The Philadelphia Flyers fell short in another almost comeback win against the Montreal Canadiens. Philadelphia entered the contest with changes to their lineup, such as Emil Andrae in place of Egor Zamula on defense and Alexei Kolosov in net. This was Kolosov’s NHL debut, and the 22-year-old goalie could take the ice ahead of warmups for his rookie lap.
Another lineup change was Morgan Frost on the fourth line, which was bench boss John Tortorella’s way of showing his frustration with Frost’s performance in the previous game. The first line with Konecny—Couturier—Michkov is clicking and shouldn’t change. As far as the other lines, they seem more fluid as of now.
Flyers vs Canadiens: Game recap
During the first half of the first frame, the Flyers and Canadiens played extremely sloppy hockey. There were numerous turnovers on both ends of the ice. However, nearing the midway point, Nick Suzuki gave the Habs their first goal of the game. Nearing the end of the first 20 minutes, Travis Sanheim lit the net with a slapshot to tie up the game.
Defensive woes
Unfortunately, Philadelphia continued to struggle in the second period. The Canadiens scored three goals between Brendan Gallagher, Cole Caufield, and Jake Evans. While it might seem as if Kolosov was to blame, the Flyers’ defense did not provide any support.
During Evans’ goal, Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale needed to be in a better position, which led to Evans having a clear view to get the puck behind the net. With a lot of eyes on Drysdale this season because he’s finally healthy, there has been disappointing play in the past few games.
There wasn’t much action in the first half entering the final frame, but in the last minutes of the game, Sanheim scored his second goal of the night, and seconds later, Travis Konecny made this contest a one-goal game. Despite the loss, the Flyers still found a spark in the final frame. As frustrating as this pattern seems, it’s at least a sign that the Flyers are seeing some rhythm that, hopefully, they can apply earlier in the games.
Following the contest, Tortorella said that Kolosov played well in the net. Despite the four goals against him, he shut out the Canadiens in the final frame.
The Flyers head out to Boston to take on the Bruins Tuesday night before returning home to host the St. Louis Blues Thursday night. Philadelphia is now in search of their third win of the season.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
