Despite the Montreal Canadiens going down 2-1 in the best of seven series against the Philadelphia Flyers, there is a lot of optimism surrounding the team. Both losses for the Canadiens have been just one-goal games. They have outscored the Flyers 6-3 over the span of three games. However, the biggest reason for all the optimism for the Canadiens and their fans is the play of Carey Price.
Carey Price Playing Lights Out for the Canadiens
Entering the series, we knew one of the key matchups was going to be the goalie duel between Carey Price and Carter Hart. And boy has it lived up to the hype. Despite the Flyers being up 2-1 in the series, Price has been the better goalie of the two throughout the first three games. Price has an outstanding 1.02 goals-against average to go along with a .963 save percentage and a shutout. And while Hart also recorded a shutout in Game 3, he was chased from Game 2 after allowing four goals on 26 shots. Price has been his calm, cool, and collected self. He is playing like the goaltender who won the Hart, Vezina, Ted Lindsay and William M. Jennings Trophies during the 2014-15 season. When Price is laser-focused as he has been through the postseason, it’s hard to bet against him.
One of the biggest things for Price is that he just does not give up on plays. This was on full display when he saved Nick Suzuki from taking a puck to the head. Price had slid out of his crease and Suzuki got down in the net to try to block the shot. Props to Suzuki for wanting to take one for his team. However, you got to give it to Price for somehow managing to get a stick on the puck.
Other Important Factors
Life Without Claude Julien
The Canadiens got terrible news after their Game 1 loss, as Claude Julien was sent to the hospital after having chest pains. Julien ended up having a stent put into his coronary artery and will miss at least the remainder of the First Round. Despite the bad news that they will be without their head coach the remainder of the series, the good news is he is expected to make a full recovery.
With Julien out, Kirk Muller took over head coaching duties. This seemed to give the Canadiens motivation for Game 2 as they destroyed the Flyers 5-0. Captain Shea Weber grabbed the puck after the game, in what would be Muller’s first win as head coach of the Canadiens. However, Muller stated: “The puck really should go to Claude, I’m sure that’s what they grabbed it for.”
Julien being out gives the Canadiens some extra motivation to play for him and win this series so they can hopefully see their bench boss again in the Second Round.
Play of Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Jesperi Kotkaniemi continues to impress this postseason. After his demotion to the AHL in February, Kotkaniemi played extremely well for the Laval Rocket scoring 13 points in 13 games before being shut down to a spleen injury. He decided to go back to his native Finland during the shutdown. There, he really put in the work to make himself a better player, focusing specifically on his strength and skating. And there is a noticeable difference. Kotkaniemi has scored twice for the Canadiens in the series, both coming in Game 2, while also being dangerous in Game 3 ringing two shots off the bar. The work he put in on his shot during the shutdown was on display on his second goal in Game 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_VIjljECI0
Kotkaniemi was the most used forward in Game 3 playing 19:32 minutes in the 1-0 loss. Kotkaniemi is playing a different style of game than we saw from him in the regular season and was an important factor in the series against the Penguins. He’s continuing that same type of play against a grittier Flyers team. He’s becoming one of the most important pieces of the Canadiens offence.
Powerplay is Finally Clicking
After laying a goose egg in terms of powerplay goals against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Qualifying Rounds, the Canadiens have managed to score three times on 10 attempts on the powerplay in their first-round matchup against the Flyers. That’s good for 30 percent and third amongst teams in the First Round. They changed up the personnel on the powerplay, playing Weber and Jeff Petry on the same unit as well as adding Victor Mete to the second unit. This gives the Canadiens another weapon on the top unit, helping open up Weber. Because of this, the Canadiens’ top unit is no longer a one-trick pony.
Moving Forward
Even though the Canadiens are down 2-1, they’ve been the better team throughout three games. They need to continue to stick to the game plan and grind out these victories against the Flyers. The Habs still have some momentum after a Game 3 loss. They outplayed the Flyers for most of the game. The also beat Carter Hart multiple times only to hear the deafening sound of the puck hitting off the post. They need to keep firing as they’re doing and surely they’ll start getting rewarded.
Defensively the Canadiens have been outstanding allowing only three goals and holding the Flyers to just 20 shots in Game 3. This was rather surprising as teams normally come out flying after a thumping like the Canadiens gave the Flyers in Game 2. However, the Canadiens managed to keep the Flyers at bay. The Flyers’ only goal came off a deflection. Outside of that, they didn’t create a whole lot of quality chances. They’ve also managed to keep leading scorer Travis Konecny frustrated and off the score sheet through three games. Continuing this strong defensive play will be key in the Canadiens pulling off the upset.
All in all, we expected this series to go the distance. The Canadiens have been the better team through the first three games. If they can continue this high level of play, and Carey Price continues to play the way he is playing, we could see another upset at the hands of the Canadiens.
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