First period
- An early chance comes to Jake Evans, but he can’t connect on the pass.
- Nick Suzuki follows up with a shot of his own. If the game plan was to test a fragile club early, the Habs are executing.
- And it is now a perfect start as Mike Matheson blasts a shot that may have deflected off Juraj Slafkovský in front to give Montreal a 1-0 lead.
- The Flyers seem to be resigned to their fate at this point. Not much of a pushback at all.
- They do get a chance to score a goal as the Habs are caught with six skaters on the ice.
- Christian Dvorak’s first impression in the game is an intercepted pass on the penalty kill,, then leading a rush with Evans that results in an offensive-zone faceoff.
- Zero creativity on the power play, serious issues in general scoring goals, and goaltenders who can’t make saves? I’d want my season to come to an early end as well.
- Brendan Gallagher took just half a second too long to make a pass, and an easy tap-in for Alex Newhook didn’t get to its target.
- There was a nice offensive move from Owen Tippet as he pulls the puck to his hip and slings it, but Samuel Montembeault makes the save.
- Montreal’s top line with Jayden Struble and Justin Barron has three high-quality scoring chances with the defencemen’s activations. They did everything but put the puck in the net.
- Tanner Pearson and Josh Anderson just hemmed the Flyers in their zone for a shift, in case you weren’t watching and wanted a better indication of how Philadelphia was playing.
- If this game were at Wells Fargo Center, there would be some loud boos for this effort.
- As it is, the Bell Centre crowd seems to just be waiting for another goal to celebrate.
- But they’ll have to wait until at least the second period for that to happen. Then we’ll find out what John Tortorella has left to motivate his team with.
Second period
- Barron has a Matheson moment trying to hold a puck in the offensive zone when he should have been recovering defensively, and the Flyers get a two-on-one. Montembeault comes up with a great save on the play.
- Now Joel Armia sends the puck wide. It looked like he tried to place that puck more than shooting it, and it was an awkward release.
- Montreal’s top three forwards head up ice on a three-on-one counter-attack. Their book seems to be to shoot back against Samuel Ersson’s movement, because Suzuki’s shot looked a lot like Armia’s. This one required a save, however.
- Philadelphia is looking better in this period. Their shots are much more dangerous.
- The top line gets set up in the zone, all because Suzuki stopped chasing his man anticipating that he would fire the puck off the boards and was right there to collect it. Moments later, he sets up Slafkovský’s second goal of the game.
- The pressure is relentless now from Montreal.
- Brendan Gallagher may have put the final nail the Flyers’ coffin with a tip of a Johnny Kovacevic shot.
- I think the Flyers just called their timeout. It may just be the built in delay that happens on a Gallagher goal to find a reason to call it back.
- Slafkovský scores on a mini break. Here come the hats!
- Suddenly he’s one goal away from 20. He did say 14 weren’t enough for an NHL player.
- Anderson powers through a hook and a hold from Nick Seeler to get the puck on the net, then crashes into Ersson to knock it in. That goal drought is over.
- In comes Ivan Fedotov to spell Ersson, who finishes with a .667 save percentage.
- Fedotov faces point-blank shots from Evans and Barron, stopping both.
- Barron looks really good in the offensive zone. He would make a good third-line winger.
- The Flyers try to get one back, but their shot goes off the post and the defence clears the puck from the crease.
- Dvorak scores with an off-balance shot. It’s 6-0.
- This period would have been even better versus the Maple Leafs or Rangers, but we will enjoy it versus Philadelphia.
- Gallagher tries a little too hard to score a second goal, and crashes into Fedotov. That wakes the Flyers from their slumber. Somehow, Gallagher ends up the only one not in the scrum at the top of the crease.
- Philadelphia pushes for at least one goal before the period ends, but Montembeault stops the only shot they can muster.
Third period
- Montreal will surly need to survive a few shifts to begin this frame.
- That isn’t how things are playing out. The Flyers are toast.
- Ryan Poehling does get his team on the board, though. He’s very good at scoring late-season goals at the Bell Centre.
- Look out now because the Flyers’ power play is going to work after Newhook tapped Seeler in the face with his stick.
- They toss the puck around the perimeter until one of those passes fails and Montreal clears.
- Now they ice the puck.
- Konecny tried to go one-on-four. You can feel the players’ frustration.
- Dvorak nets his second of the game as a bounce goes right to his stick.
- Who knows where Montreal would have been with Dvorak scoring a two goals a game in the second half? Likely Presidents’ Trophy-winners.
- Well that was just the nicest goal Brendan Gallagher has ever scored.
- For him, that’s a jersey trick, because a disgruntled Flyers fan just tossed theirs on the ice.
- The Flyers add a second goal. Just six more to go to save their season.
- Poehling gets another. Loves this place.
- The Flyers sell out to prevent Gallagher from completing his hat trick. Instead, it’s a new career high for Armia with 17 goals.
- All the players want the game the end, but the officials call for one final faceoff.
- Montreal wins 9-3. On to Long Island.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) And playmaking is still his greatest strength
2) I was saying “Boo-raj”
1) Lots of critical decisions panning out. Let’s fast-forward to 2024-25.
