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Blue Jackets beat Flyers 5-3 for third straight win

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Charlie Coyle had a goal and an assist and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 on Wednesday night for their third straight win.

Kirill Marchenko, Eric Gudbranson, Sean Monahan and Mathieu Olivier also scored for the Blue Jackets to offset a hat trick by Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny.

Elvis Merzlikins stopped 24 shots for Columbus and Zach Werenski had two assists, giving him 35 points in his last 21 home games.

The Blue Jackets have won seven of their last eight games and are tied at 57 points with the Flyers and Capitals for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.

Konecny’s hat trick was the third of his career and Dan Vladar made 26 saves in his first start after missing six games with a lower-body injury. Rasmus Ristolainen left with a lower-body injury in the first period and did not return in the Flyers’ second straight loss.

Coyle gave Columbus the lead 38 seconds into the game before Konecny pulled Philadelphia even at 9:03.

Marchenko put the Blue Jackets back in front with 19.3 seconds left in the first, skating four-on-four, before Gudbranson made it 3-1 at 1:57 of the second period, with his first goal of the season and a league-leading 39th by a Blue Jackets defenseman.

Konecny pulled Philadelphia within a goal at 4:08 of the third period and completed his hat trick at 4:46 to tie it. His 38 points against Columbus are the most he has against any NHL team.

Monahan put Columbus back in front to stay with 3:28 left in the third, and Olivier sealed the win with an empty-netter with 1:06 remaining.

Up next

Flyers: Visit Boston on Thursday night.

Blue Jackets: Visit Chicago on Friday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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