Philly Sports Jabronis
Report From Philadelphia Flyers
* Claude Giroux extended his point streak to six games (1g-7a–8pts) and his assist streak to four games (6a). Wayne Simmonds extended his goal-scoring streak to three games (3g).
* Giroux has also recorded a point in his last six games against the Lightning, while Simmonds scored a goal in four straight against the Lightning.
* Sean Couturier’s six-game point streak came to an end. It tied a career high.
* Michael Raffl had four shots on goal, which led the team, and four hits in the game.
* The defeat marked the Flyers’ sixth consecutive loss to Tampa Bay dating back to Feb. 5, 2013.
* The Flyers scored a power play goal for the eighth consecutive game – It’s the longest active power play goal streak in the NHL.
GAME RECAP
PHILADELPHIA — Tyler Johnson scored the go-ahead goal in the second period to help the Tampa Bay Lightning snap a two-game losing streak with a 3-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
Johnson also had an assist, and Steven Stamkos and Valtteri Filppula scored for the Lightning. Rookie goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, in his first NHL game, made 23 saves.
The win was the Lightning’s sixth straight against the Flyers. Tampa Bay is 13-2-1 against Philadelphia in 16 games since the start of the 2010-11 season.
Wayne Simmonds scored late in the first period for the Flyers, who lost for the first time in three games. Goaltender Steve Mason made 20 saves.
The Flyers had chances to at least draw even in the game after Johnson put the Lightning ahead, including two power-play chances late in the second period. However, they had a total of four shots on those man-advantage opportunities.
In the third period the Flyers also had chances, but Vasilevskiy was up to the challenge. He stopped Flyers rookie centerScott Laughton twice on the right post early in the period. He stopped a Claude Giroux shot from the right side and slid across to make a great right-pad save on Michael Raffl on the rebound with 6:25 left in the period.
Filppula iced the game with an empty-net goal with 41.8 seconds remaining.
Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead at 6:34 of the second on Johnson’s 10th goal. Nikita Kucherov fired a shot from the left side into traffic in front of the Philadelphia net. Johnson, in the slot, batted it through the scrum and past Mason.
The Lightning tied the game on Stamkos’ goal 1:50 into the second period. Jonathan Drouin carried the puck into the Philadelphia zone, but lost it above the right circle. Stamkos jumped on it and fired a shot that beat Mason to the short side past his blocker. The goal was Stamkos’ 18th.
The Flyers opened the scoring on Simmonds’ power-play goal with 40.4 seconds left in the first period. Giroux set up Mark Streit for a slap shot from the point, and Simmonds, camped in front of Vasilevskiy, tipped it in for his 14th goal.
“These guys did a good job as usual,” Simmonds said. “[Streit] had a wide-open seam for a one-timer, and I just got in front of the net and tipped it.”
