The Philadelphia Flyers played and lost a big game vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets for their playoff hopes. On Saturday, we broke down the Flyers’ chances and where things were before the game.

Around the league, NHL scouts aren’t worried about one top draft prospect’s off-ice concerns. One star is out for the season, but may have avoided the worst. We also check in on some Devils trade chatter stemming from the deadline, and much more.

Get it all on the 3/15 edition of the PhHN Daily.

Philadelphia Flyers

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers played a game on Saturday. Before the game, they called up AHL veteran forward Garrett Wilson to the NHL roster.

The game itself was a big one. They’re just on the outside of the playoff hunt, and a win could have really inserted them into the mix. On Saturday before the game, we broke down just why those were the most important two points of the season, and who the Flyers are up against for their playoff chances.

Now, for the actual game, it was a playoff-like atmosphere, but a preseason-like game. After each team scored in the first period, nobody scored again in the final 45 minutes. Eventually, the Blue Jackets took it 2-1 in the shootout.

The game was right there for the taking all game for the Flyers. Two points were on the table, but they had to settle for one. Here is our breakdown of the game.

NHL rumors & news

The Athletic ($): Gavin McKenna has made headlines this season for both his stellar season on ice and some off-ice drama. After the incident at a downtown State College bar, Scott Wheeler and Sean Gentille write that NHL scouts are not concerned by his off-ice character.

Sportsnet Video: Auston Matthews took a nasty knee-on-knee hit from Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Ducks. While the injury may have avoided the worst, the Maple Leafs’ captain is still out for the rest of the season. Elliotte Friedman does mention that Toronto is hopeful he will not require surgery.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils’ inability to trade Dougie Hamilton at the NHL trade deadline led to chatter around younster Simon Nemec as a trade chip to help the team upgrade at forward. Nothing happened, but could they push the talks to the summer?

Boston Hockey Now: The Flyers are still in the playoff push, and two of the teams they’re up against are the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals. Well, both teams picked up a point in their shootout game, and the Bruins got two with the win. Jack Studley breaks down the shootout thriller.

San Jose Hockey Now: A scary moment happened in the Sharks-Canadiens game where Igor Chernyshov was hit and hit the ice hard. It took him a moment to get up before stumbling once up. Chernyshov went to the hospital. In some good news, he rejoined the team and traveled with them following the game.

Sticking in San Jose, Kiefer Sherwood called out the NHL Department of Player Safety. A player who knows a thing or two about laying hits called out both the DoPS and Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy for a hit that was “dirty and unnecessary and just stupid on his part”.

Read More: PhHN Daily: Flyers Heating Up; 2026 NHL Draft Rankings; Gudas Injures Matthews