Alain Vigneault
Even after his worst playoff appearance in Game 2, Carter Hart responded with the same mentality that got him to the NHL. “It’s a good thing that he’s a little too oblivious to some things as a goalie in Philadelphia,” Jake Voracek said.
Oskar Lindblom’s presence alone is a lift for the Flyers. And every time they seem to need added motivation, they see Lindblom. And it works, just like it did for Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.
The Flyers were 6-0 in games following a loss in the second half of the regular season. They can add a playoff win to that total with a greasy, bounce-back effort led by their goaltender. Here are 5 takeaways from the Flyers 1-0 win over the Canadiens in Game 3.
There was no sugarcoating this one after it was over. The scoreboard said it all. “We got our butts kicked today in all facets of the game,” head coach Alain Vigneault said.
Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien was hospitalized after experiencing chest pains overnight and will miss the remainder of the series against the Flyers.
Perhaps everyone on the outside of the series is making a bigger deal out of the goaltending matchup than the two teams and, individually, the two netminders are. But Carter Hart has come into the playoffs and replicated his performance from the regular season. And then in typical fashion, he has acted like it’s no big deal.
622 days ago, the Flyers were a team in complete disarray. They needed a change and fired the GM. They followed by replacing the GM, firing the head coach and powering through with an interim coach and a rookie goalie in net. Now, they have claimed the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Flyers’ depth this season has thus far proved that without Claude Giroux scoring, the team can still get the job done.
One look at the Penguins shows you the capability of any team in the league. It doesn’t matter where a team ranked in the standings, they are dangerous. The Flyers have to stay focused on their own game and stay motivated. And that’s why the Flyers won’t take this Canadiens team lightly.
The Flyers face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, and there’s certainly plenty of storylines to look at in this series. Here are five to watch for.
