The last time the Flyers were at the Bell Centre, they were all crowded into the small visitors’ locker room and sat waiting for the media to enter.
The reporters, expecting bags packed and only the guys whose names were written on the board to speak in the cramped room, instead were met with 25 pairs of eyes staring back at them. The date was April 9, 2024, and the Flyers, who were contending for a Stanley Cup playoff spot, were just handed their eighth straight loss, a 9-3 thrashing by the Montreal Canadiens.
Just how bad were things? After the eighth goal by Montreal, a Flyers jersey was thrown on the ice. Then-coach John Tortorella said the game was “rock bottom,” as the struggling Canadiens beat them for the second time during a losing streak that spoiled the Flyers’ playoff chances
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Now, 361 days later, after Flyers general manager Danny Brière said the organization hit “rock bottom” with the firing of Tortorella, the tables have turned.
Entering Friday, the Canadiens are the ones holding onto the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They sit five points back of the Ottawa Senators for the first wild card and just two points ahead of the New York Rangers, with all having played 75 games. Closing in are the Columbus Blue Jackets, four points back with a game in hand.
My, my.
“If we can go in and spoil somebody’s party, there’s a few things in hockey that feel really good — that’s one of them,” interim head coach Brad Shaw said with a grin (maybe an evil grin). “It’s fun to go in and be the spoiler. It’s fun to go in and take the life out of the building.”
While the Bell Centre is not the Montreal Forum, the home of the Original Six squad will surely be rocking on Hockey Night in Canada. Montreal last made the playoffs in 2021, losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning after a Cinderella run. But as exciting as that year was, fan attendance was limited, particularly in Montreal, because of COVID protocols.
Martin St. Louis and his squad will be hungry, especially after a losing effort in Philly nine days ago. The Flyers beat the Canadiens, 6-3, to not only kick-start a three-game winning streak but the Brad Shaw Era too. The Canadiens have also won three straight entering Saturday.
“We don’t have a lot of other things to play for,” Shaw said. “We can play the spoiler role, though. I’ve asked our guys to try and maintain that focus for six more events.
“We’re not going to be on the ice outside of the games very often. We’re going to try and keep the energy level high within the games. But we really get our best results when we work at an extremely high level and play together. So that’s what we’re going to focus on.”
Playing a looser style — which does come with some good and some bad — the Orange and Black will focus on the future.
Matvei Michkov — seven points in his last three games — has climbed back into the Calder Trophy conversation while skating with Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier. Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, and Bobby Brink have continued to be an ultra-reliable line. Owen Tippett has refound his legs. The goalies are playing better. Some new defensive pairings are getting tested.
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And Saturday will enable this team to experience a playoff vibe that has not been seen at the Wells Fargo Center since 2018; the Flyers last made the postseason in the 2020 bubble, which was played in Toronto. It’s a Flyers roster that has only seven skaters with playoff experience, and one player without any NHL experience at all. Center Karsen Dorwart, making his first-ever trip to Montreal, will make his NHL debut on Saturday between Garnet Hathaway, and former Canadien and Quebec native Nick Deslauriers.
“There’s certain things that we can play for,” Shaw said. “We can play to have some good mojo going into the offseason. We can play to possibly help our preparation as a team come next year. But in the short term, to be able to go into Montreal and have a chance to sort of rain on their parade a little bit, that’s our focus.”
