MTL@PHI Game 2 recap

TORONTO -- The Canadiens came out flying in Game 2 against the Flyers and never let up.
The Habs found a way to channel their emotion heading into Game 2, playing with an extra spring in their steps in honor of Claude Julien. The Canadiens' head coach returned to Montreal on Friday to rest and recover after undergoing a procedure to place a stent in a coronary artery on Thursday afternoon.

The team rallied around associate coach Kirk Muller, who is serving as acting head coach during Julien's absence. Friday's tilt marked Muller's first playoff game as an NHL head coach.

Tomas Tatar got things going early for the visitors, potting his first of the 2020 postseason off a gritty effort from Brendan Gallagher, who spun his way out of the corner before launching a backhand on net, which popped out to Tatar in the slot.

The Canadiens kept their collective foot on the gas throughout the opening frame, with Jesperi Kotkaniemi scoring his third of the playoffs to give the Habs a 2-0 lead before Philly was able to register a single shot on goal. It took 16:24 for Carey Price to face his first shot of the day, as the Habs outshot the Flyers 16-6 in the first period.

It was more of the same in the second, as Tatar capitalized on a Shayne Gostisbehere penalty to notch his second of the game and his first with the man advantage 1:25 into the period.

Joel Armia ended Carter Hart's afternoon, giving the Habs a 4-0 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the second. Brian Elliott came in to replace Hart to close out the game.

The Habs were just as solid at the other end of the ice, stifling the Flyers throughout the afternoon, including killing off a 5-on-3 Flyers power play in the second.

Kotkaniemi earned fans some free wings with the team's fifth of the game -- and his second of the afternoon -- becoming just the eighth player in Habs history to register three or more playoff goals before turning 21, according to

.

With four postseason goals under his belt, he's now tied with Henri Richard for fourth-most playoff goals by an under-21-year-old in Canadiens history.
Price earned his second shutout of the 2020 postseason, making 30 stops to hold the Flyers off the scoresheet.
The Habs and Flyers will be back at it for Game 3 of the best-of-7 series on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena.