Flyers Avoid Series Sweep in Road Win Over Canadiens
The Philadelphia Flyers successfully avoided the season series sweep with their 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens in what was their third and final meeting. Interim head coach Mike Yeo can breathe a sigh of relief now that the Flyers have at least snapped their six-game losing streak before heading home to face interstate rival, Pittsburgh Penguins.
In what was a hard-fought battle vs the Habs, Martin Jones, James van Riemsdyk, Bobby Brink and a few others proved crucial to getting the win.
With many key plays and points coming from a combination of some of Philadelphia’s best young prospects and veterans, here is a look at the game summary and some key takeaways on what lead to the road win in Montreal.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- PHI: Goal scored by James van Riemsdyk, assisted by Bobby Brink
- PHI: Goal scored by Ivan Provorov, assisted by Bobby Brink and James van Riemsdyk
- MTL: Goal scored by Mike Hoffman, assisted by Christian Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher
2nd Period
- MTL: Goal scored by Jake Evans, assisted by Ryan Pitlick and Jeff Petry
- PHI: Goal scored by Oskar Lindblom, assisted by Zack MacEwen and Linus Högberg
- PHI: Goal scored by Travis Konecny, assisted by Ivan Provorov and Ronnie Attard
3rd Period
- PHI: Goal scored by Morgan Frost, assisted by Owen Tippett and Noah Cates
- PHI: Goal scored by James van Riemsdyk
- MTL: Goal scored by Cole Caufield
FINAL: PHI 6-3 MTL
Takeaway: Flyers Youth Thriving While Adjusting to NHL
Linus Högberg notched his first point with an assist in his NHL debut, playing a solid, poised game and finishing with 1 A, +1 and 3 blocked shots. He is one of a number of young players to receive valuable playing time due to injury and being eliminated from playoff contention, and could soon find himself a permanent NHL defenseman if he continues to play the way he did Thursday night vs the Canadiens.
Some of the other young players who are thriving late in the Philadelphia’s season as the remaining games become more about evaluating prospects are Noah Cates, Bobby Brink, Ronnie Attard, Owen Tippett, and Morgan Frost. Brink has 4 points, all of which are assists, in his first six games in the NHL.
Cates, a quality young two-way forward, has 6 points in his first 12 games and seems to get better with each game. Both are names that Flyers fans can expect to be hearing for at least a few years unless a trade offer is made in the future that simply cannot be refused.
Bobby Brink, Joel Farabee and James van Riemsdyk were clicking as a line against Montreal with Brink and JVR both earning multi-point nights. Van Riemsdyk’s production is much needed amongst the large number of rookies that have been in-and-out of the lineup all season. He becomes a free agent at the end of 2023 season, so this could be great for his chances of being re-signed by Philadelphia or building his trade value to be moved sometime before next year’s deadline.
Ronnie Attard is making his case to crack the main roster for next season. He is proving himself to be useful being paired up with different defenders and also playing big minutes on the penalty kill. His big, physical build provides a necessary presence around the net, yet Attard has solid puck control, passing abilities and vision.
Ivan Provorov recorded another multi-point night in the Flyers win over the Habs on Thursday night. His performances on the ice have done a complete turnaround ever since rookie Cam York became his defensive partner and have remained that way even with York’s and his partners being alternated between Travis Sanheim and rookie Ronnie Attard.