Philadelphia Flyers aim to crush Montreal Canadiens – NHL Preview
It has been said plenty of time about Montreal Canadiens that they have a knack of upsetting the strong and aggressive opponents.
Their chances of reaching the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are virtually over, but they have planned to enjoy the remaining games in the regular season, apparently by stunning the opponents.
On the other hand, Philadelphia Flyers have not officially qualified for the playoffs, but it seems that nothing could stop them now from at least playing in the postseason.
Canadiens and Flyers will face each other on Saturday, March 24, 2012, at Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Let’s have a look at both teams.
Canadiens
They are ranked at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 71 points after 75 games and could be the first ones from the conference to officially get eliminated from the playoff contention.
In their last game, Canadiens defeated Ottawa Senators to snap their three-game skid.
Canadiens scored four goals in the first period with Erik Cole scoring a hat trick in the first six minutes of the game to set up the team’s record for the fastest hat trick.
Senators got a goal in the same period and Canadiens added another in the final as they won the game.
Even after scoring the hat trick, Cole was slightly frustrated as his team might not be able to play in the postseason. He said after the game:
"I'm not overly concerned with what everyone thinks I'm capable of. I know what I'm capable of. But when you factor in the frustration of the season, it's tough to look past that."
Flyers
They are ranked at fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with 94 points after 74 games.
Flyers won the first five games they played this month, but lost their way after that. Out of the next seven games, they could only win four and struggled a bit on offence.
In their last game, Flyers defeated Washington Capitals after a close encounter.
Capitals scored a goal in the first period and Flyers provided the equaliser in the second. The third period went goalless and no scoring move was made in overtime as well. In shootout, Flyers eventually managed a victory.
Flyers’ coach, Peter Laviolette, said after the game:
"Tonight, they played a desperate, hard-fought hockey game. They played like they needed these two points, and fought us to the end. That team is moving in the right direction."
Predictions
Flyers have a slight edge.
The sum of goals scored by both teams might stay under six.
If Canadiens win, the winning margin will be two or more goals.
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