Game 82: Montreal Canadiens @ Philadelphia Flyers
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Flyers region: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning twice in a 10-day span. They went 2-2 versus the Boston Bruins, the same against the Atlantic Division-winning Buffalo Sabres, and claimed three games of the season series with the Ottawa Senators. They took points from all three games versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, and went one step better with a regulation sweep of the Eastern Conference-champion Carolina Hurricanes. The one team that will represent the east in the playoffs that the Canadiens haven’t earned a win against this season is the Philadelphia Flyers, the team that locked down the third seed in the Metropolitan Division last night.
The 82nd and final game of the regular season gives Montreal a chance to change that. The Canadiens are in Philadelphia to face the Flyers about 21 hours after the host team claimed its playoff berth. A 17-7-1 record since the Olympics allowed Philadelphia to rise from 12th in the conference, eight points back of a playoff position, to extending their season with one game to spare.
It’s a meaningless game for the Flyers tonight. They can’t fall into the wild-card spots (the Bruins and Senators actually have more points), and while they can catch the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins on points at 98, they would still finish third on the regulation-wins tiebreaker. Whether they get zero, one, or two points, they will be heading to PPG Paints Arena to start the opening round versus the state rival Penguins on the weekend.
Montreal does still have a shot at moving up from third to second in the Atlantic to take home-ice advantage. Currently tied with the Lightning on 106 points and without the first tiebreaker, they would need more points today than Tampa Bay claims on Wednesday versus the New York Rangers to finish above in the standings.
Tale of the Tape
| Canadiens | Statistics | Islanders |
|---|---|---|
| 48-23-10 | Record | 42-27-12 |
| 48.4% (23rd) | Expected-goal share | 50.9% (12th) |
| 3.42 (7th) | Goals per game | 2.93 (22nd) |
| 3.05 (17th) | Goals against per game | 2.94 (10th) |
| 23.4% (9th) | PP% | 15.5% (32nd) |
| 78.2% (20th) | PK% | 77.6% (21st) |
| 0-1-1 | Head-to-Head Record | 2-0-0 |
| Cole Caufield (51) | Most goals | Owen Tippett (28) |
| Nick Suzuki (72) | Most assists | Travis Konecny (41) |
| Nick Suzuki (101) | Most points | Travis Konecny (68) |
Starting the series at home isn’t imperative for the Canadiens to find success. Their win over the New York Islanders on Sunday was their 24th on the road, with a chance to add a 25th this evening. Only the Colorado Avalanche have taken a higher percentage of points from their road games this year, and are also the only club with fewer regulation losses in opposing arenas.
Regardless of where Game 1 actually takes place, Montreal is going into the post-season as the NHL’s hottest team, racking up 12 wins in the past 15 games. Their defensive play has been a major reason for that season-ending run, allowing 36 goals over those 15 games; only the St. Louis Blues have a lower goals-against average in that time. The penalty kill, which had struggled all season long, ranks sixth-best in the NHL in this four-week span, and second at 92.9% since the start of a perfect five-game road trip back on March 28 that moved Montreal from tenuous wild-card position to their current standing among the league’s elite.
Encouragingly, the power play started to click over the past couple of games as well. There was more of a focus on getting shots rather than spending 30 seconds trying to create the perfect one, and it’s been an effective shift in mindset. The special teams are peaking at the perfect moment for what we already know will be a physical series that’s bound to keep the referees busy.
If the Canadiens aren’t concerned about claiming home-ice advantage, there is one last chance to check off a few more milestones with Lane Hutson currently tied for the franchise lead in single-season assists by a defenceman and Nick Suzuki a goal away from a third consecutive 30-goal season. If they do care about home-ice advantage … it’s probably going to be those two players most involved in setting up the offence anyway considering they rank first and second in assists and are tied for the best plus/minus on the team at +37. Just playing their normal game will give both players their opportunities to add the necessary point they’re looking for. Suzuki has 16 points in 17 career games versus Philadelphia, one of those being a goal this season. They would be a couple of final feathers in the cap of individual players before the focus turns to the team’s success when the weekend arrives.
