Flyers Grind Out 2-1 Shootout Win in Tampa

The Philadelphia Flyers pulled out a patient 2-1 (2-0) shootout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Thursday evening. The Flyers played a strong game at five-on-five and earned a hard-fought regulation point on a late third period goal by Owen Tippett. In the shootout, Travis Konecny and Tippett converted their chances to deliver a bonus point to the Flyers. With the win, the Flyers improved to 5-8-1. Winless in their last four games, the Lightning dropped to 7-6-1.

The Flyers played a solid first period. However, a late Tampa goal by the deadly Nikita Kucherov sent the game to intermission with the Lightning leading by a 1-0 score.

After the Flyers pressured in the Tampa zone, Tampa took a 1-0 lead at 19:15 of the first period. Kucherov (11th goal of the season) swooped around the net and scored on a wraparound to the exposed short side as Sean Couturier attempted to defend the post. The assists went to Brandon Hagel and Emil Lilleberg. Goatender Ivan Fedotov overcommitted on the other side of the net and Couturier was unable to help sufficiently at the opposite post.

The second period was scoreless. The Flyers' best scoring chances came mid-period as well as a late shorthanded scoring chance for Noah Cates.

At 15:44 of the third period, Owen Tippett (3rd goal of the season) made it back-to-back games with a goal as he elevated a backhand shot over Andrei Vasilevskiy to the short side for a 1-1 tie. The assist went to Travis Konecny as the Flyers finally got on the scoreboard.

Earning his first win in the NHL, Fedotov stopped 23 of 24 shots through 65 minutes including three overtime saves. He was 2-for-2 in the shootout. Vasileveskiy, still one victory shy of his 300th NHL career win, stopped 31 of 32 shots in regulation and overtime (three OT saves) before going 0-for-2 in the shootout.

The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. They were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

Goaltender Aleksei Kolosov was injured during the morning skate. With Samuel Ersson not yet ready to return to play, the Flyers were permitted to have an emergency backup goalie (EBUG) eligible in case Fedotov also became incapacitated: 26-year-old Rhode Island native Kyle Konin.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

74 Owen Tippett - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 21 Scott Laughton - 71 Tyson Foerster
90 Anthony Richard - 48 Morgan Frost - 10 Bobby Brink
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 27 Noah Cates - 19 Garnet Hathaway

6 Travis Sanheim - 9 Jamie Drysdale
24 Nick Seeler - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
36 Emil Andrae - 5 Egor Zamula

82 Ivan Fedotov
[72 Kyle Konin]

PP1: Drysdale, Tippett, Frost, Konecny, Richard
PP2: Andrae, Foerster, Couturier, Farabee, Brink

Scratches: 39 Matvei Michkov (DND), 77 Erik Johnson (DND), 35 Aleksei Kolosov (lower body), 33 Samuel Ersson (lower body), 8 Cam York (IR), 25 Ryan Poehling (IR).

TURNING POINT

After a scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout. In the ensuing skills competition, Tampa elected to shoot first.

1st round: Tampa's Gage Gochcalves tried to go between the pads but Vasilevskiy calmly closed the five hole. In the bottom of the first round, Konecny scored over the glove hand after moving across from right to left.

2nd round: Victor Hedman was stopped by a Fedotov stick save. The Flyers' Tippett ended the game with a snap shot to the glove side.

POSTGAME 5

1) The two teams traded off one shot on goal apiece through a Flyers' icing five minutes into the first period. Tampa went on the game's first power play on a ticky-tack defensive zone slashing minor on Tyson Foerster at 6:19. After the penalty expired, Kucherov set up a prime scoring chance for Conor Geekie. Fedotov made the save for his second stop of the game.

2) The Flyers showed good forechecking pressure as the first period moved along. Tampa iced the puck several times under pressure, although the period was low-event in terms of shot attempts (six attempts for the Flyers, five on goal through 12:30, 10 attempts with three on net for Tampa). First period shots on goal ended up 8-7 in Tampa Bay's favor. Philly blocked six shots, led by two Sanheim blocks.

3) The Flyers applied very heavy pressure with extensive offensive zone possession on the second shift on the middle stanza. Farabee made a slick move. Brink came the closest to scoring, hitting the post. Fedotov made several good saves including a partial breakaway save on Cam Atkinson. Tampa controlled the next few shifts. Fedotov iced the puck at 6:02. Laughton made a patient play to get off a shot at 9:41. At the midway point of regulation, shots on goal were 15-11 in Tampa's favor.

4) Frost set up a prime scoring chance for Brink -- the Flyers best of the second period up to that point -- at 11:59. Farabee started another promising sequence on the next shift rotation. A potential 2-on-1 for Tampa went offside 12:30. The Flyers went to their first power play at 13:41 as Kucherov tripped Konecny. The Flyers generated no pressure as they struggled to gain entry and get set up. Couturier fired a shot on net (his 4th of the game) from the top of the right circle after the penalty expired. At the other end, Frost took a hooking penalty. Second period shots on goal were 13-10 Flyers (20-17 Flyers overall).

5) Farabee created a power play at 1:40 of the third period as he was held by Nick Perbix. Two failed clears by the Flyers created some anxious moments against Tampa's top line about eight minutes into the period. In general, much of the play was in the neutral zone for several minutes. Tippett hit the post midway through the period. In the final half-minute, Konecny sent Richard in with a chance to win the game. Vasilevskiy made the save. Third period shots were 9-4 Flyers.