Lightning at Flyers
The surging Philadelphia Flyers hope to add another victory and potentially move into second place in the Metropolitan Division before the All-Star break when they host the NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night. The Flyers have won four straight contests - three in overtime - and eight of their last nine after defeating Detroit 3-2 in the extra session Tuesday.
“We keep finding a way,” Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol told reporters after the last win. “There were stretches where we weren’t great (Tuesday), but we got two more points at the end of the night.” Forward Travis Konecny had the overtime winner for the Flyers in each of the last two games and the Lightning tied the game late in the third period with a goal from captain Steven Stamkos before winning 4-3 only 1:45 into the extra session at Nashville on Tuesday. Tampa Bay had struggled through its roughest stretch of the season (2-4-1), but won 2-0 at Chicago on Monday and rallied twice to knock off the red-hot Predators. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Stamkos told reporters. “Guys have stepped up. This group believes in themselves.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), NBCS Philadelphia
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (33-12-3): Stamkos also had an assist Tuesday to give him four points in four games and 56 on the season - five behind teammate and league-leader Nikita Kucherov, who has managed only two in his past five contests. Forward Vladislav Namestnikov added a goal and an assist against Nashville after managing two points in his previous nine games and not scoring since Dec. 21. Andrei Vasilevskiy (28-9-2, .930 save percentage), who was rested Tuesday in favor of backup Louis Domingue, is expected back in net after notching his league-best seventh shutout at Chicago.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (24-16-8): Konecny has emerged as a consistent scoring force after being moved to a line with Sean Couturier and All-Star Claude Giroux, accumulating five goals and six assists in a 12-game span. Couturier boasts eight goals and five assists in the last nine contests and continues to add to his career-high point total (49) - third on the team behind Giroux (56) and Jakub Voracek (55). No. 1 goaltender Brian Elliott is 5-1-0 in his last six games despite allowing three goals per contest and backup Michal Neuvirth owns an impressive .955 save percentage in five outings this month - three starts.
OVERTIME
1. Lightning C Brayden Point (19 goals, 43 points) was added to the Atlantic Division roster for the All-Star game Sunday in Tampa, replacing his injured teammate D Victor Hedman.
2. Philadelphia’s 22-year-old rookie D Robert Hagg, who boasts six points and a plus-14 rating, leads the league with 167 hits.
3. Stamkos needs one assist to reach 300 in his career and teammate LW Alex Killorn is two shy of 200 points.