A couple of good scoring chances came for each team in the first five minutes of the first, as Montreal almost had a deflection for the converted and the Flyers put Carey Price in a Travis Konecny rebound chance.
The Flyers’ third shot of the game would be money, though, when Jakub Voracek hit home, a Claude Giroux shot past Price to make it 1-0 less than six minutes inside.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi answered almost a few minutes later for Montreal, but his wrist shot ran from the post behind Carter Hart. Same shift and it was Brett Kulak’s turn to ring one of the irons behind Hart as the Canadiens came oh-so-close to an equalizer.
A high-stick call would give the Flyers an expanded power play, but Montreal were able to kill the double-minor without too much effort thanks in large part to an uneventful first-half advantage from Philadelphia.
Jeff Petry would give the Flyers another chance at the power play late in the period and another chance to extend the lead before intermission. But like the first chance, this one would also go en route, as Montreal deserved another murder to send the Flyers power down again.
After 20 minutes, the Flyers scored the only goal to break with the opener of Voracek, the only attack on the board.
The best chance to start the second came for the Canadiens, as Scott Laughton served one directly for his own goal, but Hart made a big save to achieve an uncharacteristically terrible turnover from the front.
Konecny would take a 4:21 penalty in the second as a result of a cross-check that he threw gun for position for Price when the second line sizzled. The Flyers penalty kill would do the job on this one, though, after they scored a power play goal in each of the first two games in the series.
With 11:11 left in the second, Matt Niskanen would put the Canadiens right back on the power play with a bad cut to earn a tripping call. When the initial call faded, Hart got too much on a clarification and tried it right over the glass for a delay of the game.
That minor would be nearly killed when Joel Armia picked up an interference program with 22 seconds left because officials decided they just weren’t getting enough air time.
Hart got a lot of air time by Hart, who happened to be his friend Laughton, this time after Laughton introduced Jonathan Drouin for the Class-A chance.
Voracek’s goal was still the only one for both teams in 40 minutes, with the Flyers clinging to the 1-0 lead.
That lead looked early on when Kotkaniemi hit the Canadiens’ fourth post in the first minute of the third. Fortunately, this is not a Mighty Ducks movie, and the puck has to go in to count, people.
Still holding on to a 1-0 lead in the third, the Flyers would get another power play as Max Domi decided to give Kevin Hayes the old spear to the chest.
Shockingly, we know, but the Flyers’ game was again ineffective as another chance to get a very important insurance goal went through the path.
And with 9:32 left, the Canadiens would put the Flyers’ sharp power-play unit back on the ice as Hayes was dumped again, albeit this time in a more hockey-related play.
No shot at that power play, because the Flyers really used the time to try and some clock salt knew knowing that the Canadiens’ penalty just couldn’t be cut in any possible way. That would be 0-for-6 tonight, just a total flat liner in a 1-0 game with less than seven minutes left.
A few strong shifts in a row down the stretch of the Sean Couturier line, after one of the Hayes lines left Montreal with no choice but to empty it in search of a band goal.
Nothing would do because the Flyers were able to get things done with Hart making one more important stop to earn the shutout in a 1-0 win to take Game 3 and take the series lead, 2-1.
