Knight Time Hockey: 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Series Review: (1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

The Philadelphia Flyers finished first in the round robin, getting the chance to face the underdog Montreal Canadiens (who beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the qualifying round). For a chunk of the series it was a battle of the goalies, as Carey Price and Carter Hart kept their teams in it. The Flyers ended up being too much for the Canadiens though, as they needed six games to finish the series and move onto the second round.

Games

Montreal Canadiens - 1

Philadelphia Flyers - 2

The Flyers had the shot advantage early on, but it wasn't until midway through the first when they finally found that back of the net. A powerplay opportunity led to a, Ivan Provorov point shot, that deflected off Jakub Voracek and past a screened Price. Roles reversed in the second, as it was the Canadiens who piled on the shots. Montreal had a chance to tie ti midway through the second, but a 2-on-0 was short-lived, as Artturi Lehkonen caught an edge and fell down. Philadelphia almost extended their lead later in the period. Scott Laughton's chance on an open net was stopped, as Price got his stick over in time to deflect the puck away from the net (and possibly saved Nick Suzuki's life, as the Montreal forward attempted to play goal in that moment). The Canadiens got a break moments later, as Jonathan Drouin drew a penalty, putting his team on the powerplay. A Shea Weber blast was stopped, but the rebound would find it's way back to him, and he wouldn't miss twice. The tie lasted all of 16 seconds. Travis Sanhiem's point shot would be tipped by Joel Farabee, and while Price made the initial save, Farabee had no issue putting home the rebound. The closest Montreal got to tying the game again come in the late seconds of the third, as Suzuki managed to beat Hart but not the post. Philadelphia's two goals was all they needed, as they take Game 1.

Montreal Canadiens - 5

Philadelphia Flyers - 0

Montreal got some scary news before Game 2, as head coach Claude Julien had a health scare and left the team to go home and recover. Between that and Game 1's lost, the Canadiens came out motivated early in this one. Just over a minute in, Tomas Tatar would bury a rebound to put the Canadiens in the lead. Brendan Gallagher almost extend the lead a minute later, but Hart got over in time to push the shot aside with his blocker. Their efforts would eventually be rewarded, as midway through the first, Jesperi Kotkaniemi put home a rebound to make it 2-0 for Montreal. Philadelphia did get a few chances late in the period, but Price shut the door on them. Tatar started the second like he did the first: with a goal. This time, the Canadiens forward sniped one past the glove of a screened Hart. It got worse for the Flyers from there. Late in the second, a centering pass by Joel Armia would bounce off the skate of a Flyer's player and pass Hart. That spelled the end of Hart's night, as Brian Elliott came on in relief. Kotkaniemi added a powerplay goal in the third, and Price made 30 saves in the shutout effort, as Montreal's 5-0 win tied the series at a game a piece.

Philadelphia Flyers - 1

Montreal Canadiens - 0

The Flyers got things going just over five minutes into the game. Claude Giroux's shot would be deflected by Voracek, causing the puck to go up and over Price on it's way into the Canadiens net. Montreal almost tied it midway through the period, as successive shots by Kotkaniemi and Brett Kulak both rang off the post. Those shots summed up the Canadiens chances, as most of the chances they got ended up ringing off the post. The other chances would be stopped by Hart, as the Flyer's goalie rebounded from a disastrous Game 2 by stopping 23 shots in his shutout effort. Voracek's goal was all Philadelphia needed, as the Game 3 win put them back in the series lead.

Philadelphia Flyers - 2

Montreal Canadiens - 0

Much like Game 3, Game 4 started off with very few shots. Michael Raffl opened the scoring six minutes in, as he sniped the puck over Price's blocker. Sean Couturier had a chance to extend the lead later in the period, but was tied up and could not redirect the puck into what was an open net. Paul Bryon almost got the Habs first goal, but Provorov got his stick in the way to deflect the puck over the net. Jeff Petry did get a chance to tie the game too, but Hart got enough of the point shot to have it deflect off the post and out of harm's way. Philippe Myers added another for the Flyers late in the second, as his shot bounced off a defender's stick, off Price's pad, and into the net. Hart was once again perfect, stopping 29 shots to extend his shutout streak. Philadelphia's 2-0 win was their third of the series, pushing them closer to the second round.

