6 observations as Flyers end 6-game skid; Provy, JVR, and kids shine

The Philadelphia Flyers ended a six-game losing streak Thursday, and, at the same time, extended the Montreal Canadiens’ skid.

Flyers 6, Canadiens 3.

James van Riemsdyk (two), Ivan Provorov, Oskar Lindblom, Travis Konecny, and Morgan Frost scored for the Flyers (24-43-11) at the Bell Centre. Montreal (20-47-11) has lost seven straight.

The Flyers, with rookies combining for six points, scored six goals for the first time since Dec. 14. They equaled their season-high for goals in a game.

“I thought all of our young guys played well tonight,” interim coach Mike Yeo said.  “Great to see them all contribute.”

Here are some observations:

1. James van Riemsdyk hasn’t given up on the season.

Give van Riemsdyk credit. He keeps working hard in front of the net, keeps scoring.

The 32-year-old left winger scored on his own rebound to give the Flyers an early 1-0 lead. The sequence was put in motion after Montreal goalie Carey Price turned over the puck behind his net. Price had a night to forget.

Van Riemsdyk (three points, plus-4, six shots) scored late in the game for his 23rd goal, tied with Cam Atkinson for the team lead. He has 11 goals over his last 22 games.

Linus Hogberg has a winning NHL debut with #Flyers. https://t.co/waBkIRkBcC

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) April 22, 2022

2. Linus Hogberg played well in his NHL debut

Paired with Travis Sanheim, Hogberg, 23, was solid. He played 17:25, contributed an assist, blocked three shots, and was plus-1..

“He provided a lot of stability for us,” Yeo said of Hogberg.

Hogberg and fellow defensemen Ronnie Attard (assist, plus-4) and Egor Zamula (minus-2) entered the night with a combined 17 NHL games on their resume.

3. Bobby Brink continues to impress.

Brink, 20, is relentless, and the more you see him, the more you understand how he led all NCAA players in assists while playing for national champion Denver this season.

“As a line, I thought we played really well,” said Brink, who was on a unit with Joel Farabee and van Riemsdyk. “We dictated play and created turnovers.”

The 5-foot-8, 166-pound right winger had two more assists Thursday and now has four helpers in six NHL games. It was the first multiple-point game of his young career.

4. The Flyers’ power play was, uh, entertaining.

On their first power play, the Flyers allowed the Canadiens three odd-man rushes midway through the first period. Sloppiness defined the play on both sides during the two-minute span.

“I think there’s a clinic on bad passes by both teams,” Flyers color commentator Keith Jones said.

The Flyers were 0 for 3 on the power play, and are 1 for their last 30 in the last 11 games.

5. Ivan Provorov had a monster game.

The top-pairing defenseman had his ninth goal, an assist, five shots, five blocked shots, and a plus-3 rating in 25:57. He has been much more offensive-minded late in the season.

“I think we should try to finish the year strong, and try to go into the summer with a little bit of a better feeling,” Provorov said.

6. Montreal’s first goal should not have counted.

The Canadiens’ Mike Hoffman scored from out front after taking a hand pass from Brendan Gallagher, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with 4:29 left in the first. The Flyers tried to challenge the call, but it was not reviewed because a ref incorrectly told interim coach Mike Yeo the play could not be reviewed.

The NHL changed the rule in 2019-20, allowing hand passes to be reviewed. The ref apparently didn’t get the memo.

“The big thing is, we didn’t let it derail us,” Yeo said of the goal that should not have counted.

Montreal showed why it has fewer points than the Philadelphia Flyers. The Habs had 20 giveaways — 16 more than Philly.

Breakaways

Martin Jones raised his career record to 9-1 against the Canadiens. … Price made just his third start of the season. Earlier this season, he entered the NHL/NHLPA player-assistance program to deal with substance-abuse issues. … Lindblom’s goal, his 12th, ended a 12-gamed drought. … Joel Farabee moved back to center and was plus-2. … Konecny, who scored his 15th goal, has a four-game point streak. He now has 50 points, tied with Atkinson for the most on the team. … Montreal has the worst 78-game record of any team that reached the Stanley Cup Final the previous season. … The Flyers, who have four games left, host Pittsburgh on Sunday at 4 p.m. … The draft lottery will be held remotely on May 10 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.  The draft will be July 7-8 in Montreal. Center Shane Wright is expected to be selected No. 1 overall. … With the win, the Flyers moved ahead of Seattle and now have the league’s fourth-lowest point total. .. Scott Laughton had five hits. … Frost’s goal was his first in 11 games.