Flyers defense crumbles in the second period of a 4-3 loss to the Canadiens

PHILADELPHIA — Here’s the thing about vibes, they come and go.

They come and go day to day. They come and go period to period and they come and go shift by shift.

On Saturday afternoon, the vibes were buzzing at the Wells Fargo Center as the Flyers earned a feisty win against one of the top teams in the NHL. Entering the game on Sunday night, you would have thought they would still be vibing with the highly anticipated NHL debut of Aleksei Kolosov against the Montréal Canadiens. The 22-year-old became the first Belarusian goalie to play in an NHL game when he was called up after the Flyers’ 7-5 win against the Minnesota Wild.

But the vibes were nonexistent for much of the game as the Flyers struggled to find the same energy. Was it there for a brief moment in the first period when things got tied up? Yes. Was it there when the Flyers scored a pair in the third period to make it a one-goal game? Yes. But a three-goal outburst by the visiting Montréal Canadiens in the middle frame sealed the deal and the Flyers lost, 4-3. They are now 2-6-1 on the season.

Nick Suzuki gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead halfway through the first period, knocking a loose puck past Kolosov. Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble had his shot from the right face-off circle hit Suzuki and bounce to Kirby Dach, who swiped it back to the wide-open Canadiens captain for the easy finish.

Defenseman Travis Sanheim evened things up as his point shot deflected off traffic in front and in past Montreal’s Cayden Primeau, the son of Flyers great Keith Primeau.

In the second period, the wheels came off for the Flyers as defensive-zone breakdowns grew.

Brendan Gallagher gave Montréal a 2-1 lead when a point shot by Logan Mailloux went off his body in the slot as he was able to skate through unchecked. Sniper Cole Caufield made it a two-goal game when his shot from the left face-off circle squeaked through a hole by Kolosov’s blocker on the power play. And Jake Evans was alone at the left post for a slam-dunk goal off a cross-ice pass by Gallagher, who had a wide-open look.

The Flyers mounted a comeback late in the third period. Sanheim, who has found his offensive game this season, got the puck in the middle of the ice before skating across the top of the Canadiens zone and firing off a shot from the high slot.

Travis Konecny made it a one-goal game with under two minutes remaining, 29 seconds after Sanheim scored. Owen Tippett skated the puck around the net and sent a centering pass right to the stick of Konecny atop the crease. He has five goals on the season and is riding a three-game goal streak.

Breakaways

Egor Zamula was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. Emil Andrae, recalled from Lehigh Valley on Saturday, made his season debut and skated alongside Erik Johnson. The game was his fifth in the NHL. ... Nick Seeler played in his 300th NHL game, of which 195 have been with the Flyers.

Up next

The Flyers have Monday off before shipping off to Boston for a game against the Bruins on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, NBCSP).