Montreal Canadiens - 5

Philadelphia Flyers - 3

Looking to put the series away, the Flyers had a chance early on with a powerplay. It would be the Canadiens who benefited from it though, as Armia snapped a loose puck past Hart. Kevin Hayes got some of Philadelphia's best chances in the first period, including a shorthanded breakaway, but each time Price was up to the task. The Flyers fortunes changed early in the second, as Kotkaniemi was given a five-and-a-game for boarding Sanhiem. Voracek took full advantage, scoring twice on the five-minute powerplay (both times the puck bounced off Canadiens defenseman Ben Chariot on it's way past Price). Midway through the period, Armia scored his second of the game to tie it. Moments later, on a powerplay, Gallagher batted the puck out of the air and into the Flyers net to put the Canadiens back in the lead. Suzuki looked to have added one later in the period, but a review showed that Drouin was offside, negating the goal. The Flyers did tie it up midway through the third,as a powerplay opportunity led to Farabee redirecting Voracek's pass into the net. It didn't take long for Montreal to restore their lead though, as 22 seconds later, Suzuki took a pass into the slot and slid it past Hart. Phillip Danault added an empty netter, but it's what happened afterward that got attention. Couturier hit Lehkonen after the goal, sparking a scrum. Even the end of the game didn't end peacefully, as there was some pushing and shoving. None of it affected the score though, as the win let Montreal live for another game.

Philadelphia Flyers - 3

Montreal Canadiens - 2

It didn't take long for Philadelphia to take the lead in this one. Just 28 seconds into the game, Provorov's point shot fluttered it's way through a crowd and past Price. Hayes added to the lead five minutes later, as a passing attempt bounced off a Canadiens' stick and through Price. A powerplay halfway through the first helped Montreal get to within one. Armia's initial shot was blocked, but Suzuki got enough of the rebound for the puck to trickle into the Flyers net. Philadelphia restored their two-goal lead in the early part of the second, as Sanhiem's shot took a couple bounces (off Raffl, the post, and Price's leg) en route to the back of the net. Just under two minutes later, Suzuki would one-time a cross-crease pass by Drouin into the Flyers net, again pulling the Canadiens to within one. Montreal pressed on, needing one goal to keep their playoff hopes alive. Hart had other ideas, as he didn't allow anything else by him. Philadelphia hung on for the 3-2 win, giving them their fourth win of the series and a spot in the second round.

~~Three~~ Many Thoughts on the Series

Great to hear that Julien is making a full recovery and will be behind the bench next season.
Part of me is disappointed that the Habs won their series against the Penguins (I wanted the shot at Lafreniere). There is no denying though that this team came top play in the bubble.
Impressed with the play of Suzuki and Kotkaniemi. The Habs future does look bright.
Game 2 aside, what the hell happened to Max? Last time I saw a Domi disappear in the playoffs like that it involved a Niedermeyer getting injured.
I don't know what's worst: Vigneault complaining about the other team playing thier best players on a powerplay or Vigneault pulling Hart after the goaltender let in a weak goal, just to put him back in when the goal was called off due to an offside.
Losing a fight to Kotkaniemi (regular season), getting shot in the back by Weber (playoffs), I wouldn't blame Robert Hagg if he was to take games against Montreal off for a while.
Gritty gets knocked down a few notches on the mascot rankings, what a waste of perfectly good syrup.
Props to the Philly caption guy.
Xavier Ouellet is a secret agent for the Flyers, only reason I could come up with why he would keep trying to get Price injured.