The Flyers got their first power play of the game, but it went bad when Montreal picked the puck off in its defensive zone and started up ice. Tomas Plekanec took a shot that deflected high and Kovalev picked it out of the air and batted it down behind Biron. The replay showed that Kovalev's stick appeared to make contact with the puck above the crossbar, and by rule should have been nullified.
It wasn't. After a long review, the goal was left to stand.
"[Referee] Don VanMassenhoven told me that he thought it went off my head,'' Biron said. "That's why I was mad. He was right there. I thought he could have called what he saw but he said he saw it go off my head and then there was another call on the play.
"I thought it was a high stick right away, but once they make the call they go to Toronto [for video review], and that's what happened."
The third period started with 25 seconds of leftover power play time for the Flyers, and they got another bounce.
Braydon Coburn took a shot from the point. The puck bounced off Price's glove and dropped onto Lupul's leg and in, giving the Flyers a 3-2 lead at 19 seconds.
The period ended with the Richards call. The center stepped up on Kovalev and into his body and Kovalev went flying. Richards was sent off for kneeing and shortly thereafter the game was tied and heading into overtime.
"If it was a knee, I obviously didn't mean to," Richards said. "I was trying to just take the body, that was what I was trying to do. I haven't seen the replay so I would just give him the benefit of the doubt right now."
With the power play and nothing to lose, Montreal pulled Price and had a six-on-four power play. The Canadiens made it count.
"It was disappointing," Richards said. *
