Instant reactions: Flyers, Trevor Zegras win WILD shootout in Montreal

Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame

What a fun, stupid game.

The Philadelphia Flyers opened up a 3-0 lead in the first, with Bobby Brink (2G), Cam York (1G, 1A) and Trevor Zegras (2A) all tallying a couple points in the opening frame.

But the Montreal Canadiens took the lead in the second with four goals on nine shots, only for Nikita Grebenkin to score his first NHL goal and force OT.

From there, after a shaky game in goal, Dan Vladar didn’t allow a puck behind him in the shootout and Zegras continued to torment netminders, scoring the only goal of the skills competition. Holy hell. That was a rollercoaster!

First period

FAST START! Sean Couturier cancels an icing, then gets the puck back to the point and Sanheim’s shot-pass to Bobby Brink in the slot puts the Flyers up 1-0 less than two minutes in!

After a chance or two for the Habs, Philly is getting a power play after Mike Matheson plays a puck over the glass. PECOOOOOO! And now they’re going up two men after Noah Dobson crosschecks Brink right in front of the referee.

TREVOR ZEGRAS WITH A MAGICAL SPINNING BEHIND-THE-BACK PASS to set up a Cam York one-timer! And then they come right back with a 5-on-4 goal to make it 3-0! HOT DAMNs ALL AROUND!

The team has clearly responded to Rick Tocchet calling them out. Brink has 2 goals in the first eight minutes, and Zegras has a pair of power play assists. I can barely keep up with these reactions, but I gotta tell ya, it’s a lot better than waiting for things to write about like I had to do over the weekend.

With Philly up 3-0, in Montreal Typical fashion, Nick Seeler gets called for a ticky-tack interference as Jamie Drysdale skated the puck behind Dan Vladar and now the Habs have a chance against the Orange Hot Flyers PK. Philadelphia wins the first of these special teams matchups, and they’ve now killed 22 straight. Hell yeah!

With 17 seconds left, Zegras almost gave us another highlight at first keeping the puck in at the line with his glove and then getting it back from Christian Dvorak and pulling a through-the-legs dangle into a backhand chance but Sam Montembault gloved it.

The Flyguys have plenty of jump tonight, and they’re taking it to the Habs, pace-wise. There’s a concerted effort to get traffic in front, and get shots off. After taking 40 minutes to be credited with 9 SOG on Sunday, the Flyers put up 11 in the first on 17 attempts.

The D-men have been especially active, registering 5 shots on 6 attempts, with Sanheim (1A) and York (1G, 1A) combining for three points. More of this, please!

Second period

Zegras is everywhere tonight, and his line with Owen Tippett and Dvorak has been dangerous.

Ah, damn. Montreal applied some pressure and Kirby Dach makes the score 3-1, taking advantage of a shot banging off the back wall right out to Dach on the back side and he slammed it home, and right after Sanheim takes a tripping minor and now the Habs have a power play. The Flyers PK has been great but the Habs’ puck movement was too much and Nick Suzuki makes it 3-2 less than 5 minutes into the second on a feed from Ivan Demidov. The PK streak ends at 22.

And we’re going back to the kill after Coots takes an offensive zone tripping minor. Not great. The Flyers needed some shifts to build momentum but instead the Habs PP unit, which has 6 goals in the last 3+ games is back on the ice. Philly actually had 2 decent chances short-handed, including Tippett all alone, but didn’t convert. They did get the kill, though. Let’s see if they can use that to take back over.

POWER PLAY! The Flyers finally get another call after Joe Veleno got called for a high hit in the corner on Jamie Drysdale. Could this be it? The first 3 PPG game for Philly since March 1, 2020? LET’S GO!!!

Brink nearly got his hat trick when he carried the puck through the middle and the seas parted, but he couldn’t quite make the move to give himself a clean chance. DAMN! Michkov found Coots on the backdoor but Coots whiffed and the Habs got a breakaway but only found post. They got a couple chances right as the advantage expired but nothing went.

“Is this the same sport?” Jim Jackson remarks on the high-event game, a stark contrast from Sunday.

And just like that it’s tied. Lane Hutson sets up Dach for his second, and the Habs have 3 goals on 8 shots. Not blaming Vladar but I wonder what his leash is tonight.

Another o-zone trip has the Flyers back to the kill, as Brink gets called for Demidov’s lack of balance in a puck battle.

4-3 after a failed clear ends up in the back of the net. Demidov, who should be in the box for diving, shelves it over Vladar. Yikes. Four goals on seven shots this period. YIKES.

Flyers going back on the power play now with a chance to tie, with Dach called for holding Tippett.

Tippett has turned it over roughly 69 times on this power play.

Michkov made the same play he made to setup Coots earlier, this time to Dvorak, but Montembault made a huge save to preserve Montreal’s leading in the waning seconds of the period.

The Flyers didn’t suck in that period, they outshot the Habs 18-9, but unfortunately the score swung ridiculously. My theory is the net at the other end is just bigger, so hopefully with the Flyers shooting on it again in the third, things will turn dramatically.

Third period

Nic Deslauriers and Arber Xhekaj drop the gloves early in the period, and both landed some good shots but I’d give the decision to DLo. Well timed scrap, that has to get the boys going again.

Garnet Hathaway had a chance at his first goal of the year on a cross-ice feed from Travis Konecny, but Montembault was there again. He has rebounded nicely after a terrible first period. If nothing else, we’ve cashed our saves prop for the Habs’ netminder.

It seems like Hathaway has replaced Grebenkin on a line with TK and Noah Cates. The Flyers have had some chances, and now are getting another power play opportunity after Drysdale draws a boarding call on Cole Caufield.

Montembault is everywhere now, as he denies a few good chances, including TK on the doorstep. Philly has 35 SOG, and Montembault has stopped about 30 in a row.

NIKITA GREBENKIN IS BACK OUT THERE WITH TK AND TIES THE GAME AT FOUR!

Grebenkin rips one skating to the middle from the right wing circle and Grebenkin has the first goal of his NHL career. We start again with nine minutes left in regulation.

The pace is very deliberate as we tick under five minutes, with both teams seemingly wanting at least one point out of this ridiculous game.

Montreal has had a lot of possession time since about the four minute mark, but even with Vladar looking shaky, the score is still tied. The Flyers get the puck deep with 20 seconds left, and the final seconds come ff the clock as the Habs loft the puck out, time for some 3v3!

Overtime

The Canadiens have won nine games so far this season, five of them at 3-on-3. So this will be a huge challenge for the Flyers to survive the OT period.

Philly had possession for the first 1:15 but really only got one chance, with TK getting in on Montembault but a kick save kept the game going. Demidov got a chance to end it as well but Vladar stopped him, as he did Newhook moments later. The Flyers then got away with a couple penalties and turned play the other way, and will get an o-zone draw with 46 seconds left.

With six seconds left Demidov gets called for a slash and Philly will get a brief 4v3 before the shootout. PULL THE GOALIE! DO IT TOCCHET! Time has been added, there’s 7.2 seconds left. That’s probably too much to chance the 5-on-3. But it would be ballsy.

The Flyers had a chance on a TK one-timer thanks to some great work by Cates, but Suzuki blocks it and we go to a shootout!

Shootout

Trevor Zegras with a ridiculous stick-handling display and five-hole goal after Demidov failed on his attempt. Cole Caufield is also denied and now Matvei Michkov can win it, but Montembault turns him away.

Vladar needs a save to seal the game and Suzuki is trying to extend the skills competition… Suzuki dekes Vladar out but can’t finish and the Flyers win! What the hell just happened?!

Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame