First period
- Montreal’s top fivesome wasn’t prepared for the intensity the Flyers entered the game with. Cayden Primeau bailed them out.
- A good recovery form Montreal, but as expected it’s going to be hard to turn possession into actual scoring chances.
- A little bit of pressure and the Flyers dump the puck down the ice. It looks more like the final minutes of a game than the first ones. But I guess it works for them.
- Arber Xhekaj gets called for knocking a stick out of a Flyer’s hands at centre ice.
- Montreal’s second line has the best offensive shift so far with some good puck movement and a shot from Joel Armia that just went wide.
- Montreal’s power play gets a chance to test the Flyers’ third-ranked penalty kill.
- Nick Suzuki converts a cross-crease pass from Juraj Slafkovský. That’s 30 goals for the captain, and a nine-game point streak for Slafkovský.
- Suzuki is the first 30-goal-scorer in Montreal since Brendan Gallagher in 2018-19.
- Jesse Ylönen steps on the ice gets a shift with Suzuki mid-change. He says to himself, “I need to do something with this moment,” and he knocks in a Suzuki rebound.
- Suzuki is up to 69 points in his 72nd game. Hitting 82 is still a possibility.
- Philadelphia gets a fourth shot of the opening period and then whacks at Primeau. Xhekaj and David Savard didn’t appreciate that.
- The Flyers are a bit upset with their play at the end of the period and decide to mix things up with Xhekaj, Savard, and Anderson on the ice. Somehow Xhekaj got ahold of three different Flyers players in the scrum, punching one with his left hand while looking at the two others in his right.
- I’m setting the over/under on fights in the second period at 2.5.
Second period
- The period begins at four-on-four. Scott Laughton and Xhekaj are in the box.
- Alex Newhook sprints on the backcheck to break up a two-on-one.
- A couple of more players head to the box after another scrum behind the net. Play stays at four -on-four.
- Ryan Poehling and Jake Evans collide on the boards. Montreal’s attempt to add its third-line centre with a first-round pick, and the seventh-rounder who ended up in that role.
- Ylönen draws a hooking call. It’s been a good game for him.
- The Flyers finally generate a bit of zone time with nine minutes to play, and eventually earn a power play with a slash from Colin White.
- That was either a good penalty kill from Montreal or a poor power play from the team that ranks 32nd in that situation. I’m giving it to Montreal.
- After surviving a flurry from the Flyers, the Canadiens make the same thing happen in the offensive zone. It nearly ends with a highlight-reel goal for Jayden Struble slicing through the middle of the ice, but his backhand goes off the post.
- Struble then races back to break up a pass in the neutral zone.
- Then he goes deep into the offensive zone to relaunch the attack. He probably skated 300 metres on that shift, one of his best in the NHL.
- A tight-checking period opened up for its final few minutes, but the score remains 2-0 for the home side.
Third period
- Montreal starts off the period with two icings. about 70 more of those and this game will be over.
- The Flyers put the puck in the net, but Garnet Hathaway did so with his foot. It’s being reviewed.
- You can’t have players lunging feet-at goaltenders in the crease. That skate ended up getting Primeau in the blocker.
- The review overturns the goal. But Montreal does get the penalty that was delayed before the goal.
- Philadelphia does nothing with its power play.
- The puck slipped through Primeau’s legs on a quick pass from the corner. It’s a 2-1 game.
- Or is it? There’s an offside challenge. John Tortorella is beside himself.
- The goal is waved off.
- Philadelphia’s power play may not be dormant, but you still don’t need to keep poking it. Xhekaj is in the box again.
- The Habs on TSN broadcast gives the save of the game to the Habs player tonight.
- David Savard blocks a shot on the penalty kill. He does that.
- Travis Konecny hits the post. The sound of the ping must not have reached the upper bowl, where a “Primeau!” chant begins.
- Xhekaj nearly broke the sound barrier with a slapshot. Unfortunately, he missed the puck in the process.
- Nick Suzuki juggles the puck into the net, but it’s deemed he did so with a high stick. Three illegal goals in this game to go with the two that count on the Habs’ side of the ledger.
- Armia steals the puck, takes a step out, spins, and fires, but Ersson makes the save. Montreal has momentum now.
- Xhekaj staples Joel Farabee to the boards on an attempted carry-in. Farabee is slowly reinflating as the shift continues.
- Now that was a chant-worthy Primeau save. Excellent puck-tracking.
- Montreal is just trying to survive these last eight minutes.
- Savard just made a save with an empty net.
- Primeau makes a save, and Hathaway digs at the puck in his glove. He gets jumped by Evans, and both skaters go to the box.
- Tortorella has pulled his goaltender to make it five-on-four. Three minutes to play.
- Armia hits the empty net to make it 3-0. But there are still three minutes to play for their netminder.
- They can’t get it done. Owen Tippett scores with a minute to go. Still a great stretch for the goaltender.
- Jake Evans sends a slow backhander down the ice from the red line, and it trickles in to make this game a 4-1 final
- That the first three-game winning streak of the season for the Canadiens.
- Next up are the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) He just wants everyone to have fun
2) Now to do it all again on April 9
1) Being wrong never felt so right
