Flyers Officially Eliminated After 3-2 Loss to Canadiens

The Philadelphia Flyers have been officially eliminated from playoff contention after their 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night.

Ryan Poehling continues his hot streak as he scored the first goal of the game. Tyson Foerster would score a late goal, but it was too little, too late for the Flyers.

The Flyers held the lead for most of the game, but a three-goal third period from the Canadiens wiped out the Flyers’ lead and put Montreal in position to win the game.

With the loss, the Flyers’ record dropped to 31-37-9. Here is how it happened:

Poehling Stays Hot

The first period did not have much going on. Neither team was generating much offense. The Flyers had seven shots on goal, and the Canadiens had four.

Despite the slow period, the Flyers were still able to tack on a score. The lone goal of the period came off the stick of none other than Ryan Poehling (12).

Poehling was able to net the first goal of the game after taking advantage of a slick cross-net pass from Jakob Pelletier (12), who has been playing extremely well lately.

With the goal, Poehling has five goals in his last five games and eight goals in the previous 11 games. It is a scorcher for Poehling.

The Flyers would take a 1-0 lead, which would be the score heading into the first intermission.

Not long after the Poehling goal, the Flyers had a four-minute power play after Alex Carrier was called for a double-minor high stick. However, the Flyers were dominated on their own man advantage. It looked as if the Canadiens had more chances than the Flyers did.

The Habs would make a solid late-period push, but as earlier mentioned, the game went into the first break with the Flyers leading 1- 0.

Sam Stands Tall in the Second

The Canadiens picked up right where they left off in the first period. Montreal was playing aggressively and fast, generating many good looks.

Montreal nearly tripled its shot total from the first period in the second period. They began to dominate the Flyers. Despite that, the Flyers still held their lead through the entire second frame.

That is in part due to a standout performance from Sam Ersson in the second period.

The Flyers’ netminder put on a clinic in the second and helped bring the team’s 1-0 lead into the second intermission.

Blink and It’s Gone

The Flyers held on to their lead for most of the first two periods of the game.

Philadelphia had just 20 minutes left to hold on to its lead and keep its season alive. However, in the blink of an eye, their lead had disappeared. Just as fast as the Canadiens wiped the deficit, they gained the lead.

It started with Brendan Gallagher (20) less than 90 seconds into the third period. The Canadiens came out with juice, and were persistent at the net. They were bound to break through, and Gallagher did.

Just under 80 seconds later, Lane Hutson (6), a rookie known for his passing and playmaking, showed a different side of his game. The Canadiens’ rookie gave them their first lead of the game with a coast-to-coast snipe. Once Montreal took the lead, it did not look back.

Nick Suzuki (27) would score a short-handed goal just past the halfway mark in the period, and that would be the dagger.

Tyson Foerster (20) would score while the Flyers had a six-on-four advantage, but it was too late. All they could do was close the gap by a score.

The game would end with a 3-2 final.

What’s Next for the Flyers

The Flyers will have another long-ish break; they do not play again until Wednesday, when they head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers.

Read More: What Will it Take to Get David Carle?

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