4 Takeaways from the Flyers 3-2 Shootout loss to Montreal

The Philadelphia Flyers went up to an empty Montreal and fell 3-2 in the shootout. Jackson Cates slotted in for Morgan Frost and Carter Hart got the start in net. This was the first meeting between these two teams since the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Flyers’ starting lineup:

Flyers lines and pairings tonight:

Laughton-Couturier-Konecny
Lindblom-Giroux-Atkinson
Willman-Hayes-JvR
Cates-Brown-MacEwen

Provorov-Braun
Sanheim-Ristolainen
Yandle-Connauton

Hart
— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) December 16, 2021

Another great Carter Hart performance

Carter Hart with another great performance and a .950 SV%. He stopped 38 out of 40 shots and only allowed one goal in the shootout.

Hart definitely kept the team in the fight and it hurts to see a performance like this only capture one point although the team didn’t play to their fullest ability.

Willman and Cates saved the day

The Flyers’ two goals were scored from young call-ups Max Willman and Jackson Cates in the second period.

2nd goal of his career! Lets go, Max Willman! #Flyers pic.twitter.com/cdcfGV66Cf
— TLY (@TheLibertyYell) December 17, 2021

Jackson Cates slotted into lineup due to Morgan Frost entering COVID-19 protocol just two days prior. Cates received the puck on an excellent play by Travis Sanheim and Patrick Brown.

Jackson Cates and Max Willman saving our season, what is this timeline
pic.twitter.com/BAfZxtw8Ip
— TLY (@TheLibertyYell) December 17, 2021

79 combined shots total

This matchup was a busy one for both goaltenders with a total of 79 combined shots in a razor-thin 40-39 margain. Montreal finished the first period with a 19-8 shots advantage and dominated play.

After making adjustments during the intermission, the Flyers picked up the pace and had the advantage in periods two and three.

Extend Overtime

Shootouts always feel like an automatic loss. It’s to the point where if they win I’m genuinely surprised. I know I must sound like a broken record, but can we please extend 3-on-3 overtime to ten minutes?

I don’t understand why Couturier gets the first shot over some other options. Scott Laughton is a breakaway machine in games yet is never used in the shootout oddly enough. Abolish the shootout.

Laughton would’ve been my choice for the third shooter. Dude is $$.
— TLY (@TheLibertyYell) December 17, 2021

Overall it’s a disappointing performance from the Flyers. Not enough to hit a panic button, but you’d really like to see more spark for this one. Time to regroup and return home to face the pesky Ottawa Senators.