The Philadelphia Flyers won a playoff series!
The Philadelphia Flyers are moving on to the second round for the first time since 2012.
Never a doubt.
Well, maybe. Full marks to the Montreal Canadiens for making this a series. But in the end, the Philadelphia Flyers showed they were the better team. It took big efforts from a number of players, as well as adopting the necessary style of play, and the Flyers were game. Friday night’s clinching Game 6 wasn’t the prettiest effort, with the Flyers being outshot 33-17. Still, the defensive effort was stout, with the Orange and Black doing their best impression of the trap-era New Jersey Devils in gutting out the 3-2 win.
Many expected the Flyers to largely coast in this series, and why wouldn’t you? The Canadiens wouldn’t have even been here if not for the expanded playoff field, while the Flyers had been surging since before the NHL’s pause in March. Montreal’s qualifying round victory over the Penguins, however, should have served as a wake-up call that the Habs were a worthy opponent.
More from Philadelphia Flyers
- How to Claim $3,000+ In Pennsylvania Sportsbook Bonuses Today!
- DraftKings Pennsylvania Promo Will Give You $200 Bonus GUARANTEED for Betting Just $5
- Flyers/Avalanche: What a difference three years makes
- Surprise, the Philadelphia Flyers are struggling again
- Philadelphia Flyers: The organization must embrace the tank this season
That ended up being the case, but Carter Hart proved equal to the task of defeating his boyhood idol, Carey Price. Matching the decorated Price save for save, Hart made a splash in his first-ever taste of NHL postseason hockey, one that Flyers fans will never forget, and hope is just a taste of things to come.
Game 6 saw the Flyers play the same kind of suffocating defense that proved so successful earlier in the series. It wasn’t very reminiscent of what we saw from the club back in the regular season, but it’s how you have to play to win playoff games. Credit Alain Vigneault and his staff for making the adjustments they needed to, and the players for executing the plan.
A number of the Flyers’ big guns were neutralized by the Canadiens, something that should be a cause for concern as the team catches it breath and readies itself for the New York Islanders. But the important thing here is that Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, and other players who underwhelmed offensively will get more cracks at it as the Flyers continue their drive into the playoffs.
We can nitpick the power play and some other elements of this series, but team play (plus a young stud goaltender) assured that the Flyers would come out on top in a best-of-seven series for the first time since President Obama’s first term.
Next. It's time for Giroux to step up. dark
We all have some idea of how a “perfect” series would look, and this certainly wasn’t it. But for an August playoff series played exclusively in Toronto in front of no fans, it was pretty darn good. The Flyers and their fans can’t be too picky about how they win. Savor this victory, but then settle down and get ready for more. This round was just an appetizer.