For 20 minutes, it looked like the Flyers were about to put their recent troubles behind them. But as we all know, it takes 60 minutes (or more) to complete a hockey game, and on Tuesday night, the Flyers needed all of them.
After taking a 3-0 lead in the first period, the Flyers turned around and surrendered four goals to the Montreal Canadiens in the second, leaving them down 4-3 heading into the final period. Not to be denied in the third frame, the Flyers got a tying goal from rookie Nikita Grebenkin—his first in the NHL—at 10:51 to even the score once again.
The game went to a shootout, and the Flyers secured a 5-4 win on a goal by Trevor Zegras at the Bell Centre in Montreal. It was the Flyers’ first road win of the season (1-2-1). They finished with a season-high 42 shots on net, marking the third time this season that the Flyers have won after trailing going into the third period.
Philadelphia used a pair of Bobby Brink goals to build their initial 3-0 edge. They held a dominant 12-2 margin in shots during the first period and controlled play across all three zones.
The second period, however, was a completely different story. Montreal picked up a pair of goals from Kirby Dach at 3:12 and 13:28, plus single markers from Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov (power play) to take the lead.
After not allowing more than two goals in each of his first six starts this season, goalie Dan Vladar has now given up four goals in each of his last two games. Nevertheless, Vladar stopped all three Montreal shots in the shootout.
Defenseman Cam York praised the Flyers’ resilience after losing the lead in the second. “We had a game plan going into the game, and I thought we executed,” York said. “It was a great start for us. Obviously, the second wasn’t our best, but we battled in the third.”
When asked what fueled the late rally, York added, “I think we settled down. We won the first, they won the second, and it was just a battle for the third period. Who was going to win that one was going to win the game. It was a gutsy win.”
Center Sean Couturier noted that penalties at critical moments nearly cost the Flyers an earlier win. “Going to the net, getting on the inside, that’s what we’ve been talking about,” Couturier said. “Getting bodies there. I thought we played good overall. We just caught some penalties. But we stuck with it. We deserved those two points.”
It was a satisfying outcome for coach Rick Tocchet. “I liked the resolve in the third,” Tocchet stated. “I think we held them to one chance in the third. And we had 42 shots. Good effort by everyone tonight.”
Tocchet mentioned that the team met at the hotel on Sunday night to discuss plans to simplify their game approach. “They took the information and applied it tonight,” he said.
The Flyers dominated the first period, scoring more goals than Montreal had shots on net. This offensive surge matched their entire output in recent weekend losses to Toronto and Calgary.
Brink kicked things off just 1:56 after the opening faceoff, redirecting Travis Sanheim’s long shot past goalie Sam Montembeault. The Flyers then capitalized on a pair of Montreal penalties called just 28 seconds apart to score two more goals.
While Philadelphia held a two-man advantage, Zegras made a sensational pass to defenseman Cam York, who scored at 7:07. This marked power-play goals in five of the Flyers’ last six games.
Still on the power play, Brink scored again at 7:50 to make it 3-0.
Montreal fought back quickly in the second period. Dach benefitted from a fortuitous bounce to score early, then during a penalty to Sanheim, Suzuki added a goal at 4:15, fueling the Canadiens’ comeback.
During a first intermission televised interview, Brink credited the offensive outburst in the first period to a concerted effort to get bodies close to the net. “Just get to the net,” he said. “We were getting to the net well. That’s where goals are scored. We did that better in the first.”
With Tyson Foerster out due to injury, Brink played alongside Couturier and Matvei Michkov—two skill players he enjoyed playing with. “You just have to get your head up a little bit better,” Brink explained. “Kind of know who you’re playing with, know their strengths, and it becomes more predictable.”
**Short Shots**
– Rodrigo Abols was a late scratch and was replaced by Nick Deslauriers.
– With Foerster on injured reserve, the Flyers shuffled their lines:
– Owen Tippett joined the pairing of Zegras and Christian Dvorak.
– Couturier centered Brink and Michkov.
– Noah Cates had Travis Konecny on his wings.
– Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway manned the wings around Jacob Gaucher.
The Flyers will head to Nashville for their next game on Thursday night.
Zegras finished the night with two assists, including his 200th NHL point.
Wayne Fish is a freelance writer. Follow his coverage at www.flyingfishhockey.com.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/11/05/flyers-blow-early-3-0-lead-then-rally-for-shootout-win-over-montreal/
