Under normal circumstances, back-to-back games in the playoffs is highly uncommon. But these aren't normal circumstances, not when 12 teams have been sharing one arena for games. Not when everyone is playing in the same place and there is no travel involved.

It makes for a quick turnaround for the Flyers from their second straight shutout win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday night gives the Flyers the chance to finally get back on the right side of a playoff series result. They have a 3-1 lead and are a win away from their first playoff series win in over eight years.

Game 5 is set for 8 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia FlyersGPGAPMontreal CanadiensGPGAP
Scott Laughton7325Shea Weber8325
Kevin Hayes7055Jesperi Kotkaniemi8404
Jake Voracek6224Paul Byron8134
Michael Raffl3213Jeff Petry8213
Joel Farabee5213Nick Suzuki8123
Player to Watch
9 Ivan Provorov6 Shea Weber
Last 5 Games: 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, +3Last 5 Games: 2 G, 0 A, 2 P, +2
Offense has been hard to come by in this series, and in a potential clincher for the Flyers, defense will be the name of the game. Ivan Provorov is at the forefront of the play in front of the goaltender, and he continues to log a ton of minutes. His play hasn't been perfect, but in a time when you need your best players to do their job as effectively as possible, Provorov has the potential to completely shine.
In the last two games, there hasn't been a more dangerous player on the Montreal offense than Shea Weber. While Weber already plays stifling defense, his powerful shot is always a threat and he hasn't been afraid to attempt it multiple times. The Flyers have been courageous in getting in front of the Weber blast and blocking it, but you can certainly expect more the Montreal captain with the team's season on the line.
Projected Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart31 Carey Price
6 GP, 5-1-0, 1.24 GAA, .958 SV%8 GP, 4-4-0, 1.48 GAA, .949 SV%

Carter Hart made history with his second straight shutout in Game 4, becoming the second youngest goalie in NHL history to record two straight shutouts. Even in a back-to-back situation, how do you not go with Hart in this situation? He's helped to carry you through this series, even with the team playing solid defense around him, and you have a chance to close it out with a netminder who has been essentially perfect from a positioning standpoint for the last two games. Alain Vigneault played coy on lineup decisions, including who is in goal, but it certainly wouldn't be surprising if Hart was in.

With Montreal's backs to the wall, there's no question Carey Price is back in goal. If the Canadiens are going to make a push to come back in this series this is the most crucial game, not only because they have to win it, but because Price has an 0-2-2 record with a 3.76 GAA and .864 save percentage in the second-half of back-to-backs where he starts both games this season.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Left WingCenterRight Wing
12 Michael Raffl14 Sean Couturier93 Jake Voracek
49 Joel Farabee13 Kevin Hayes11 Travis Konecny
21 Scott Laughton28 Claude Giroux38 Derek Grant
82 Connor Bunnaman44 Nate Thompson18 Tyler Pitlick
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov15 Matt Niskanen
6 Travis Sanheim5 Phil Myers
8 Robert Hagg61 Justin Braun
Goalie
79 Carter Hart37 Brian Elliott

Canadiens Projected Lineup

Left WingCenterRight Wing
90 Tomas Tatar24 Philip Danault11 Brendan Gallagher
13 Max Domi14 Nick Suzuki92 Jonathan Drouin
41 Paul Byron15 Jesperi Kotkaniemi62 Artturi Lehkonen
60 Alex Belzile71 Jake Evans40 Joel Armia
Defense
8 Ben Chiarot6 Shea Weber
77 Brett Kulak26 Jeff Petry
61 Xavier Ouellet53 Victor Mete
Goalie
31 Carey Price39 Charlie Lindgren

Lineup Notes

  • Flyers: The Flyers made two lineup changes in scratching Nicolas Aube-Kubel and James van Riemsdyk for Game 4. Aube-Kubel was likely dealing with some effects of two blocked shots in Game 3 that left him in pain, but van Riemsdyk was strictly a healthy scratch. The Flyers then completely shuffled the lines and created all new combinations with the exception of the fourth line. Without knowing much about the lineup, a tactic of Alain Vigneault in these playoffs, these could stick for Game 5 or be completely shuffled again.
  • Canadiens: The Canadiens also changed up their combinations while keeping the same lineup for Game 4, but that could change now in a back-to-back with their season on the line. One possible addition to the lineup could be forward Ryan Poehling, who has shown some potential as a scorer in his brief NHL career and could give this already young Montreal team a boost in a game where they need to create offense.

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (24th), Canadiens (T-18th)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (14th), Canadiens (5th)
  • Recent History vs. Canadiens
    • Nov. 7, 2019 - Flyers 3, Canadiens 2 (F/OT) (at PHI)
    • Nov. 30, 2019 - Flyers 4, Canadiens 3 (F/OT) (at MTL)
    • Jan. 16, 2020 - Canadiens 4, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
    • Aug. 12, 2020 (Game 1) - Flyers 2, Canadiens 1
    • Aug. 14, 2020 (Game 2) - Canadiens 5, Flyers 0
    • Aug. 16, 2020 (Game 3) - Flyers 1, Canadiens 0
    • Aug. 18, 2020 (Game 4) - Flyers 2, Canadiens 0
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Canadiens (Career Regular Season Stats)
    • Jake Voracek - 31 GP, 7 G, 22 A, 29 P
    • Shayne Gostisbehere - 13 GP, 2 G, 12 A, 14 P
    • Claude Giroux - 36 GP, 10 G, 16 A, 26 P
    • James van Riemsdyk - 39 GP, 16 G, 9 A, 25 P
    • Sean Couturier - 27 GP, 7 G, 12 A, 19 P
    • Carter Hart - 4 GP, 2-2-0, 2.85 GAA, .913 SV%

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia/NBCSN
Radio: Rock 104.7/97.3 ESPN (Joined in progress after Sixers-Celtics)

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.

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