The “bare bones” Philadelphia Flyers should be really proud of the way they played this game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After sixty minutes Tampa came out on top 2-0 but this goaltender’s battle went all the way down to the wire.
The last time these two teams faced off against each other it took ten shooters in the shoot-out to finally put the game in the win column for the Orange and Black. The rematch in Tampa tonight saw Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes for the Lightning with Ivan Fedotov getting the start for Philadelphia. Vasilevskiy and Fedotov were named the first and second stars of the game and for good reason.
Fedotov was tested early Nikita Kucherov to Hagel on a break into the Flyers zone Fedotov made the huge glove save to set the tone in the first. Kucherov and Vasilevskiy are two big names who were not on the ice the last time these teams met. Tampa is a force to reckon with, they have six players on their roster with 20 or more goals so far this season.
There was plenty of hitting by both squads in the opening period. Brink and Tippett both took big hits but seemed to bounce back fairly quickly. The Flyers out-hit Tampa tonight 41-19.
The Flyers had a decent showing with their first man advantage but ended up yet again with nothing to show for it. Dangerous chances by Michkov, Foerster, and Couturier all were denied by the Tampa netminder.
With just 1:29 to play in the 1st period Travis Konecny fumbled the puck at the Tampa blue line freeing Kucherov to go in on a clean breakaway against Ivan Fedotov. Kucherov held onto the puck until he opened up the Flyers goaltender and then slid the puck along the ice through the five-hole. The unassisted goal sent the game into the first intermission with the Lightning up by a goal.
2nd Period
The 2nd period opened with a big break by Owen Tippett that was shut down by Vasilevskiy. Later the Flyers looked like they may have solved the stingy netminder when Matvei Michkov was digging away at a puck at the side of the net. Foerster came in with a late dig between the pads. The whistle blew, the puck ended up in the net, Noah Cates ended up on the bottom of a pile up. It all added up to no goal, two penalties, and some 4-on-4 hockey.
Power-Play
Olle Lycksell took a high stick to the beak with 8:22 left to play in the second. His leaky red nostril now plugged with a cotton wad garnered the Flyers a four minute man advantage. Tampa used the penalty kill to get their first shot on goal of the period nearly twelve minutes in.
During the four minute advantage the Lightning unfortunately got the better of the chances. Fedotov had to stand tall during the Flyers ineffective power-play. Tippett had a nice chance with a fantastic move in the slot giving himself enough room to unleash a shot over the shoulder of Vasilevskiy only to hit the crossbar. This game was going into the 3rd period with Tampa’s one nothing lead still intact.
3rd Period
The Lightning came into the 3rd period aggressively looking to add to their lead. Fedotov was up to the pressure. Tampa pressing in the Flyers zone caused a couple break outs in the other direction. Play was back and forth, back and forth. The Flyers were putting some sustained pressure in the Tampa end when Kucherov sprung Hagel with a stretch pass that sent him in on a clean breakaway from center ice. Hagel ripped a wrist shot low glove side and Fedotov flashed the leather to shut it all down.
Both teams were doing a good job of shutting down opportunities and blocking shots. Five minutes into the 3rd period shots on goal were tied at only 16 a piece.
Travis Konecny, who must feel completely swallowed by the snake at this point, had a great opportunity on a 2-on-1 break and missed the net by a mile. Seconds later he missed by the same margin from the same spot but to the other side of the net. In many cases Konecny would be the difference in a tight game such as this one. It’s easy to say “you’re thinking about it too much”. At this point he’s probably thinking about “thinking too much” too much.
Play quickly transitioned down to the Flyers end. Ryan Poehling gave a great example of exactly how the 3rd man is supposed to come back as he shut down a very dangerous Tampa break in.
Time was reaching two minutes left in regulation when the Flyers star of the night Ivan Fedotov skated to the bench in exchange for the extra skater. Sean Couturier lost control of his stick after a collision in the Tampa zone and picked up a double minor for high sticking. The Flyers would be short-handed for the duration of the contest.
Fly or Die Tryin’
With time ticking down and the Flyers on the PK Fedotov again skated to the bench. Tampa immediately made them pay for that decision. The Flyers defense collapsed back towards the net allowing Jake Guentzel to fire the puck into the empty net. Fedotov played one of his best games tonight and saved the Flyers bacon many times throughout the tilt. Taking your best player off the ice to go for the tying goal was the only aggressive choice they were left with. The goal came with 1:30 left on the clock. After a valiant effort by the underdog Flyers Tampa won by the final score of 2-0.
Torts
Flyers head coach John Tortorella did not look a bit happy with the way his team attempted to defend their empty net. He was in the right to be upset. The defense could have stood up to the entry, and the goal was just such a bummer. His team had played a fantastic game against a far superior team and came so very close to sweeping the season series against the Lightning.
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The Flyers coach has a bit of a history in Tampa Bay. He coached the Lightning to a Stanley Cup victory in 2004 after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Extra Credit: Tortorella was much more animated behind the bench tonight than he had been during most of the recent extended homestand. That’s a good thing. No matter how this season ends and leads into the next no one should be willing to go out with a whimper. That’s just not what the logo on the sweater represents.
