Round 1, Game 6 Preview: Flyers-Canadiens
Well, after four games of both teams playing pretty standard hockey with mostly calm moments, things were amped up in Game 5 and the blood is boiling going into Game 6.
Montreal forced Game 6 with a 5-3 win on Wednesday, leaving the Flyers still one win away from advancing past the first round for the first time since 2012. It is an extremely important game for the Flyers, who don't want to be pushed to the brink by the Canadiens, while Montreal looks to keep the pressure on and do just that. Both teams will be without key players in Friday's game, so it should be an energetic affair that fits the mold of playoff hockey at its finest.
Game 6 is set for 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Montreal Canadiens | GP | G | A | P |
Jake Voracek | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | Shea Weber | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Scott Laughton | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | Nick Suzuki | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Kevin Hayes | 8 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Jonathan Drouin | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Sean Couturier | 8 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Jesperi Kotkaniemi | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Joel Farabee | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | Paul Byron | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Player to Watch | |
11 Travis Konecny | 14 Nick Suzuki |
Last 5 Games: 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, E | Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, +3 |
Projected Goalie Matchup | |
79 Carter Hart | 31 Carey Price |
7 GP, 5-2-0, 1.66 GAA, .944 SV% | 9 GP, 5-4-0, 1.65 GAA, .943 SV% |
Game 5 was a shaky one for Carter Hart. He allowed four goals and was in danger of being pulled before an offside challenge took away a Montreal goal and gave Alain Vigneault a chance to talk to the netminder and give him a vote of confidence. From there, Hart was solid, allowing just one goal the rest of the way. Hart has been the catalyst for the Flyers in this series and they need him one more time to get through to the next round.
The Canadiens have two wins in the series and Carey Price really hasn't been the deciding factor in either. That could all change in Game 6. Price was looking very sharp in Game 5, but the Flyers were able to break through on the power play. With their playoff lives extended, Price gets the call again and could be the one who decides this game.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 93 Jake Voracek |
49 Joel Farabee | 13 Kevin Hayes | 11 Travis Konecny |
25 James van Riemsdyk | 21 Scott Laughton | 38 Derek Grant |
12 Michael Raffl | 44 Nate Thompson | 18 Tyler Pitlick |
Defense | ||
9 Ivan Provorov | 61 Justin Braun | |
6 Travis Sanheim | 5 Phil Myers | |
53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 8 Robert Hagg | |
Goalie | ||
79 Carter Hart | 37 Brian Elliott |
Canadiens Projected Lineup
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
90 Tomas Tatar | 24 Philip Danault | 92 Jonathan Drouin |
13 Max Domi | 14 Nick Suzuki | 62 Artturi Lehkonen |
41 Paul Byron | 15 Jesperi Kotkaniemi | 40 Joel Armia |
54 Charles Hudon | 71 Jake Evans | 60 Alex Belzile |
Defense | ||
8 Ben Chiarot | 6 Shea Weber | |
77 Brett Kulak | 26 Jeff Petry | |
61 Xavier Ouellet | 53 Victor Mete | |
Goalie | ||
31 Carey Price | 39 Charlie Lindgren |
Lineup Notes
- Flyers: Matt Niskanen was suspended for Game 6, so he will be out. Shayne Gostisbehere comes back in to take his lineup spot. James van Riemsdyk is also expected to re-enter the lineup for Connor Bunnaman. As with previous games, expect the lines and pairings to go through changes throughout the game.
- Canadiens: The Canadiens also suffer a big loss with Brendan Gallagher out for the remainder of the series with a broken jaw. Charles Hudon was a new addition to the lineup for Montreal in Game 5, and he could stay in the lineup with Gallagher out. Alex Belzile was a healthy scratch for Game 5 and could also be back in the lineup now that Gallagher.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (21st), Canadiens (19th)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (12th), Canadiens (11th)
- 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
- Aug. 19, 2020 (Game 5) - Canadiens 5, Flyers 3
- 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 (Local)/NBCSN (National)
Radio: Rock 104.1 FM/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.