Flyers at Canadiens, Game 79: Notes, Lineups, And How To Watch

A win is an absolute must as the Flyers head back to Montreal for another battle with the Canadiens.

This should've been a rather easy game coming in, but Philadelphia has made it anything but that with their recent play. Not to mention they lost to Montreal almost two weeks ago. It was the third loss in what has become a seven-game losing streak at the worst possible time. The Flyers cannot afford to take this time lightly once again.

They may get Sean Couturier back in the lineup after he missed both games this past weekend. He appears to have avoided a serious injury after the initial collision looked as if it could be worse.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers playoff hopes are on life support right now. They are on the outside looking in and need all the help they can get to make it. Winning out isn't the only option at this point. They will need other teams ahead of them to lose, which won't be easy based on the upcoming schedule. The Red Wings and Capitals play tonight, meaning one will stay ahead of the Flyers. Detroit will also play the Penguins on Thursday. The schedule is not kind to Philadelphia's playoff hopes.

All the Flyers can do is handle their own business. After the Canadiens, they have the Rangers, Devils, and Capitals to finish the season. Considering they haven't beaten the Rangers and the Devils have taken two out of three this year, their schedule isn't easy. Some thought the final game against Washington would mean something, but things might be decided by then.

The Flyers did this to themselves. They, along with every other team fighting for a spot, had opportunities to capitalize on other team's struggles. None of them did and here's where we are. Everyone will need to step up for Philadelphia to have a chance to break their postseason drought. That includes playing better in front of Sam Ersson, who gets the start for the 27th time in the last 37 games. No one expected this team to make the playoffs so it's time for them to prove everyone wrong once and for all. Otherwise, this collapse will be talked about for quite some time.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Tyson Foerster - Morgan Frost - Travis Konecny

Owen Tippett - Scott Laughton - Bobby Brink

Olle Lycksell - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway

Joel Farabee - Sean Couturier - Noah Cates

Cam York - Travis Sanheim

Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale

Marc Staal - Erik Johnson

Sam Ersson

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens would be happy to continue playing spoiler for teams fighting for a playoff spot. They have long been out of it and are simply playing out the final games of the regular season. Montreal will finish in the bottom five of the league after losing four of their last five since facing the Flyers. They will also play the Islanders and finish the season with a back-to-back against the Red Wings. They could cause chaos for potential playoff teams.

Nick Suzuki has played well recently, posting 13 points in his last 12 games. He leads the Canadiens with 33 goals and 74 assists, both career highs. Cole Caufield has smashed his career high in points, recording 59 in 77 games. He previously had 43 points in 67 games played in 2021-22. He is three away from setting a new high in goals as well. The veteran Mike Matheson is having a strong season at 30-years-old. He is third on the Canadiens with 57 points and could tie his career high on 11 goals.

Cayden Primeau has handled goaltending duties in the first two games against the Flyers. However, it will be Sam Montembeault in the net for this one. He has traded wins and losses in his last five games and was pulled after giving up four goals to the Leafs in his last outing. The numbers aren't great for Montembeault, posting a 3.10 GAA and a .904 SV%. His save percentage is a career-best, however, this is the best GAA he has put up since a limited sample size in 2018-19.

Canadiens Projected Lineup

Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky

Brendan Gallagher - Alex Newhook - Joel Armia

Tanner Pearson - Jake Evans - Josh Anderson

Michael Pezzetta - Christian Dvorak - Rafael Harvey-Pinard

Mike Matheson - David Savard

Jordan Harris - Jonathan Kovacevic

Jayden Struble - Justin Barron

Samuel Montembeault

When, Where, and How to Watch/Listen

Time:  7:00 PM

Where: Bell Centre

Watch: NBCSP+

Radio: 93.3 WMMR

Live Stream: FuboTv

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