PHILADELPHIA — A defensive miscue between Arber Xhekaj and David Savard behind their net allowed Olle Lycksell to set up Nicolas Deslauriers for his first goal of the season.
Shortly after, Sean Couturier extended the Philadelphia Flyers` lead to 3-1. This marked the fifth even-strength goal conceded by the pairing of Xhekaj and Savard since the Montreal Canadiens entered a playoff position with a 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators the previous Tuesday.
Their presence on the ice immediately following Couturier`s goal was questionable, but their defensive approach on the play was even more puzzling.
The issue wasn`t just that they were positioned high in their own zone as the puck deflected off Couturier in front of their own netminder, Jakub Dobes. It was that neither defender closed the gap with sufficient urgency on the opposing players they were supposed to be covering. It`s clear that preventing such plays was their objective.
Both Xhekaj and Savard are known for their hard work and good intentions, and they are undoubtedly eager to improve these plays to aid the Canadiens in solidifying their playoff contention.
However, their repeated failures in these situations reflect a broader trend within the Canadiens team as they navigate the pressure of the late season.
On Thursday, the discomfort of holding a wild-card spot—a position they`ve rarely maintained for more than a day since their rebuild began three years prior—manifested again in poor execution. This resulted in their fourth consecutive defeat. It was also their third straight loss characterized by a slow start and the kind of mental errors that playoff-contending teams should avoid.
The Canadiens should not have suffered a 6-4 loss to a Flyers team that was struggling significantly leading up to the game.
Montreal was defeated by a Philadelphia team they knew would be highly motivated, especially after a series of losses and the earlier dismissal of their head coach, John Tortorella. They lost to a Flyers team that strategically benched defenseman Cam York for disciplinary reasons throughout the entire game.
