Flyers officially eliminated from playoffs after loss to Canadiens

Jackie Spiegel, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 5, 2025

Published in Hockey

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MONTREAL — Interim coach Brad Shaw wanted to go into the Bell Centre and spoil the Montreal Canadiens playoff hopes. But while it’s fun to take the life out of the building — which they did at times — its not easy to sustain.

Although the Flyers came out with energy and gusto, and took an early lead, it’s hard to compete with the power surge the Bell Centre and its rabid fans can give the hometown team. In between cheers and chants, the Canadiens showed why they are on the precipice of a return to the playoffs and skated away with a 3-2 win, ending the 3-0 start for the Brad Shaw era and officially eliminated the Flyers from the playoffs.

The Flyers goal 4 minutes, 10 seconds into the game was thanks to a guy who knows about big moments at the Bell Centre. Ryan Poehling, who scored a hat trick and the shootout winner in his first NHL game when he suited up for the Canadiens, scored his fourth goal during a three-game streak.

Emil Andrae started the Flyers’ breakout with a pass to Jakob Pelletier. The Quebec native skated through the neutral zone and dished the puck to Cam York on his left. The pass didn’t fully connect, but the defenseman regrouped and fed a quick pass to Pelletier, who corralled the puck with one hand on his stick before passing it to Poehling on his right. The Minnesotan had some room and scored on the backhand for his career-high 12th goal this season.

Sam Ersson got the start and looked laser focused early on. In the first period, he stoned Cole Caufield from the bumper during a Canadiens power play and robbed the 35-goal scorer again in the second period on a tip. His prettiest save was less than 90 seconds later when he made a flashy glove save on a Christian Dvorak one-timer off a rush.

Ersson stopped the 15 shots he saw across the first two periods, including 11 in the second. But then 84 seconds into the third, Brendan Gallagher broke through with a quick strike from the right faceoff circle.

And 76 seconds later, Lane Hutson gave the Canadiens a 2-1 lead. The NHL’s rookie points leader carried the puck up the ice from behind his own goal. He skated past Noah Cates down the left side and was kept to the outside by Jamie Drysdale but sent a shot from the goal line that snuck past Ersson.

Hutson’s goal moved him five points ahead of Matvei Michkov for the rookie points lead.

Nick Suzuki added a short-handed goal after he outraced the Flyers on puck deep in their end.

Tyson Foerster made it 3-2 with a six-on-four power-play goal with 38.5 seconds left. Sam Montembeault had Foerster’s quick shot off a pass from Travis Konecny squeeze through. The hometown fans weren’t happy on the play as seconds prior, Foerster had knocked the puck way from a Canadiens defender.

Breakaways

The Flyers had a four-minute power play in the first period but couldn’t muster much. Karsen Dorwart made his NHL debut. The undrafted center, slotted between Nick Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway, did not look out of place at five-on-five while also getting time on the second power play.

Up next

The Flyers will face the New York Rangers on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.