In consecutive exhibitions, the Philadelphia Flyers were the underdogs. Each of their first two opponents, the New York Islanders and the Montréal Canadiens, dressed more NHL skaters. At the UBS Arena, the Flyers were victorious in a lengthy shootout. On Tuesday night, the task was to defeat the Canadiens in the second half of a back-to-back at the Bell Centre.
It took Philadelphia a bit longer to find its skating legs. Instead of striking early, the Flyers chased the pace. However, they weren’t any less scrappy than they were on Long Island, which is endearing to the identity of a hockey club icing a different lineup.
When he met with the media during his pre-game press conference, Rick Tocchet said Sam Ersson would play the entirety of this matchup in Montréal. However, that wasn’t the case. After the first period, Ersson was replaced by Alexei Kolosov. This was the plan, per Brian Smith and Jason Myrtetus. Jakub Dobeš and Kaapo Kähkönen split time between the pipes for the Canadiens.
Here’s how the tilt between Philadelphia and Montréal played out from the Bell Centre:
First Period
Shots: 9-5, Canadiens
Score: 2-0, Canadiens
Cole Caufield started the scoring early, 1-0, with 19:07 remaining in the first period. Nick Suzuki won a puck battle against Sean Couturier to help create a three-on-two rush. Lane Hutson crossed his pass to Caufield, avoiding Nick Seeler and Helge Grans. Caufield finished the scoring play, planting the one-timer past Ersson.
Alex Bump was noticeable throughout the exhibition, starting with his play in the neutral zone. He forced a takeaway, then took a quality shot on goal against Dobeš, who was excellent during the first half of this exhibition.
Florian Xhekaj extended the lead for the Canadiens, 2-0, with 10:02 remaining in the first period. Luke Tuch dumped the puck deep into the attacking zone, behind Ersson. Tyler Thorpe gathered the puck under the extended goal line, then sent the pass to Xhekaj, who scored from the right faceoff dot. Ersson got a piece of the puck, but not enough, as it trickled into the back of the net.
Jett Luchanko and Bump added late life, attempting a give-and-go to generate a quality chance against Dobeš. Luchanko effectively advanced the puck with an entry into the attacking zone, locating Bump, who dished back immediately, but the effort was broken up by Tobie Paquette-Bisson. Overall, Montréal dominated the opening period.
Second Period
Shots: 12-11, Flyers
Score: 3-2, Canadiens
Kolosov entered the exhibition, replacing Ersson (7/9; 77.8%SV). Tocchet wanted to see more of Kolosov after his performance against the Islanders. Ersson is slated to be the starting goaltender for the Flyers, with Dan Vladař, who hasn’t appeared in the 2025 NHL Preseason yet, backing up.
Alex Carrier served a minor penalty for holding, drawn by Owen Tippett. Less than a minute later, the Canadiens served a bench minor for too many men on the ice. Philadelphia went on the power play, a two-man advantage for 1:19. Tippett whiffed on a one-timer, the best scoring chance to this point for the Flyers.
Nicolas Deslauriers went toe-to-toe with Florian Xhekaj. This was already becoming a physical exhibition, but Xhekaj was in over his head with Deslauriers.
Kähkönen replaced Dobeš (9/9; 100%SV). This scheduled change in goaltenders marked the first opportunity for Philadelphia to grab momentum in the exhibition aside from winning a fight.
Anthony Richard put the Flyers on the scoreboard, 2-1, with 9:49 remaining in the second period. David Reinbacher couldn’t handle a puck on an attempted clear by Dennis Gilbert, and that put Richard on a breakaway. Similar to Ersson, Kähkönen surrendered a goal on the first shot he faced.
Suzuki, soon after Philadelphia cut the deficit in half, put Montréal back ahead by two goals. Caufield chipped a pass off the wall to Juraj Slafkovský, who settled the puck in the corner of the attacking zone. Cutting through the slot, Suzuki went undetected by Oscar Eklind, scoring on Kolosov, 3-1, with 3:55 remaining in the second period.
Before the end of the period, Rodrigo Ābols and Arber Xhekaj exchanged pleasantries. Ābols served a minor penalty for tripping, drawn by Xhekaj. Xhekaj retaliated against Ābols, and he earned a double-minor for roughing, putting the Flyers on the power play. Tippett scored on a snap shot after receiving a bump pass from Christian Dvorak, 3-2, with 2:25 remaining in the second period. Philadelphia finished 1/4 (25%) on the power play.
Third Period
Shots: 23-21, Canadiens
Score: 4-2, Canadiens
During the third period, Bump popped the most for the Flyers. He had a breakaway scoring chance against Kähkönen, but failed to finish. Kähkönen was completely out of position, and Bump failed to execute the finishing touch to score. The poise shown by Bump impressed.
If we’re talking about other skaters who didn’t get a ton of spotlight heading into this exhibition, then it’s worth noting how much better Gilbert looked compared to Noah Juulsen. Both are new acquisitions to the defensive unit for Philadelphia, but Gilbert notched an assist in his performance while leading the defense in hits. Also, Jacob Gaucher and Matthew Gard were in the dirty areas against Dobeš and Kähkönen. The only forwards who didn’t record a shot in the Flyers lineup were Deslauriers and Luchanko.
Hunter McDonald and Tuch dropped the gloves. The double feature didn’t have a different ending from the Deslauriers and Florian Xhekaj fight. McDonald made quick work of Tuch, which was a mismatch.
Following the fight, McDonald served a minor penalty for cross-checking along with the five-minute major. Philadelphia went on the penalty kill, where Tippett cleared the defensive zone, sending Travis Sanheim on a breakaway. Sanheim, who had a lot of time, was denied by Kähkönen (10/12; 83.3%SV). Kolosov made a couple of stellar saves to help the Flyers finish 1/1 (100%) on the penalty kill.
Tocchet eventually pulled Kolosov (12/13; 92.3%SV) for the extra attacker. In this situation, Hutson served a minor penalty for hooking, drawn by Couturier. Philadelphia had a six-on-four opportunity, but Arber Xhekaj potted a shorthanded empty-net goal, 4-2, with 0:14 remaining in regulation.
Up Next
Next, the Philadelphia Flyers continue their 2025 NHL Preseason on the road against the Washington Capitals on Thursday. The puck drops at 7pm/ET.
