Artturi Lehkonen
Jesperi Kotkaniemi took a major boarding penalty. Matt Niskanen has been suspended for Game 6 for a cross-check to the head of Brendan Gallagher. Nick Suzuki fueled the fire by patting Carter Hart on the head after a goal. A collision between Sean Couturier and Artturi Lehkonen started an end-of-game scrum. The bad blood in this series went from 0 to 60 in Game 5.
The Flyers didn’t have their best in Game 1, but came away with the 2-1 win in large part due to their goaltender. On Friday afternoon, they have a chance to really establish themselves in the series. Game 2 is set for 3 p.m.
The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway for the Philadelphia Flyers as they play the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 on Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
One look at the Penguins shows you the capability of any team in the league. It doesn’t matter where a team ranked in the standings, they are dangerous. The Flyers have to stay focused on their own game and stay motivated. And that’s why the Flyers won’t take this Canadiens team lightly.
Claude Giroux noted that, while it’s no excuse, it can be tough to get up the next day and play another game, no matter the opponent. Alain Vigneault didn’t buy into the theory. “You know that word that starts with b?” the Flyers head coach said.
Ilya Kovalchuk entered the game with five points in six games with the Canadiens and added two more with a pair of goals as the Flyers were stymied by Carey Price and fell to the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1, on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center.
