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NHL Playoffs: Philadelphia Flyers vs Montreal Canadiens Game 2 preview, stream, start time, TV channel and more

By Mike Zawisza

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 09: Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (79) eyes the puck during the game between the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers on October 9, 2019, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 09: Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (79) eyes the puck during the game between the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers on October 9, 2019, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens played host to a goaltender’s duel in game one of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series. Will game two feature similar virtuosic performances in net?

Heading into game one, the storyline of the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens matchup was of the young Carter Hart going head-to-head against his childhood idol, Carey Price. The narrative lived up to the billing, as both Hart and Price were spectacular in net. Each goalie made a plethora of 10-bell saves, perhaps none greater than Price’s desperation stick-save on Flyers forward Scott Laughton.

It seems like a fair bet to say goaltending will continue to be the story of this series.

How we got here

As previously mentioned, game one was a goalie duel. Both netminders gave their respective teams each and every opportunity to win, with Carter Hart and the Flyers coming out victorious courtesy of a goal by rookie Joel Farabee.

As far as the skaters go, the Flyers managed to control the ice at even-strength during the majority of the first and third periods. They had their forecheck going and held the Canadiens to a minimum number of shots during those frames.

However, the Canadiens came alive during the second period and carried play by a wide margin, also generating more high-danger chances (13 to Philly’s eight).

In the end, the Flyers ability to regain control of play in the third period allowed them to take a 1-0 series lead.

What to watch for in Game 2

The goalies. That’s the tweet. For real though, this series will continue to be dictated by the play of the netminders. If the Habs continue to play as tight a contest as they did on Wednesday, and Carey Price remains vintage Price, then they might once again be able to steal a series.

Their forechecking game gave the Flyers fits in game one, something the Flyers aren’t used to. Montreal took away time and space in the Flyers defensive end and forced the Flyers defensemen to make poor decisions in their own end. On the other side of the puck, Shea Weber continued his strong surge into the postseason, scoring a goal and absolutely leveling James van Riemsdyk and Sean Couturier on separate occasions. The Canadiens were right there in game one.

Last preview, we mentioned how the Flyers needed to get their big line going. In game one, they weren’t quite there, but they showed signs of their dominance. Claude Giroux rang iron after beating Price short side and rookie Joel Farabee (promoted to the top line) managed to score the game-winning goal just 16 seconds after the Canadiens tied it.

It was a good step forward for that line. Perhaps Flyers coach Alain Vigneault should try matching them up against the Kotkaniemi line instead of the Daneault line, as Daneault is an underrated defensive forward.

When, where and how to watch

When: Friday, 3 p.m. ET

Where: NBC Sports Network, NBCSN Philly, CBC (Canada), Sportsnet (Canada)

Live Stream: NBC Sports App, Fubo TV (subscription required, but includes seven-day free trial), r/NHL Streams