Philly Leader

With Brad Shaw stepping in as the interim head coach, the Philadelphia Flyers managed to claim a 6-4 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday evening. The Flyers were propelled by two goals each from Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier.

The Flyers went with a full lineup of skaters, consisting of 12 forwards and six defensemen, although Cam York did not see any ice time. Travis Sanheim anchored the defense, playing 30:06 minutes as part of a five-man rotation on the blueline.

The game's scoring opened when Matvei Michkov struck at 1:55 in the first period with his 21st goal of the season. Sean Couturier assisted by winning a puck battle and passing to Travis Konecny, who then set Michkov up near the net for the goal.

Montreal responded when Alex Newhook tied the score at 1-1 with a shot past Samuel Ersson, assisted by David Savard and rookie Lane Hutson. The Flyers regained the lead at 10:13 with a goal from Nic Deslauriers, assisted by Olle Lycksell and Rodrigo Abols. Michkov set up Couturier for another goal, giving the Flyers a 3-1 lead at the 11:15 mark.

The Flyers led in shots on goal during the first period, 11-10.

In the second period, Montreal had a power play opportunity at 6:59 but the Flyers successfully cleared it. A roughing incident at 11:33 led to a brief 4-on-4 play. The Flyers got their chance on a power play at 15:33 when Brendan Gallagher was penalized, but couldn’t capitalize.

The shots favored Montreal in the second period, 8-5, and the Canadiens made it a one-goal game when Cole Caufield scored at 2:15 of the third period. The Flyers soon gained a two-man advantage, but it was short-lived. Tyson Foerster extended the Flyers’ lead at 10:09, with his goal being upheld after a challenge for goaltender interference.

Sean Couturier ended Philly's power play woes with a goal that snapped a 0-for-34 streak at 11:43, building a 5-2 lead. Montreal's Christian Dvorak and Philly's Michkov exchanged goals shortly after, making it 6-3. Patrik Laine added another for Montreal, finalizing the game's score at 6-4.

The Canadiens pulled their goalie in the final moments. Konecny gave Michkov the chance for a hat trick on an empty net, but Michkov's shot hit the post.

Philadelphia's goalie, Samuel Ersson, made 26 saves on 30 shots. Jakub Dobes stopped 24 of 30 shots for Montreal.