The Flyers have apparently discovered a vaccine that prevents losing streaks.
Or maybe they just pay more attention to details and get more focused after an embarrassing defeat.
Nine times since early January, they have been beaten. Nine times they have rebounded and won the next game, including their most important bounce-back victory to date, a 1-0 verdict Sunday night against eighth-seeded Montreal in Toronto.
The win, which followed Friday's 5-0 debacle, gave the top-seeded Flyers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal. In NHL history, teams that take a 2-1 series lead have gone on to win 67% of the time.
Game 4 is Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Jake Voracek's first-period goal and Carter Hart's strong goaltending (23 saves) carried the Flyers, who haven't lost two or more straight since Jan. 7. They are also now 5-0 in games that follow a loss of four goals or more this season.
Hart, 22, who made 23 saves and notched his first playoff shutout, was both excellent and fortunate as the Canadiens hit iron on four shots. Hart became the youngest goalie in franchise history to notch a shutout.
Hart robbed Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who came in alone after an Ivan Provorov miscue, to preserve the win with 50.4 seconds left.
The Flyers were far from perfect. They were on their heels in the second half of the game, and their power play was power-less as it went 0-for-6 and is now (gulp) 1-for-25 (4%) in the postseason.
With the Flyers clinging to a 1-0 lead, Kotkaniemi, who had two goals in Game 2, hit the post in the opening minute of the third period.
The Flyers, who got inspiration from having Oskar Lindblom join them for their morning skate, allowed a shorthanded two-on-one with about 7{ minutes left, but Hart turned aside Artturi Lehkonen just after the power play expired.
The Flyers' awful first period in Game 2 set the tone for the Canadiens' blowout win. This first period was different. Much different. The Flyers played with more physicality than Friday, built a 1-0 lead, and spent a good portion of the opening 20 minutes in Montreal's end.
"You have to have faith in the group, faith in the leadership, faith we're going to come up with a much better game and much better effort," Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said before the opening faceoff.
In Sunday's first period, the Canadiens had 17 shot attempts _ half the amount it had in Friday's opening session.
The Habs nearly struck early. Hart was tested 31 seconds into the game, and he denied Brett Kulak at the doorstep after the Montreal defenseman joined the rush.
About five minutes later, Voracek gave the Flyers the 1-0 lead, the fifth time in six postseason games they had scored first. Voracek was moved from the third line back to the top unit, where he played during the Flyers' nine-game winning streak late in the regular season.
Claude Giroux's shot from near the top of the left circle was redirected by Voracek past Carey Price, who had given up a fat rebound about a half minute earlier and was fortunate Kevin Hayes fired wide after he retrieved the puck.
Down the other end, Hart was also fortunate. Twice. First, Jesperi Kotkaniemi hit the left post and, on the same shift, Kulak had a shot carom off the right post with 11:44 to go in the first.
The Flyers got a four-minute power play a short time later after Kotkaniemi got a double minor for high-sticking Nate Thompson. Travis Konecny, who suffered an apparent ankle injury in Game 2 and had been questionable for Sunday's game, hit the post on the Flyers' best power-play chance, and Price denied Voracek in front on another great opportunity.
The Flyers wasted another power play late in the period, making them 1-for-22 with an extra skater during the postseason.
Three first-period penalties kept the Canadiens on defense for much of the opening period. The same could be said for the Flyers in the second period, when they gave Montreal three power plays.
Hart maintained the Flyers' 1-0 lead by making a key save on Brendan Gallagher early in the second, and stopping Jonathan Drouin on a mini-breakaway with 3:25 left in the period. Both scoring chances were set up by turnovers committed by Scott Laughton, who owes his young goalie a dinner or two.
The Flyers had another scary moment with 6:09 remaining in the second. But Nick Suzuki, on a two-on-one shorthanded chance, whipped a shot off the outside of the right post.
Vigneault made two lineup changes, inserting fourth-line left winger Michael Raffl, who hadn't played since Aug. 2 because of a leg injury, and defenseman Robert Hagg into the lineup. Rookie winger Joel Farabee and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere were healthy scratches.
Hagg had an assist, the first playoff point of his career, on the game's first goal.
At the time, little did anyone know that the goal would turn out to be the game-winner.
