Carter Hart, Flyers take out Canadiens in Game 6

The Flyers won the series 4-2 and are on to the second round in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2012. The Flyers have not played in the Stanley Cup Final since 2010 or won the championship since 1975.

The Flyers are a bright spot on the Philly sports scene.

“We’re trying to do our part so people a few hours a day can think about something other than COVID,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said.

The Flyers will move on to play the New York Islanders. The Isles went 3-0 against Philadelphia this season and are coming off of a 4-1 series win over the Washington Capitals.

Hart again outplayed his idol and was stout for the Flyers and stopped 31 shots for the top-seeded Flyers

Nick Suzuki scored two goals for the Canadiens.

The Flyers scored just 28 seconds into the game when Provorov redirected one past Price for the lead and the seventh time in the postseason they scored first.

Hayes beat Price about 6 minutes later for his first goal of the season and a 2-0 lead. The Flyers have made it this far in the postseason without any major production from their top scorers. Travis Konecny (24), Hayes (23), Sean Couturier (22), Claude Giroux (21), and James van Riemsdyk (19) all failed to score a goal headed into Game 6. The Flyers even scratched van Riemsdyk for multiple games during the playoffs.

“We didn’t play up to our capability and we still got four wins,” Hayes said.

The Flyers have received goal production from deep in their lines and Hart, of course, has been fantastic. He had two shutouts against the Canadiens and the 22 year old is playing every bit like the franchise goalie the Flyers expected.

He just couldn’t stop Suzuki.

Suzuki angered the Flyers — and he later apologized —after he tapped Hart on the head after the Canadiens tied the score in Game 5. He gave them more fits in Game 6. He scored late in the first to make it a one-goal game.

Raffl helped create a turnover in the second, led the rush and scored for a 3-1 lead. Suzuki again came through for Montreal and scored his fourth goal in 10 playoff games to make it 3-2 but that was all the offense could muster.

“They were just fortunate to get a couple of bounces early and we just couldn’t find our break,” Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber said.

The Flyers played without defenseman Matt Niskanen after the league suspended him one game for breaking Brendan Gallagher’s jaw. It was a big loss for Montreal; associate coach Kirk Muller called Gallagher “the heartbeat of our team.”

“He didn’t look like he was hurt other than obviously it looked like he had a cut,” Vigneault said before Game 6. “I believe that if the Montreal medical personnel felt that it was something real serious, they would have probably taken him off and brought him inside. I can only state the facts and state what I was watching. What I was watching was a guy that just kept on talking so he didn’t seem like he was hurt.”

NBC Sports analyst Mike Milbury apologized Friday for saying during Thursday night’s Capitals-Islanders broadcast that there weren’t women in the NHL bubble to disrupt anyone’s concentration.

During a discussion among the broadcasters about the environment in the bubble, Milbury said there are “not even any women here to disrupt your concentration.”

The 24-team playoffs are being staged entirely in limited-access arenas and hotels in Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta.

“It was not my intention to disrespect anyone,” Milbury said in a statement released by NBC. “I was trying to be irreverent and took it a step too far. It was a regrettable mistake that I take seriously.”

NBC Sports said in a statement that they were disappointed in Milbury’s comment and have addressed it with him.

Milbury earlier this month also received criticism when he took exception to Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask opting out because he wanted to spend time with his family.

Last year, NBC Sports suspended former NHL forward and commentator Jeremy Roenick for making inappropriate comments about coworkers and former NHL coach Don Cherry was fired by Rogers Sportsnet over an anti-immigrant rant on the air.