The Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens were two of the biggest surprises of last postseason. Now, they’re simply among the best teams in the NHL.
In their first meeting since the Flyers gained a berth in the Stanley Cup finals, the Canadiens will try to gain a measure of revenge at Bell Centre on Tuesday night.
Philadelphia (12-4-2) and Montreal (11-5-1) earned the bottom seeds in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, but advanced to the conference finals. The Flyers emerged from the series in five games before losing to Chicago for the Cup.
“I think we all remember who we lost to,” Canadiens left wing Michael Cammalleri told the team’s official website. “Maybe that adds a little something to the game. But all in all, it’s a long way away from the playoffs and you’re just trying to get wins for this year.”
The Flyers and Canadiens have carried the playoff success into 2010-11, leading their respective divisions.
Philadelphia is 9-0-1 in its last 10 games, with the only loss coming in overtime at Washington on Nov. 7. The Flyers showed no signs of slowing down Monday, beating Ottawa 5-1 at home behind two goals and one assist from Mike Richards and 28 saves by Sergei Bobrovsky.
Fantasy notes: The Flyers have been rolling along offensively and Claude Giroux has now picked up seven different games of at least two points in his past 10 starts. Tomas Plekanec (6-12-18) has a five-point spread on his nearest competition in Montreal, which is Andrei Kostitsyn (7-6-13). | Follow Chris Nichols on Twitter
Bobrovsky, a 22-year-old rookie, has started each of the last 10 games, compiling a 1.70 goals-against average and .946 save percentage. His 11 wins tie Washington’s Michal Neuvirth for the league lead, and his GAA is 2.01 on the season.
“On one hand, physically it’s a little tougher,” Bobrovsky said of playing every game. “On the other hand, with each game, you get into the game much faster. So I prefer to do it (play) as often as possible.”
Richards has also been hot, scoring seven goals in his last six games after netting one in his first 12. The center had three points in the deciding game of the East finals, a 4-2 win for Philadelphia.
The Canadiens have outscored the opposition 12-3 during a three-game winning streak. Carey Price was in net for all three victories, earning him the league’s first star of the week honor.
“It’s kind of cool and it’s an honor to be recognized by the league, but it’s just one week,” said Price, who is 10-5-1 with a 2.18 GAA on the season. “We have to keep it going.”
Price, who backed up Jaroslav Halak during last postseason, is 5-1-0 with a 1.90 GAA and one shutout against the Flyers in the regular-season play.
Tomas Plekanec has eight points in his last four games after scoring a goal and setting up three others in Saturday’s 7-2 victory over Carolina. The center leads Montreal with 18 points, but failed to get any against the Flyers in the playoffs.
The Canadiens will be without defenseman Andrei Markov, who appeared to hurt his right knee by falling awkwardly into the boards Saturday.
