Columbus, and it will be an emotional return.

Columbus, which ended a seven-game winless streak Tuesday, is trying to sweep the Flyers and improve on their 13-1-2 home record against them in the last 16 meetings.

Flyers’ projected lineup

Line 1:  Scott Laughton centering Joel Farabee and Atkinson.

Line 2: Kevin Hayes centering Noah Cates and Owen Tippett.

Line 3: Morgan Frost center JVR and Travis Konecny.

Line 4: Nate Thompson centering Oskar Lindblom and Patrick Brown.

Defense: Ivan Provorov and Cam York; Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen, Kevin Connauton and Ronnie Attard.

Goalie:  Martin Jones.

Numbers Dept.

The Philadelphia Flyers’ power play is 1 for 21 (4.8%) over the last eight games.

Enough said.

Nine of the last 12 meetings between the teams at  Nationwide Arena have been decided in overtime (six) or in a shootout (three).

Who’s hot?

Justin Danforth, a 5-9, 180-pound right winger, has three goals over his last five games for the Jackets.

Hayes has 16 points (5-16) in his last 16 games for the Flyers.

Projected goalie matchup­­­

Jones (3.38 GAA, .902 save percentage) is expected to face Elvis Merzlikins (3.37, .904), who was brilliant on Tuesday as he stopped 47 of 49 shots.

How to watch

NBC Sports Philadelphia+, 7 p.m.

How to bet

Money line (FanDuel)

Flyers: plus-114.

Blue Jackets: minus-137.

Prediction

Blue Jackets 4, Flyers 3

Prediction record: 26-10.