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Canadiens fail to solve Hart again as Flyers take Game 4

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Carter Hart posted his second straight shutout as the Flyers punished the wasteful Canadiens and pushed them to the brink of elimination.

Michael Raffl and Philippe Myers provided the goals and Carter Hart stopped 29 shots as the Flyers topped Montreal 2-0 to take a 3-1 series advantage.

Philadelphia can end the series in Game 5 on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN).

Hoping to bounce back from being shut out in Game 4, the Canadiens put pressure on Hart, but the young netminder couldn’t be beat. They controlled possession early on and found ways to get to the Flyers’ net, but failed to capitalize. After being shutout only once during the regular season Montreal has now gone 129:25 without scoring a goal.

[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Philadelphia got on the board first following a failed zone exit by Brendan Gallagher. Jakub Voracek picked up the puck at the blue line and sent a cross-ice pass to Michael Raffl. A little give-and-go with Sean Couturier, who knocked the puck away from Gallagher, ended with Raffl ripping a shot top shelf over Carey Price’s blocker.

The Flyers continued to controlled the shot attempts, and just as Montreal was starting to take swing possession in their favor, Philippe Myers effectively ended the game.

The backbreaking goal began with Kevin Hayes, who had a strong game at both ends, forcing a turnover in the Flyers’ zone. The rush up ice resulted in Myers’ shot skipping through Price.

That goal put Montreal on its heels for the final period and they could not piece together a comeback. The Flyers are now a win away from advancing to the Second Round for the first time since 2012.

After getting pulled during a 5-0 defeat in Game 2, Hart has recovered and improved his 5-on-5 save percentage to .966. He joins Bernie Parent and Michael Leighton as the only goalies in Flyers history to record back-to-back playoff shutouts. He’s also the second-youngest netminder in NHL history with consecutive playoff shutouts, only behind Harry Lumley of the 1944-45 Red Wings who did it at age 18.

[RELATED: Carter Hart’s star continues to rise for Flyers]

No. 1 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 8 Montreal Canadiens (PHI leads 3-1)

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

*if necessary

MORE:
Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round schedule

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.