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Canadiens clobber flat Flyers in Game 2, First Round playoff series now tied 1-1

Canadiens Flyers Habs Game 2 series tied 1-1

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 14: Head Coach Alain Vigneault (top center) of the Philadelphia Flyers reacts after Jesperi Kotkaniemi (not pictured) #15 of the Montreal Canadiens scored the fifth goal on the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 14, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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If you’re compiling a list of the most one-sided periods from the NHL return, you can’t ignore how thoroughly the Canadiens dominated the Flyers to open Game 2. From there, the Flyers never really took off, and the Canadiens cruised to a dominant 5-0 Game 2 win to tie the series 1-1.

Chalk it up to a “Win it for Claude” attitude as head coach Claude Julien was hospitalized before Game 2, or any number of motivational factors, but this was a lopsided affair.

It took almost the entire first period for the Flyers to merely earn a shot on goal. By then, the Canadiens were already up 2-0, and then opened the second period on a power play following a controversial penalty whistled on Shayne Gostisbehere defending a breaking Max Domi.

[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Let’s be honest, though: the Flyers might strain something trying to reach for that moment as an excuse. This was almost a baffling affair, and it was far from Carter Hart’s fault, as the young goalie got the hook for Brian Elliott after the 4-0 goal.

Carey Price needed to make some nice saves to keep the score the way it was, but this was a sound Game 2 win for Montreal. Price generated his seventh career playoff shutout, stopping all 30 shots. While his performance won’t be the main focus, Price helped stop the Flyers on some power-play opportunities that might have made Game 2 more competitive.

Max Domi ranked among the other standout Canadiens, collecting three assists in Game 2. Also, Jesperi Kotkaniemi continues to look more like the beyond-his-years rookie version of himself, rather than the Kotkaniemi who struggled enough to get demoted to the AHL in 2019-20. Both Kotkaniemi and Tomas Tatar enjoyed two-goal performances against the flummoxed Flyers in Game 2.

Flyers might just want to burn the tape from Game 2 beatdown vs. Canadiens

For the Flyers, there are some questions. Is Travis Konecny OK after leaving the contest with an injury? Could some of this boil down to overconfidence for a team that’s been red-hot really since before the pause (they won nine of their last 10 regular season games).

On one hand, there’s likely less heartache when you just experience a dud of a game. On the other hand, it’s important to do some soul-searching after a game like this. Especially since, as usual, the Habs dealt most of their damage at even-strength.

No. 1 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 8 Montreal Canadiens (Series tied 1-1)

Wednesday, Aug. 12: Philadelphia 2, Montreal 1 (recap)
Friday, Aug. 14: Montreal 5, Philadelphia 0
Sunday, Aug. 16: Philadelphia at Montreal, 8 p.m. ET – NBC
Tuesday, Aug. 18: Philadelphia at Montreal, 3 p.m. ET – NBCSN
*Wednesday, Aug. 19: Montreal at Philadelphia – TBD
*Friday, Aug. 21: Philadelphia at Montreal – TBD
*Sunday, Aug. 23: Montreal at Philadelphia – TBD

*if necessary

MORE:
Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round schedule


James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.