Philadelphia Flyers: Takeaways from a Game One victory

Even without their best game, the Flyers came away with a victory in the opening game of the series.

It was by no means the best game for the Flyers since coming to Toronto. In fact, it was probably among their worst displays. But even without their top play, they still came out on top against Montreal.

Just like Tampa Bay, the Canadiens took it to the Flyers in the second period. They outshot them 17-7, scored their first power play goal and just flat out outworked them for the most part. But the Flyers still managed to answer their goal just 16 seconds after the fact.

Never in this bubble have the Flyers trailed in a game. They had scored the first goal in every single game they’ve played. In fact, the team had hardly spent a game tied with another team. So even without their best effort, they still managed to keep that trend going.

There were a lot of factors that allowed the Flyers to grab the victory in the opening game. None were bigger than their goaltending.

Goaltending Battle

The first game gave us just the kind of goaltending that we expected. Both Carey Price and Carter Hart were of top of their games. Hart continued his trend of only allowing one goal in a game. And it was a play he had no chance on.

Hart battled save for save against Price. He finished with 27 saves on 28 shots. Based on his play and the shots he faced, he was expected to give up at least three goals in the game. His high danger percentage was high as well. The only goal he gave up was from right in front of the net.

It was off a rebound and a play in front where Shea Weber snuck up to pot the goal. Otherwise, Hart shut down every other tough angle shot he faced.

His counterpart in Price finished with similar statistics. The two goals he gave up were actually around the amount he was expected to give up. That goes to shows the quality of the Flyers shots and their need to make it tougher on him. It also shows that Price performed almost exactly the way he was expected to.

And no surprise that Price made one of the biggest saves of the game and possibly even of the entire playoffs. This is something to expect from a goaltender of his stature. He is always going to find a way to steal a goal away no matter what or how.

This won’t be the last time we say that either. And it won’t be the last time we talk about these two teams and mention the goaltending battle that will for sure follow this series.

Power play finally strikes

It was only one out of three chances. But the Flyers power play finally broke though after going 0-11 in their previous games. They did just what they needed to do by creating chaos in front of Price.

Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier created the double screen in front of the net. They didn’t give Price a chance to cleanly see the play.

Meanwhile, Claude Giroux and Ivan Provorov played catch towards the top of the zone. Realizing they were running out of time, Giroux’s last pass was quickly shot by the young defensemen. It hit a body in front and made its way past the Montreal goaltender.

At first glance, it had appeared to go off of a Canadiens’ player in front. That gave Provorov his first career playoff goal. Upon further review, the puck would hit off of Voracek on the way in. So the net front presence paid off even more.

The Canadiens were also able to grab a power play goal in the game. The Flyers were a very disciplined team in this one, only taking one penalty. Unfortunately, that one ended in a goal.

A slapshot from Weber is always tough to stop which is exactly how the play began. His shot came off the pads of Hart and into the scrum that was in front of the net. Weber pinched in as the loose puck came his way. And with an empty net in front of him, he made no mistake.

Special teams has the makings of making a difference in this series. Both teams struggled on the man advantage coming in. This was the first goal for the unit for both teams since coming to Toronto.

Finding a way to break through the penalty kill could be a key advantage for whichever team is able to get it done.

Youth continues to impress

The Flyers have a large group of players that are all under the age of 25. Including Hart, there are seven notable names that took the ice on Wednesday night. And they all had an impact on the game.

It has been what has helped carry them early on in these playoffs. The youth in the lineup has stood tall and answered the bell on numerous occasions.

Joel Farabee grabbed the game winning goal, his second straight game with a goal. He tipped a shot from the point off the stick on Travis Sanheim. He quickly grabbed his own rebound and sent it past Price.

Sanheim and Philippe Myers continued to prove that their inexperience won’t be a big factor when they’re on the ice. They both made solid moves to stop key Montreal chances. The two had the most time among all defensemen at even strength.

And they won the battle on the ice. They Flyers out chanced and out shot Montreal when the two defensemen were on the ice. Now, it was 19 chances for and 17 against. The shot battle was a bit more in their favor at 11-7. But for two inexperienced players, that is a solid nights work. Adding in the goal scored while on the ice, it was a good night for the two.

And while Travis Konecny hasn’t scored, he continues to be a playmaker on the ice. He grabbed the assist on Farabee’s goal. And his line continued to look dangerous together. Same went for Nicolas Aube-Kubel. He cooled down a bit from his two-goal outing. But he continued to use to body to assert himself.

Their contributions have allowed the team to get away with not having much going from some of their top players. The youth on this team has a very bright future ahead of them.

And is among a few of the reasons the Flyers have been able to come out firing since making it to Toronto. And it will likely continue to be a factor as they will meet Montreal again on Friday.