Flyers dominated by Habs to begin back-to-back, 5-2

Following the end of a four-game road trip on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Flyers returned to the Wells Fargo Center, hosting the Montreal Canadiens.

In the first period, the Canadiens dominated the Flyers, putting themselves on the scoreboard twice in the final three minutes. David Savard scored his third of the season, taking advantage of a poor defensive line change by finding space in the offensive zone, receiving a pass from Mike Hoffman, and beating Carter Hart. Then, Chris Tierney potted his third of the season, first with Montreal, for a 2-0 lead. He was wide open in the slot without a defensive effort from Philadelphia.

In the first half of the second period, Wade Allison and Alex Belzile dropped the gloves. Allison received a two-minute minor for instigating and a ten-minute misconduct. Nick Suzuki gave the Canadiens a 3-0 on the powerplay. His pass was intended for Josh Anderson but deflected off Ivan Provorov’s stick and into the net. Jake Allen stopped all ten shots from the Flyers in the period as Philadelphia gave the home franchise a piece of their mind.

Owen Tippett breathed life in the opening seconds of the third period. Following the opening faceoff, Morgan Frost gained possession of the puck in the neutral zone before a clean entry on offense. He dished to Tippett, who rifled a shot from the top of the faceoff circle for the score; 3-1. He was a bright spot throughout this contest.

Montreal tallied another goal when Jesse Ylonen tipped a shot from the point by Justin Barron for a 4-1 lead. It was the first goal of the season by Ylonen. Less than five minutes later, Anderson occupied the slot without a defensive skater to disrupt for an easy score on Hart and a 5-1 lead.

Ivan Provorov put another goal on the board for the Flyers late in the third following a quick read by Tony DeAngelo. Provorov cut to the crease from the point, but the goal was too late to stage a comeback. The Canadiens dominated Philadelphia, now losers of ten out of their last thirteen games, 5-2.

Owen Tippett (+)

Without Travis Konecny (upper-body) for the second game in a row, the Flyers needed goals scored by committee. Tippett rose to the occasion against the Edmonton Oilers and did it again tonight in Philadelphia. Flourishing versus Montreal, Tippett continues to shine during the second half of the season.

“As the game gone on, I think we showed we had more chances but, like I said, it’s one of those things you don’t wanna get too bad when it’s not your night.”
Owen Tippett; 2/24/2023

Defense (-)

Battling a lowly, hurt Montreal offense, the Flyers’ defense failed to provide stability. Hart was left out to dry multiple times, showcasing self-inflicted damage on the scoreboard. On the road in New Jersey tomorrow, Philadelphia will need to perform a complete turnaround from tonight’s display if they want a shot at keeping with a hot Devils offense.

“I don’t think anybody was lazy, it’s the only way I know how to put it; sometimes guys just play hard, and some guys play hard. I think we had a deficiency tonight. I don’t think we were all there. I’m hoping we answer the proper way, [or] we’ll get it fed to us tomorrow.”
John Tortorella; 2/24/2023