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Canadiens vs. Flyers Top Six Minutes: Habs can’t score, but Lindgren gets them a point anyway

It’s the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers in action yet again. The schedule maker isn’t very creative sometimes.

Pre-game thought

  • They’re going to show a highlight of Tomas Plekanec playing a shift for the Leafs at some point tonight and it’s going to be weird./

First period

  • Well Max Pacioretty is engaged tonight. A tripping minor after Shayne Gostisbehere ’s juke came up a little short is followed up with some roughing hugs.
  • You won’t find the Ghost in the Eagles’ backfield anytime soon.
  • Charlie Lindgren casually catches a puck on nthe ensuing power play, giving everyone a chance see his brilliant blue mask. And much nicer than the one rubber-stamped with Flyers logos that is serving as Petr Mrazek’s temporary bucket.
  • Charles Hudon is  better stickhandler than linemate Alex Galchenyuk, mostly because he approaches defenders with a plan./

  • As I said…. Though the clean-shaven face is probably the weirdest part.
  • Lindgren’s movement are much more precise than Antti Niemi’s. It’s quite stark when you get used to Finn’s style over a few games.
  • Noah Juulsen breaks the puck out of his own end and dangles his way to the front of the Flyers’ net after the puck gets in the offensive zone. He’s going to be a good one it seems.
  • Brendan Gallagher goes from the the backcheck to getting a takeaway to an offensive rush in a hurry. Just about a strip six.
  • That’s a few football comments, but the Canadiens did acquire one the CFL’s top quarterbacks today:/

  • Victor Mete jums up to get the puck, but the pass goes back to the point, Fortunately, Lindgren is ready at the other end, stopping two shots on the rush.
  • Gallagher’s quick stick thwarts a chance for Dale Weise, much to the chagrin of Dutch Gretzky.
  • Pacioretty attempts the balletic fall to draw a penalty. The ref isn’t going to be fooled a second time.
  • Not mant shots on goal for the Canadiens, but still a fairly entertaining period I thought. Perhaps the teams can get closer to the net in the next frame. Game sits at 0-0/

Second period

  • Nifty little between-the-legs pass from the top of the crease by Drouin. But it appears the monkey has found its way back from the Bell Centre rafters and onto Artturi Lehkonen’s back.
  • Jeff Petry standing right at the side of the net as Hudon and Galchenyuk go to work. They’ll make a forward of him yet.
  • Juulsen gets caught a bit too far up ice and isn’t able to catch his man on the backcheck. That’s part of the adjustment to the speed of the NHL he will need to adjust to.
  • Jacob de la Rose goes to the penalty box for interference. A woman’s attempt to sneak a photo of a player for the enemy is undone by the flash.
  • Paul Byron had a chance at a breakaway on the penalty kill. He recognized it half a second after he iced the puck.
  • Pacioretty is feeling feisty. No wrestlng matches for minor penalties from this altercation however.
  • A two-on-one!. Hudon! To Phillip Danault! Off the end boards.
  • RDS is showing a few members of the Montreal Alouettes in attendance. It’s just a football kind of day./

  • Juulsen draws a penalty, putting the Canadiens power play to work for the first time.
  • Andrew MacDonald’s dive prevents what would otherwise have been a wraparound goal from Petry on the power play. It would have been nice. Key defensive play by good Nova Scotia boy MacDonald.
  • If the Canadiens could ever get two players going to the net instead of just one, who usually ends up putting a shot right on the goalie’s crest, the goals would start to pour in.
  • Like that Byron-Danault rush just about did, but we’ll blame that miss on another pesky ape keeping Byron from tapping the puck into an open net.
  • Brendan Gallagher takes a faceoff to end the period as the only right-handed shooter on a line with Danault and Galchenyuk.
  • Canadiens pentuple their first-period shot, with 15 versus the three they had in the opening 20 minutes. Still 0-0./

Third period

  • Not much offensive play going on. Teams seem reluctant to make a mistake. I don’t know why that would bother Montreal so much…
  • Lindgren whiffs on an attempted glove save. Fortunately the puck goes just wide of the net.
  • The netminder makes up for it with a lateral save on a wide-open Weise moments later.
  • Nolan Patrick bumps into Lindgren. The Flyers rookie will likely miss the next two weeks with a broken collarbone or something.
  • Philadelphia seems to have remembered it is the team sitting in the playoff position, with much more sustained pressure.
  • Good shift from Nicolas Deslauriers ot lay a big hit and then block a shot.
  • Not such a good shift from Jonathan Drouin who takes a tripping penalty with less than seven minutes remaining.
  • If Lehkonen gets mad enough, one of these shots is going to blow right through the goaltender’s chest.
  • De la Rose gets the puck in the circle, but Mrazek throw out the glove to deny him.
  • That’s the end of regulation. And it’s still 0-0/

Overtime

  • Drouin makes some great stickhandles to get to the front of the net and then … saktes behind it and tries a pass.
  • Juulsen takes an overtime shift. Good zone time, but forgets to play defence a bit.
  • You can see the players want to make plays, but the execution just isn’t there. Perhaps if they had something to play for….
  • Two big saves by Lindgren to keep the game going.
  • And Mrazek’s glove is on display once more at the other.
  • Lindgren scrambles back to steal a goal from the Flyers! Incredible save!
  • Late Flyers power nets nothing. And the game still sits at 0-0./

Shootout

  • Galchenyuk misses.
  • Byron is the first to beat a goaltender on the night!
  • Lindgren makes a save, giving Drouin a chance to win it.
  • He didn’t.
  • And Voracek solves Lindgren at the other end to keep the game going.
  • Round four goes goalless.
  • Hudon tries to deke, Mrazek tells him to stop wasting his time.
  • On to round six.
  • David Schlemko?
  • He didn’t score.
  • But Sean Couturier does.
  • Flyers win 1-0./

Highlight of the night

It’s a toss up. This:

Or this?

EOTP 3 Stars

3.

2.

1.

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