PHILADELPHIA — Booed repeatedly and sloppy throughout, the Flyers lost for the sixth time in seven games Friday, falling 5-2, to the Montreal Canadiens.
While not boosted by much support, Carter Hart made only 26 saves and soon could feel a playing-time squeeze from Samuel Ersson.
Though squished in last place in the Atlantic Division, the Habs dominated for 60 minutes as the Flyers looked sluggish in their first home game after a four-game western swing.
“The biggest concern of mine was just the lack of quickness to pucks and to 50-50’s, ” John Tortorella said, “so we could get going the other way instead of being stuck in our own end zone.”
Chris Tierney scored at 19:55 of the first for a two-goal Montreal lead after a David Savard goal. Nick Suzuki’s power play goal made it 3-0.
The Flyers scored nine seconds into the third period when Owen Tippett stunned Jake Allen with a shot from behind the right-wing circle. Ivan Provorov added a goal with 1:28 to play. By then, third-period goals from Jesse Ylonen and Josh Anderson had inflated the Montreal lead to 5-1.
With Travis Konecny out with an arm injury, Tortorella is hoping that Tippett can assume some of the responsibilities.
“I haven’t been shy about how I feel about this guy,” Tortorella said. “If we can get him understanding killing penalties and he can pick up a few minutes doing that, it’s also going to help his 5-on-5 game away from the puck. So that’s encouraging.”
The Flyers will visit the Devils Saturday night at 7.
“Go to Jersey and get a fresh start,” Scott Laughton said, “and get over this one.”
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Konecny missed his second consecutive game with what officially is being termed an “upper body” disorder that surfaced Monday in Calgary.
“I don’t have a bunch of information,” Tortorella said. “He’s still being evaluated.”
Konecny leads the Flyers with 54 points and a career-high 27 goals. The immediate ripple effect was that Kieffer Bellows was scratched and replaced by Patrick Brown.
When asked if Konecny’s situation could linger, Tortorella did not issue an immediate denial.
“I have no idea,” he said. “We’ll get the information out as soon as we can.”
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While Hart started Friday, Ersson continues to complicate Tortorella’s goaltending situation.
The 23-year-old became just the 12th goaltender in NHL history to win his first six career decisions with a 4-3 victory in Calgary Monday and has both a better goals-against average (2.56) and save percentage (.913) than Hart.
None of that has surprised Tortorella, who was quick to tout the value of the 2018 fifth-round draft choice early in training camp.
“I didn’t even talk to him in camp,” Tortorella said. “I didn’t even know who he was. He was the best goalie in camp just through his play. But the more I’ve watched him and how he reacts to situations during the season, how he practices, the way he handles a position that is such a mental part of the game, he has an arrogance and the right type of swagger for a goalie.”
Having regularly identified him as the Flyers’ “backbone,” Tortorella maintains a similar appreciation for Hart.
“I think Carter has done a terrific job in that part of it too,” he said. “I am really encouraged with those two guys.”
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Defenseman Cam York has been playing on the right side and has been given more power-play time.
“I played left side my whole life,” he said. “I know it really well. We’ll see how I am over there. But I enjoy it.”
His willingness aside, York seemed uncomfortable Friday and was on the ice for two first-period goals that left Hart defenseless.
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Tanner Laczynski, who has been on the injured-reserve list since December with a lower-body matter, was on the ice for a Friday morning skate. Tortorella could offer no timeline for a lineup return.
Source: Berkshire mont
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