PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- A star could be budding in Philadelphia. So could a team.
Justin Williams made two brilliant plays to set up a pair of second-period goals and John LeClair scored in his season debut as the Philadelphia Flyers rolled to a 5-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Williams single-handedly turned a 2-0 lead into a 4-0 cushion in the second period. He first set up Michal Handzus, one-handing a pass from the right goalpost to the left side of the crease for an easy goal at 2:36.
The second assist was even more impressive as Williams spun away from a defenseman behind the net before finding LeClair for a one-timer from the left side of the net at 12:06.
Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock was impressed with Williams, a 22-year-old right wing who last season was hampered by injuries and inconsistent play. Hitchcock called him a "tenacious, hard-checking, two-way hockey player."
"He is a tremendous penalty-killer, his stick positioning is great," Hitchcock said. "There are not many people you can teach that to. He is turning his tenacity into scoring opportunities and points."
Hitchcock spoke with Williams about that very point last season. So far, Williams has responded, recording a goal, a team-best six assists and a plus-2 rating in eight games.
"I don't feel myself doing anything really different," he said. "I'm trying to create chances with my speed, which is an asset. If we continue to put pressure on defensemen and put big John in front of the net, it opens up a lot of space for us."
LeClair made a successful return from a foot injury, recording a goal and an assist. His bulk in front of the net also led to defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson's power-play goal, which capped the scoring with 10:39 remaining.
"John LeClair was excellent," Hitchcock said. "It looked like he never missed a beat from the way he finished training camp to the way he played now."
It has been a difficult couple of years for LeClair, a three-time 50-goal scorer who missed 47 games last season with a shoulder injury. He looked good in camp before being hit in the foot with a puck.
"My foot felt OK," he said. "I pushed it pretty hard in the last two days. I was more worried about the game stuff more than anything else. I felt better than I thought I would."
The whole team felt fine. Simon Gagne and Tony Amonte scored first-period goals and Robert Esche stopped 20 shots for his first shutout of the season, helping the Flyers snap a three-game winless streak (0-2-1).
"They came out hungry, they won the 1-on-1 battles and they never gave up from start to finish," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "They came at us hard and gave us problems all night, and that was basically the game right there."
Jose Theodore made 34 saves for the Canadiens, who have lost consecutive games by a combined score of 11-2. They have totaled eight goals in their last five contests.
Montreal put some early pressure on Esche, but Gagne was able to knock a rebound of Sami Kapanen's shot off the skate of Canadiens defenseman Sheldon Souray and past Theodore to open the scoring 5:38 into the game.
Just 3:18 later, Theodore stopped Joni Pitkanen's shot from the left wing but knocked the puck to the right side with his stick, allowing Amonte to bang it into a vacant net.
Led by Williams, the Flyers poured it on in the second period.
"They played well for 60 minutes," Theodore said. "Even when they were up 2- and 3-0, they kept coming harder and harder. In the third they didn't stop. They are a team that, when they play like that, they are going to be tough to beat."
