Goaltender Primeau, NHL debut of forward Farrell, not enough to carry Canadiens past Flyers

It wasn’t the fairytale ending Cayden Primeau had hoped for. Or Sean Farrell, for that matter.

Primeau, the 23-year-old Montreal goaltender, started an NHL game for the first time since Feb. 10, 2022. While he was solid, stopping 24 of 26 shots, it wasn’t enough as the Canadiens were edged 3-2 by the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.

Farrell, the 21-year-old rookie left-winger signed last Sunday following an impressive collegiate career at Harvard, was provided with a recipe for success in his NHL debut, playing on the Canadiens’ second line, with Jonathan Drouin, celebrating his 28th birthday, and Denis Gurianov.

But Farrell was a non-factor, failing to register a shot in slightly more than 13 minutes of ice time.

“Obviously I was really excited,” Farrell told reporters in Philadelphia following the game. “It’s a dream come true for me to play in the NHL. It was an awesome experience to be around the guys today. To be able to suit up with them was amazing. My family and some of my friends were able to come out. It’s really special to be able to share that moment with them.”

Farrell, selected in the fourth round (124th overall) in 2020, scored 20 goals and 53 points in 34 games at Harvard this season but, at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, will require time to become adjusted to the pace, speed and physical play at the pro level.

“I think the biggest thing is probably the speed right away,” he said. “It’s about keeping things simple and not rushing things. I think I settled in in the latter half of the game. It was good to get my feet wet tonight, but I can definitely play a lot better. The coaches and guys helped me out a ton.”

Morgan Frost paced the Flyers with two goals, his 15th and 16th this season. The latter, at 17:45 of the third period, figured to be the winner, especially coming before Owen Tippett scored into an empty net, 29 seconds later.

But Rafaël Harvey-Pinard made things interesting by scoring his 13th goal this season — and fourth in three games — with Primeau derricked for an extra attacker, at 19:37. But that was as close as the visitors came as the Canadiens, playing their third game in four nights, saw their modest two-game winning streak end.

Brendan Gallagher produced Montreal’s opening goal at 9:39 of the second period after Frost opened the scoring nearly four minutes into the frame. It was Gallagher’s third goal in three games, and the 201st of his career.

While Philadelphia (29-32-12) will miss the playoffs for the seventh time in 11 seasons, it nonetheless concluded a successful seven-game homestand against Montreal. The Flyers won their fourth consecutive game, ending this stretch with a 5-1-1 record. The Canadiens are now 30-39-6.

The Canadiens failed to take advantage of Philadelphia goalie and surprise starter Felix Sandstrom, who won for only the second time in 15 games this season. Sandstrom was making only his 19th career start and won for the first time since Nov. 8.

Primeau has spent the majority of this season in the AHL, with Laval, posting a 14-14-7 record, 3.13 average and .906 save percentage. He has been used extensively of late by the Rocket, making a push for the final playoff berth in the North Division, and was rewarded for his stellar play, joining the Canadiens from a road trip in Winnipeg, flying directly to Philadelphia on Monday while the Canadiens were playing in Buffalo.

Raised in Voorhees, N.J., the site of the Flyers’ practice facility, it would have been a dream come true for Primeau to defeat Philadelphia for the second time in his career. And he tried valiantly. Head coach Martin St. Louis said Primeau played an excellent game — a sentiment shared by many of his teammates.

“He was outstanding,” Gallagher said. “He was our best player tonight. Obviously this game means a lot to him, playing in this building. He definitely did everything he could to give us a chance to win.”

Given the lack of experience in both nets, many were expecting a free-wheeling, high-scoring game. Instead, it was a tight-checking, plodding affair with frequent whistles, little pace or flow. At least the teams played quickly, going nearly 10 minutes without a whistle in the third period.

“We just didn’t have that jump we needed to create a little bit more,” Gallagher said. “There were just so many whistles. It was tough to get into the flow of things. The game lacked a little flow.”

The Canadiens begin a four-game homestand Thursday night, against Florida.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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