The Philadelphia Flyers have now lost 13 of their last 16 games against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but this one hurt more than some of the others as they got trampled, 7-0.
The Lightning scored the game-winning goal just 109 seconds into the game before they added another 3 tallies before the 11 minute mark of the first period. Samuel Ersson was pulled in favour of Felix Sandström and John Tortorella was ejected from the game to put a stamp on a stinker of the first 20 minutes.
Anthony Duclair made it 5-0 late in the second period before the Lightning added 2 goals in a span of 43 seconds to go up 7-0. Darren Raddysh tallied 5 assists, Victor Hedman scored 2 goals and added an assist, Steven Stamkos added 2 helpers, while Anthony Duclair and Brayden Point each scored a goal and an assist. The top-ranked power play unit scored 3 times against the top-ranked penalty killing unit in the NHL.
Andrei Vasilevskiy earned the shutout and made 25 saves along the way, while Sandström allowed 3 goals on 12 shots after replacing Ersson, who allowed 4 goals on 15 shots.
After a massive victory in Sunrise, Florida, on Thursday night, the Flyers headed to Tampa Bay to face the Lightning in another crucial matchup with playoff implications. While the Flyers (74 points) who held the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, if they were to slip to the Wild Card, they would have to contend with Detroit (72 points) and Tampa Bay (72 points).
They didn’t trade any roster players ahead of yesterday’s trade deadline but they did add 2 new faces who made the trip down to Tampa Bay in Erik Johnson and Denis Gurianov for their Flyers debuts. Egor Zamula was a late scratch with an illness, which prompted John Tortorella to roll with 5 defensemen since Adam Ginning was loaned out to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms yesterday.
Bobby Brink was also scratched meaning the Flyers ran with Cam Atkinson, Nicolas Deslauriers, and Gurianov, instead of being forced to sit one of them. Samuel Ersson earned his 16th start in his club’s last 19 games. He has gone 6-3-2 with a 2.36 GAA and a .908 SV% since the All-Star break.
As for the Lightning, they have stumbled a little bit with a 3-5-1 record in their last 9 games, which included a 6-2 loss to the Flyers on the 27th of February. Plenty of teams on the outside of the Wild Card have caught up to the Lightning and Red Wings but they are still loaded with star talent.
Nikita Kucherov paced the club with 38 goals and 106 points, followed by Brayden Point‘s 32 goals and 65 points, Victor Hedman‘s 51 assists and 61 points, and Brandon Hagel‘s 60 points in 64 games. Steven Stamkos is below a point-per-game but has still produced 24 goals and 53 points.
No surprise in goal as Andrei Vasilevskiy earned his 24th start in his club’s last 27 games, looking to improve on his surprisingly mediocre numbers; 3.03 GAA and an .894 SV%.
FIRST PERIOD
It took the Tampa Bay Lightning just 109 seconds to get on the board after Victor Hedman ripped a hard shot from the point blocker-side on Samuel Ersson for his 11th goal of the season. Nikita Kucherov got the primary assist after he found the defenseman sneaking into the zone.
After coming within inches of taking a 2-0 lead just 4 minutes into the game, the Lightning hopped on the power play at the 4:31 mark with Ronnie Attard heading to the box for a holding minor.
The number one ranked power play in the NHL worked their magic as they jumped to a 2-0 lead after Nick Paul potted one past Ersson. There was mass hysteria in front of Ersson before Paul found the loose puck and backhanded it past the goaltender for his 18th of the season at the 5:55 mark.
Off the ensuing faceoff, Nicolas Deslauriers dropped the gloves with Austin Watson hoping to get the Flyers back in the game after falling to an early 2-0 deficit and down in shots, 9-1.
9:10 into the period and barely at the mid-way mark, the Lightning jumped to a 3-0 lead after Conor Sheary ripped a shot from the slot through the arm of Ersson after the Flyers lost sight of the puck along the boards. Then 14 seconds after Sheary’s goal, Attard was called for his second minor penalty of the period after tripping Mikey Eyssimont.
37 seconds into the minor, Garnet Hathaway was assessed a 10-minute misconduct. After failing to clear the puck 2-3 times, the Lightning regrouped and cycled again and again until Brayden Point finished off a rebound in his office for his 33rd of the season. Ersson was then pulled after having given up 4 goals on 15 shots in the first 10:49 of the game.
John Tortorella lost his cool after the 4th goal and was given a 2-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct and was then ejected from the game. Fortunately, the Flyers actually killed that penalty.
The Flyers received their first power play of the game at the 14:08 mark after Felix Sandström was tripped up behind his own net by Eyssimont. They created a few chances but the first unit filled with veterans were not up to the task in the first 70 seconds of the power play.
The period came to an end with the Lightning up 4-0, the Flyers down a head coach, and Sandström looking to hold down the fort in the final 40 minutes.
SECOND PERIOD
At the 9:04 mark of the period, Sean Couturier dropped the gloves with newcomer Matt Dumba with the Flyers captain taking down the latter after a heated battle took place in front of the Lightning net between the two veterans.
39 seconds later, the referees blew the play dead after Travis Sanheim fell awkwardly in his own zone after colliding with Luke Glendening. Sanheim skated 10:36 of TOI in the first period alone and fortunately he returned a few shifts later.
In his Lightning debut, Anthony Duclair scored the fifth goal of the game for his new club after Steven Stamkos found him on the back door with a laser of a pass. Stamkos jumped on an abbreviated breakaway against Marc Staal, regrouped with the puck in the corner, before finding Duclair for his 17th of the season at the 15:42 mark.
The period came to an end with the Lightning up 5-0, scoring 1 goal on 4 shots to the Flyers firing 11 of their own – bringing the grand total to 20 apiece through 40 minutes.
THIRD PERIOD
61 seconds into the period, Owen Tippett blocked a Hedman snap-shot that left him nearly motionless on the ice. He walked off with the trainers but did come back onto the ice shortly after. 59 seconds after that play, Darren Raddysh cross-checked Cam Atkinson into the boards, sending the Flyers onto the ice for their second power play of the night.
The Lightning made it 6-0 after Hedman scored his second of the game after they jumped on a 3-on-2 break. Kucherov jumpstarted the play as he sent it up the boards to Point, who patiently waited for the trailer in Hedman. He fired the shot with Tippett screening Sandström at the 7:31 mark.
Dumba was then high-sticked by Couturier with about 12 minutes remaining in regulation. The Lightning scored their third power play goal of the game after Brandon Hagel scored his 23rd of the season from the point. His shot came from the point and went right under the bar with Sandström heavily screened again.
The march to the penalty box continued but this time it was Kucherov for holding with 9:38 remaining. Once again, no dice, as the Flyers couldn’t snap the shutout.
With 2:02 left to play, Hathaway earned his second 10-minute misconduct of the game and then off the ensuing faceoff, Atkinson and Eyssimont dropped the gloves.
That would be it for the action as the Flyers lost 7-0.
UP NEXT
The Flyers return to the confines of the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night to play the lowly San Jose Sharks (7:00pm ET, NBCSP).
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