The Montreal Canadiens avoided disaster, securing a crucial 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Centre on Saturday. With third-period goals from Brendan Gallagher, Lane Hutson, and Nick Suzuki, the Canadiens not only held off the Flyers but also capitalized on a New York Rangers’ regulation loss to take control of their playoff destiny.
Game Recap
Down 1-0 in the third period, the Canadiens rallied. Gallagher, along with Jake Evans, who was moved to a makeshift line with Josh Anderson out, immediately created chances. After Evans missed a pass from Gallagher, he set up Gallagher for his 20th goal of the season—his first 20-goal campaign since 2019-20.
Just over a minute later, defenseman Lane Hutson netted a goal, making it 2-1 with a clean shot past Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson, inching closer to the rookie defenseman scoring record in Canadiens history.
Nick Suzuki put the game out of reach with a shorthanded goal halfway through the period. Surrounded by three Flyers, Suzuki fired a quality shot to give the Canadiens a 3-1 lead, marking his 27th goal and 56th assist of the season. With 83 points, Suzuki reached the point-per-game mark for the first time in his career.
The Flyers made it interesting late, pulling within one after Tyson Foerster scored with the extra attacker. However, despite a late penalty giving the Flyers a 6-on-4 advantage, the Canadiens held firm, with goalie Sam Montembeault making 21 saves for the win.
The Canadiens now sit comfortably in the playoff race, four points ahead of the ninth-place Rangers, and will look to keep their momentum going with a Sunday matchup against the Nashville Predators.
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