Sean Couturier Scores Game Winner In Flyers OT Win vs Montreal

The Philadelphia Flyers finished a three-game homestand by playing host to the Montreal Canadiens.

After losing the season series with the Montreal Canadiens last year, the Philadelphia Flyers looked to turn the tides and start this round with a win as they hosted the Atlantic Division squad at the Wells Fargo Center. Both teams were coming off of wins in their previous contest, and each hoped to walk away from this Eastern Conference clash riding a two-game winning streak. Carter Hart received the start for the Fly Guys in-net, opposing an idol of his in Carey Price for the Habs. Hart was fresh off of a 33 save win over the Carolina Hurricanes in his previous start and went for his team-high fifth win of 2019-20.

Montreal controlled pace through the first half of the period, putting the Flyers on their heels and creating several dangerous chances in those initial ten minutes. Hart stood tall, though, keeping the game tied for Philadelphia. The Flyers flipped the script in the second half of the frame, hemming the Canadiens in their end of the ice and, unlike their opposition, were able to put the puck in the net. Philippe Myers beat Price with a wrist shot from the point, netting his first goal of the season and second of his young career. Carsen Twarynski and Travis Konecny did an excellent job of providing screens in front of the Canadian netminder, allowing the shot to sneak through and give the Flyers a 1-0 lead after a single period of work.

Philadelphia continued its relentless pressure in the offensive zone to begin the second and once again got rewarded for their efforts. James van Riemsdyk scored his fourth of the year shortly after the Flyers first power-play expired, doubling the team’s lead to two in the process. Paul Byron failed to clear the puck following a mad scramble in front of Price, allowing JvR to snipe home the loose change.

The Habs would eventually get that goal back thanks to Ben Chiarot capitalizing on a Hart rebound, but that shouldn’t take away just how well the Orange and Black played through most of the stanza. Philadelphia out-chanced the Canadiens 6-2 in high danger areas and 10-4 overall at 5-on-5 in the middle period, according to Natural Stat Trick. They were firing on all cylinders on both ends of the ice, giving Montreal fits with their tenacious forecheck and high-effort on puck battles. Price was the lone reason this game was 2-1 heading into the third, as he made some tremendous saves to keep his squad alive.

Shea Weber went on to tie things up early in the third, potting his third tally on the season with a shot from the high slot. Hart tried making a pass to Ivan Provorov to help clear the zone but didn’t put nearly enough juice on it, which in turn, led to the primal scoring chance for Weber. Neither side scored another goal in regulation, sending the game to overtime, where Sean Couturier netted the game-winner to push Philadelphia to victory.

The better team undoubtedly won this one. The Flyers generated more shots and chances at even strength while playing a solid all-around game through the 60+ minutes of action, too. Montreal wouldn’t have stood a chance without Price between the pipes, as he made a heavy amount of saves to keep the Habs within reach. Still, hockey is a team-oriented sport, and you can’t always rely on a goaltender to consistently bail you out, especially when considering the number of shots Philly put on Price.

The Flyers are now 8-5-2 in 2019-20. Next game is Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.