The Flyers dominated from the start and forced Montreal’s Jaroslav Halak to the bench after four goals in a 6-0 Canadiens clubbing Sunday. So why is Peter Laviolette’s club acting as if it’s still chasing the Bruins rather than holding a 1-0 series lead?
Maybe it’s because they know Halak and co. have been here before, trailing both Washington and Pittsburgh early, before turning it on to win those series.
“They’ll be a completely different team,” predicted penalty-killing specialist Blair Betts. “I don’t think they were as good as they can be. That being said, I don’t think we were at our best, either. We were just pretty opportunistic with our chances.”
And the Flyers might have their leading scorer as they attempt to match Montreal’s expected intensity. Jeff Carter — out since April 20 with a broken left foot — skated yesterday, and Ian Laperriere (brain contusion) practiced with the team. No one’s saying when they might return.
But no matter who takes the ice, the Flyers won’t count on a repeat of a rout like Game 1.
“We’ll definitely see a better game from them,” said Laviolette. “We’re hoping to see a better game from us as well. It’s easy to look at the score and think it was easy. But Game 2 is going to be a battle.”
