Ten random observations from the Flyers’ 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center (see Instant Replay).
1. The Flyers started out strong Wednesday night. In fact, it wasn’t just one of their strongest first periods in a while, but they also scored in the opening period for the first time since Dec. 31 in Calgary. Sean Couturier’s goal at 6:27 wasn’t even the Flyers' first solid chance of the game -- had Brayden Schenn not whiffed on a shot a few minutes earlier, the Flyers likely could have been up 2-0 before the first 10 minutes had ticked off the clock. That’s encouraging; while it’s nice to see the Flyers fight back, they're not always going to be able to dig themselves out of early holes like they have recently.
2. It wasn’t pretty, but Zac Rinaldo’s goal was the result of some solid hard work in the Canadiens’ zone. He fought to get his initial shot, then regained control and held on long enough to get a shot off on the backhand. And sometimes, it doesn’t have to be a snipe to go in. The goal was Rinaldo’s first of the season. After two periods, somehow, he led the Flyers with four shots -- in just 4:22 of ice time.
3. What’s with the difference between the Flyers’ power play at home and on the road? It’s really striking. At home, the Flyers’ power play is 29th in the NHL. Away from the Wells Fargo Center, it’s sixth-best in the league. What could possibly make the same players play so well on the man advantage when they’re anywhere other than in Philadelphia?
4. Discipline, however, continued to be a problem for the Flyers on Wednesday. Even on the strongest nights during their recent six-game road trip, coach Craig Berube pointed to the needless penalties the Flyers have been incurring lately. He called them “bonehead plays.” The Flyers were very lucky that their penalty kill continued to be strong in front of the home crowd and that Steve Mason had yet another good game.
5. Danny Briere returned to the Wells Fargo Center for the second time as a Canadien, and hit the ice with some energy, which was nice to see. Briere’s struggles in Montreal are well-documented -- he hasn’t been able to figure out his role on the team, and he’s even been benched a few times. He had the first shot of the game on a partial breakaway, but remained off the stat sheet.
6. Andrej Meszaros is feeling comfortable, and that’s huge for the Flyers. Remember when Meszaros was somewhat of an offensive threat on the team’s blue line? It feels like ancient history, since the defenseman has spent much of this season as a scratch. He had his first three-assist game Wednesday since March 2, 2006. “It's not just me,” Meszaros said. “All the defensemen are trying to jump up into the play, whoever has the chance.”
7. With the victory, the Flyers won their 10th consecutive game on home ice for the first time since 2003-04. Fun fact: That year’s team went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. I’m just saying …
8. Who turned the volume up at the Center? Lou Nolan’s announcements, the National Anthem and warm-up music were loud in 2013, but they’re even louder now. By the end of this season, the press corps might need hearing aids.
9. The Flyers got a loud round of applause from the crowd at the end of the first and second periods. How far we’ve come from October and November, when it seemed like nothing but boos rained down from the stands at the Wells Fargo Center.
10. Wednesday wasn’t Steve Downie’s best night. It was his turnover that led to Tomas Pleckanic’s second-period short-handed goal, and he also incurred a needless tripping penalty earlier in the game – exactly the kind of thing the Flyers know they need to cut down on. It’s not that bringing Downie in earlier in the season didn’t make sense, but the Flyers have reached a point where they need him to contribute in ways he hasn’t been. Or, at least, be more reliable.