Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella was surprised by the cameras with a smile despite frustration when the Canadiens tied the game late in the third period.
” Me too [je souriais] exclaimed the head coach of the Montreal team, Martin St-Louis, when informed of the scene.
Cole Caufield tied the game with 1.9 seconds left in regulation, Nick Suzuki was the only player to hit the target in the shootout and the Canadiens beat the Flyers 5-4 on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
The Canadian overcame deficits of 2-0 and 4-3 before snapping a short two-game losing streak. He also offered a victory to St. Louis in his first duel against the instructor with whom he flourished as a player and won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“We support each other and I have a lot of respect for him,” said St-Louis. It was special behind the bench tonight. »
“I know he thinks his team might deserve a better fate, but I don’t feel bad! »
Suzuki beat goaltender Carter Hart in a shootout with a masterful fake. In the net of the Canadian, Jake Allen gave nothing to the Flyers. He was lucky when a shot from Morgan Frost hit both posts without the puck crossing the goal line.
Caufield had two goals and an assist, while Mike Matheson, in his first game of the season, and Christian Dvorak also scored in regulation time for the Canadiens (9-8-1). Suzuki had two assists and Allen made 25 saves.
On the side of the Flyers (7-7-4), Owen Tippett scored twice, while Travis Sanheim and Kevin Hayes also moved the ropes. Zack MacEwen was credited with two assists and Hart stopped 28 shots.
The Flyers suffered a sixth straight loss (0-4-2).
Matheson was playing his first game with the Canadiens this season after recovering from an abdominal muscle injury suffered during camp. Matheson was acquired this summer from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling.
Jordan Harris was dropped from the Canadiens’ roster on Saturday to make room for Matheson.
St. Louis said after the game that Mike Hoffman was injured during the game. He was not employed in the third period even though he remained on the bench. His condition will be reassessed over the next few days.
The Canadiens will take over the reins on Tuesday, when they host the Buffalo Sabers at the Bell Centre.
Entertaining show
After a long ceremony honoring people battling cancer, the Flyers seemed to have the most stretched legs.
Sanheim scored just 39 seconds into the game. Then Tippett added his first goal of the night at 2:55.
Matheson and Joel Edmundson were both minus-2 after two appearances on the ice.
Dvorak quickly revived the Canadian, taking advantage of a loose puck at 4:07 to score his fourth goal of the season.
The Habs completed the comeback before the end of the first period. Sean Monahan scored on the power play, but the goal was canceled following a challenge from Tortorella. Monahan pushed Hart’s pad behind the goal line to score. Caufield bought out his teammate just 90 seconds later as the Canadian had a two-man power play.
The first half of the second period was in favor of the Flyers. Tippett put on a show by mocking Kaiden Guhle, but his shot hit the post. He then set the table for Frost, who couldn’t complete as he was alone in front of Allen.
The Canadian found his bearings thereafter. Matheson moved the ropes with 8:05 to go, thanks to a precise shot following a nice pass from Suzuki.
Tippett replied, however, with 4:10 left in the second period. He surprised Allen by shooting as soon as the puck touched the ice during a face-off in Canadian territory.
The Flyers then took a 4-3 lead after 8:17 of play in the third period. Nick Seeler’s initial shot was blocked by Jake Evans. Hayes retrieved the disc and quickly fired, surprising Allen from the short side.
It took a general onslaught from the Canadiens at six against five to finally force the presentation of a tiebreaker. Caufield created the 4-4 deadlock with 1.9 seconds remaining, thanks to another one-timer following a pass from Suzuki.
Suzuki and Allen then helped the Canadian win in the shootout.
Locker Room Echoes
Pointe-Claire native Mike Matheson was over the moon after scoring in his first game with his boyhood team.
“It’s a moment I will never forget. It’s hard to describe, but it’s really special. »
Cole Caufield praised Nick Suzuki’s poise on the equalizer late in the third period.
“You look at the dial every time someone misses their shot. I saw when there were 10 seconds left. I think most players would take a shot with three seconds to go. I guess Nick trusts me! It’s good ! »
Joel Edmundson said he was impressed with the physical condition of Matheson, who played for 23:57.
“He is a real beast. He never seems tired in training. We knew he would be ready. Yes, our first two appearances ended badly, but we remained positive. He had a very good game. »