The Montreal Canadiens were trying to even their series with Philadelphia while the Flyers, on the other hand, were trying to take a 2-0 series lead. This would be Kirk Muller’s first match behind the bench for the Habs as the interim head coach. He did so after Claude Julien underwent a procedure in Toronto on Thursday.
Montreal was motivated to play for their coach and it truly showed right off the drop of the puck. Montreal came out with a super fast start, and less than two minutes into the game, the Canadiens got on the board when Tomas Tatar put the puck past Hart. He did so on a rebound from Brendan Gallagher, this giving his team an early 1-0 lead.
Tatar, who had been held goalless since hockey’s returned, finally got the monkey off his back in the matinee on Friday. Montreal continued to control the game, and at this point, were playing with the momentum. Three minutes into the period, the Habs got their first chance on the power play when centreman Nate Thompson got called for slashing.
The Flyers managed to kill the penalty, but the shots were in favour of Montreal, 7-0. The Canadiens weren’t letting up, and with seven minutes left in the frame, Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored his third playoff goal when he found a loose rebound and put it five-hole on Hart. The Canadiens would go up 2-0 and were playing the best period of the postseason so far.
A minute later, the Habs got another power play chance as the opposing Flyers were called for too many men. The power play didn’t last long, as a minute in, four-on-four play would start as Tatar was sent off, being called for hooking.
Philadelphia finally got their first shot with three minutes left in the game’s first period. With the Habs on the penalty kill for 50 seconds, Carey Price came up big as he made a huge save.
With seven seconds left in the period, the Flyers got into more penalty trouble as Shayne Gostisbehere would get called for holding. That’s where the frame would end as the Montreal Canadiens would start the second on the power play.
Montreal used the power play to great effect as Tatar would score his second of the game at almost the exact same time when he got on the board in the first period. A couple of minutes later, the Habs got into some penalty trouble when Jonathan Drouin would get called for slashing.
It got worse for the road team Canadiens, as 30 seconds later, Artturi Lehkonen got called for roughing, giving the Flyers an opportunity on the five-on-three advantage. That’s when Carey Price would stand tall and make a pair of great saves while on the penalty kill.
Montreal would be able to kill the penalty, however, the penalties would just keep on rolling. With 10 minutes left in the period, both teams were handed penalties and we would see four-on-four action once again.
Max Domi then had the best chance to add to Montreal’s lead, but Carter Hart would make an impressive save. A change in momentum was obvious as the Philadelphia Flyers started starting controlling the game.
With two minutes left in the period, Joel Armia scored his first of the playoffs, this giving the Canadiens a 4-0 lead. He did so as he took a shot which would deflect off the skate of a Flyers defensemen. Before Hart knew it, the puck slipped by him and into the mesh.
That would be the last we saw of Carter Hart as Alain Vigneault would replaced the backstop with Brian Elliott. With 48 seconds left in the second, Max Domi would take a goalie interference penalty when he pushed to the net by Matt Niskanen on a breakaway. As the period then came to an end, the Flyers would start third on the man advantage.
The Habs would be able to kill the penalty early and then got another power play with a cross-checking call on Travis Konency. It was the Flyers turn to kill the penalty, and as a result, the meeting would start getting chippy. Derek Grant was charged five minutes later for goaltending interference when he nudged Price in the head.
Once again, the Canadiens converted on another power play when Jesperi Kotkaniemi got a great pass from Max Domi. He resorted to attempt a great wrist shot that went top shelf over Elliott’s shoulder. With five minutes left in the game, Nate Thompson and Xavier Ouellet got heated and both players would exit after starting the scrum. They were sent to their respective dressing rooms while charged 10 minute misconducts as punishment for their actions.
The game went back to four-on-four, but unfortunately, Tatar would get called for hooking, giving this giving the Flyers a four-on-three advantage. Carey Price would once come up big, making impressive saves to keep his shutout alive. Montreal got another power play to end the game, but couldn’t convert as the game siren sounded. the Habs would take the second game by a final score of 5-0 in Toronto.
Game three goes on Sunday night with puck drop scheduled for 8:00pmET. Expect a response from the Flyers with the series tied at 1 at Scotiabank Arena. The game is available for viewing on Sportsnet Ontario, NBC and CBC, meanwhile, it can be heard via radio on TSN 690 and 98.5fm. It will also be carried in Canadiens region on TVA Sports to be watched in French.