Last Saturday, the Tampa Bay Lightning fell 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild in the first game of a four-game road trip, suffering their first three-game losing streak of the season. Fast forward less than a week later, and the Lightning’s fortunes have reversed dramatically going into the All-Star break.
Powered by 36 saves from Andrei Vasilevskiy, two goals from Vlad Namestnikov and goals from Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde, and Ryan Callahan, the Lightning (34-12-3) defeated the Philadelphia Flyers (24-17-8) 5-1 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The Bolts head into the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak and lead the NHL with 71 points. Despite getting out-shot 37-22 and despite the Flyers attempting 68 shots, Tampa Bay was able to walk away with a comfortable victory despite a slow start.
For the second straight game, the Lightning looked flat in the opening 20 minutes.
In Nashville on Tuesday night, Louis Domingue was outstanding, keeping the Lightning tied with the Predators at the first intermission. On Thursday, it was Vasilevskiy’s turn. His stellar play kept this game scoreless as Philadelphia out-shot Tampa Bay 9-3 in the first period. In addition, the Flyers generated even more shot attempts that didn’t make it on net. The Bolts had no sustained pressure in the Flyers’ zone. They were a step slow and committed a few turnovers leading to quality chances against.
Among Vasilevskiy’s key stops early on were back-to-back saves on Travis Konecny on a breakaway chance. He also stifled Claude Giroux on a 2-on-1 following a turnover by Braydon Coburn. Despite receiving a late power play, the Lightning failed to generate any momentum, as they promptly gave up a shorthanded 2-on-1 chance. Fortunately for the Bolts, Steven Stamkos got back and broke up that odd-man rush before the Flyers could muster a shot on net.
Although their start was slow, the Lightning’s energy level picked up in the second period and as a result, their fortunes improved in the second period.
Following his appointment to replace injured teammate Victor Hedman in this weekend’s All-Star Game, Point gave the Bolts a 1-0 lead just 25 seconds in. Tyler Johnson took the puck away from a Flyer and found Point in the slot. Point then cut to the net and beat Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth for the goal. Although Point is an injury replacement, his season has been good enough to warrant a spot in the All-Star Game despite that.
The only people with more 5v5 points than Brayden Point this season:
Nathan MacKinnon
Nikita Kucherov
Connor McDavid
Mat BarzalOK.
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) January 26, 2018
Point’s goal was precisely what the Lightning needed, as they tilted the ice back in their favor over the next several minutes. This included an excellent job by Tampa Bay’s much-maligned penalty killing unit to keep Philly off the board during their first power play of the night.
Some great forechecking work by Gourde and Peca led to the Lightning taking a 2-0 lead at the 9:56 mark. Gourde kept the pressure up behind the Flyers’ net and worked the puck to Peca. Peca skated into the corner, protecting the puck before whirling around and powering to the net and taking a shot. Neuvirth made the save, but Gourde was in the right spot, putting home the rebound for his 17th goal of the season.
The kids are alright. #TBLvsPHI pic.twitter.com/WMPgAaDlkJ
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 26, 2018
Late in the period, Dan Girardi took a cross-checking penalty, but it was the Lightning who took advantage.
Callahan collected the puck and promptly found the Fountain of Youth. He powered down the left wing and then undressed Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere with a spectacular move. He deked from backhand to forehand while powering to the net, then tucked the puck past Neuvirth for a highlight-reel shorthanded goal that put the Bolts up 3-0 with 2:31 left on the clock. The goal was only the second of the season for Callahan and his first that wasn’t into an empty net.
CALLAHANDS.
???????????? #TBLvsPHI pic.twitter.com/nWDxjIdfAI
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 26, 2018
The Flyers would end Vasilevskiy’s shutout bid, but it didn’t take the Lightning long to regain control.
Konecny converted on a power play with 6:42 remaining, one-timing a feed from Jakub Voracek to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 3-1 with his 10th of the season. The goal came after the Flyers called a timeout and then pulled Neuvirth for a 6-on-4 advantage on the power play. Philadelphia continued to hold the advantage in shots on goal, but they couldn’t cut into the Lightning’s lead any further. The final six minutes saw Namestnikov score his 17th and 18th goals of the season, including one off a one-timer following a spin-o-rama and slick pass from Nikita Kucherov. The other came off more forechecking work by Kucherov that led to Stamkos feeding Namestnikov for his second of the night.
The Lightning will return to action after the All-Star break when they begin another four-game road trip in Winnipeg on Tuesday, January 30th. Puck drops at 8 pm.
Game Notes
-Gourde has scored in three-straight games and has tallied six goals in nine games.
-In just his 13th NHL game, Peca notched the second assist and third point of his career.
-Namestnikov has scored three times in two games following a 13-game goalless drought.
-The Lightning are 15-5-1 in their last 21 games against Philadelphia.
-Callahan now has more regular season goals (19) and points (32) against the Flyers than any other team.
Our Three Stars of the Game
1st Star: Andrei Vasilevskiy – Finished with 36 saves and kept the Lightning in this game during a sluggish first period.
2nd Star: Ryan Callahan – Tied with Namestnikov for the team lead with four shots on goal and scored a spectacular shorthanded goal.
3rd Star: Yanni Gourde – Gave the Lightning a 2-0 lead and extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.
