Montreal Canadiens Struggle to Solve Carter Hart in Game 1
By Emmanuel D
This is Where the Fun Begins
There was no question in mind that the second period play resembled a playoff game much closer than any minute played in the first. Both the Canadiens and Flyers exchanged exciting scoring chances that were halted by Carey Price on one end and Carter Hart on the other while the players beg
Shea Weber scored the lone powerplay goal for the Montreal Canadiens that was granted due to a holding call on Flyers forward Nicholas Aube-Kubel. This tie was short-lived as Joel Farabee scored to give the Philadelphia the 2-1 lead that they would carry all the way to the end of regulation. Travis Sanheim assisted on the play in which the Canadiens were unsure if they had gotten the puck out of their zone, putting Carey Price on the rebound that he had no time to react on.
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Struggling to Solve Carter Hart
The third period, like the two before it, had one thing in common. Carter Hart. The 22-year old netminder who grew up idolizing Carey Price put on a performance of his own too. Hart finished the night with 28 shots against and a .964 SV%.
Hart’s quality performance aside, there are several Canadiens who struggled offensively throughout the game who would have made a big difference had they played closer to their regular-season selves. In this case, Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar.
Neither of the two players got on the scoresheet in their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which will need to change if the Canadiens want any chance of advancing. Brendan Gallagher looks to be slowly picking up the pace and doing what he does best, causing havoc in the crease. Tomas Tatar, on the other hand, has yet to make any notable plays after career-year prior to the NHL’s shutdown. In a low-scoring game like tonight’s, their offence will be relied on in the following games.