Playing Game 74 of the regular season, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (36-27-10) are in la belle province on Thursday to take on Martin St. Louis' Montreal Canadiens (27-32-12) on Thursday evening. Game time at Bell Centre is 7:00 p.m. EDT.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season, and the first of two games in Montreal. The teams will rematch at Bell Centre on April 9. Back on January 10 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers skated to a 3-2 (1-0) win via shootout.
Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost (power play) scored in regulation, and Sean Couturier netted the winning shootout attempt. Sean Monahan and David Savard scored first period goals on deflected pucks (Montreal's only two shots on goal of the period). Samuel Ersson finished with 17 saves on 19 shots across regulation and overtime before going 3-for-3 in the shootout. Cayden Primeau made 37 saves on 39 shots in the hockey game and went 2-for-3 in denying shootout attempts.
The Flyers went 2-3-2 in their recent seven-game gauntlet of games against the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia enters Thursday's game with a one-point lead over the Washington Capitals in the battle for third place in the Metropolitan Division. On Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, the Flyers took a 2-1 lead into the final 20 minutes of regulation. In the third period, the Flyers had to battle back from three separate one-goal deficits before losing in overtime, 6-5.
The Canadiens are in their first game back from a five-game western road trip (2-2-1). The Habs won each of the two final games, 5-1 in Seattle and 2-1 in Colorado on Tuesday. The Canadiens are now at home for five games.
Here are five things to watch in Thursday's game.
1. Keep the Process Going
Tuesday's wild third period aside,the Flyers followed a good overall process in their last three games. Between last Saturday's game against Boston, Sunday against Florida and the first 40 minutes against the Rangers. Philadelphia held three of the NHL's best teams to a combined 53 shots on goal over 11 periods.
While the third period in New York was extremely entertaining, having to engage in a "track meet" was not reflective of the brand of hockey that tends to be successful down the stretch and into the postseason. The last time the Flyers played the Canadiens, the Flyers stuck with a good process even after Montreal had two pucks bounce their way in the first period.
Every opponent is dangerous this time of year, regardless of their record. The Flyers need to approach the Canadiens -- and each subsequent opponent -- with the same urgency displayed over the last seven games.
2. Tippett, Frost and TK
Tippett and Frost have each recorded at least one point in seven of the Flyers' last eight games. Their five-on-five line with Travis Konecny has been creating a slew of scoring chances.
For the month of March, Tippett leads the Flyers with 12 points (5g, 7a) in 13 games. Frost has 11 points (3g, 8a) in the same span. Since returning from an upper-body injury, Konecny has posted nine points (4g, 5a) in his last 10 games.
Tippett and Frost have both had their share of offensive success against Montreal over the last two seasons. In the Flyers' last four games against Montreal, Tippett has racked up five goals. Frost also has five points (3g, 2a).
Konecny was sidelined last season with two separate injuries, when the Flyers played their three-game season series with the Habs. This season, TK chipped in an assist in the January 10 home game against Montreal. For his career, Konecny has 11 points (6g, 5a) in 15 games versus the Canadiens.
3. Foerster Nears 20-Goal Rookie Season
The last Flyers rookie to score 20 goals in a season was right winger Matt Read in the 2011-12 season. Read, who was 25 years old at the time, tallied 24 goals and 47 points in 79 games.
Current Flyers rookie winger Tyson Foerster notched his 19 goal of the season in Tuesday's game against the Rangers. Foerster's third period goal on Tuesday secured a hard-fought point for the Flyers and forced overtime.
For the season, Foerster is third in goal-scoring among all NHL rookies. He trails Chicago's Connor Bedard by two goals and Minnesota's Marco Rossi by one. Foerster's 32 points overall rank seventh among players eligible for the Calder Trophy this season. He has also played a strong two-way brand of hockey and shown himself to be particularly tenacious on the forecheck. Foerster turned 22 years old on January 18.
4. Flyers Special Teams vs Canadiens Special Teams
The Flyers did not have a particularly good game on special teams against the Rangers on Tuesday. Philly was minus-two on the night in going 1-for-3 on the power play with a shorthanded goal yielded. The Flyers only took one penalty that left them shorthanded but the Rangers scored.
The Flyers' excellent full-season PK numbers (84.1 percent overall, ranked third) are masking some recent struggles. Over the last 10 games, the team is 65.4 percent on the PK (opposing power plays are 9-for-26).
Factors in the recent downturn: the decimation of the blueline due to injuries and the Sean Walker trade, less sharpness in terms of executing clearing opportunities, some spotty goaltending, a couple of ill-timed bad bounces, and lots of games against top PP clubs. Whatever the rationale, though, the Flyers need to steer their penalty kill back on course over the remainder of the season.
There's been a reversal of fortune over the past week with the Flyers' power play. Until recently, the Flyers first PP unit was clicking for a while, but PP2 continued to struggle. Over the last few games, PP1 has gone cold and struggled with offensive zone entries (a power play facet that was a major problem for the Flyers last season but has not generally been among the various problematic issues in 2023-24).
Largely due to the work of the second unit, the Flyers bring a three-game streak of having scored a PPG into Thursday's match. However, there have always been several momentum-killing power plays of late. The shorthanded goal allowed on Tuesday was the fourth yielded by the Flyers this season.
Overall, the Flyers still rank last (32nd) in the NHL on the power play at 13.4 percent success. The Pittsburgh Penguins are 31st at 14.4 percent.
Montreal's power play ranks 25th in the NHL at 17.5 percent success. The Habs have yielded a league-worst 11 shorthanded goals this season. This is an area the Flyers, who top the NHL with 15 shorthanded goals scored, can potentially exploit. Meanwhile, the Canadiens' penalty kill ranks tied for 23rd at 76.5 percent success. The Habs have scored five shorthanded goals.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Montreal Canadiens
On Tuesday in Denver, first period goals by Nick Suzuki (29th) and Joel Armia (12th) enabled the Canadiens to overcome a Nathan MacKinnon tally in the opening minute of the first period. Suzuki's response came just nine seconds later. Juraj Slafkovsky and Savard assisted. After the quick goal by MacKinnon, goalie Sam Montembeault (27 saves on 28 shots) was not scored upon again the rest of the night.
Suzuki's 67 points in 71 games top the Habs' scoring leaderboard. He's followed by Cole Caufield (20 goals, 55 points), veteran defenseman Mike Matheson (10g, 38, 48 points, minus-27), Slafkovsky (15g, 25a, 40 points) and Alex Newhook (12g, 13a, 25 points in 44 games).
Montembeault has made 34 starts and one relief appearance this season (14-13-7 record, 3.06 GAA, .905 save percentage). Primeau has made 16 starts and one relief outing (7-7-2, 2.85 GAA, .910 SV%, two shutouts).
