For the first time since the NHL relaunched, the Flyers allowed the first goal. And after just 62 seconds of play.
Brendan Gallagher picked up a puck deep in Flyers territory and found Tomas Tatar in the slot. The Slovak had no trouble outsmarting youngster Carter Hart.
Hart recovered a few seconds later, however, frustrating Gallagher at close range.
In the middle of the period, Jonathan Drouin knocked down a floating pass from Max Domi with his hand, then Jesperi Kotkaniemi seized on Drouin’s return to double the Montreal lead.
The intensity of the Habs continued for most of the period and the Flyers’ first shot only came after 16:24. The Canadian ultimately dominated 16-6 in shots.
In the second half, Tomas Tatar found the back of the net again early in the throw-off, after 85 seconds of play this time.
On the power play, he accepted a pass from Victor Mete to the left point and after a few strides he found the opposite top corner of the net defended by Carter Hart with a powerful wrist shot.
The Flyers had a long two-man power play then, but after 1.38 seconds of unsuccessful attempts they failed to break through the wall of Carey Price, who stopped all 15 shots he received in the second. .
The Canadian added to his lead at the end of the period when Joel Armia’s shot deflected onto Shayne Gostisbehere’s skate and Alain Vigneault decided Hart’s night was over.
Veteran Brian Elliott came into the game replacing the 22-year-old goaltender with 2:03 to play.
Midway through the third, Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored his second of the game, with a violent wrist shot into the enclave that left Elliott no chance.
Carey Price got the shutout by stopping all 30 shots for the Flyers.
In the absence of Claude Julien, Kirk Muller (back, left) is the head coach of the Canadiens against the Flyers.
Photo : Getty Images / Elsa
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It was Kirk Muller who acted as head coach of the Canadian due to the hospitalization of Claude Julien overnight from Wednesday to Thursday for chest pain. Julien was to return to Montreal on Friday to rest at home, following the installation of a stent in a coronary artery.
Forward Jake Evans has returned to the Canadiens’ formation in Dale Weise.
Evans left the third game of the qualifying series against the Pittsburgh Penguins after suffering a hard check from Brandon Tanev in the second period. It was his first game this summer.
Weise hasn’t collected a point in five games since the NHL relaunched.
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