Tampa Bay Lightning In Search Of Resurgence
The Tampa Bay Lightning search for resurgence before heading out on the road.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been on quite the rollercoaster ride over the course of the last few weeks. Unfortunately, the rollercoaster ride came to an end on Monday night when the Bolts were defeated 4-2 by the Philadelphia Flyers, then once again by the Boston Bruins 1-0 in overtime on Tuesday night at the Amalie Arena here in the Sunshine State.
Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning heads back into the Amalie Arena in search of a resurgence before heading out on the road for a four-game road trip. Oh…and they have an opportunity to seek a little vengeance against the team that put an end to their franchise record-setting nine game win streak, the Philadelphia Flyers.
This will be the third and final meeting between these two teams in the regular season. Before tonight’s encounter, the Tampa Bay Lightning took one of the two meetings between the Bolts and the Flyers. This would be all the way back on October 8th at the Tampa Bay Lightning Home Opener. As we mentioned before, the Flyers took down the Lightning 4-2 on Monday night.
One of the players the Tampa Bay Lightning will definitely need to keep an eye on in tonight’s encounter is Flyers rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Gostisbehere was responsible for two of the four goals the Philadelphia Flyers scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.
Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Lightning are coming into tonight’s confrontation at a slight disadvantage. The Philadelphia Flyers haven’t had to hit the ice against an opponent since facing the Lightning on Monday night. As you know by now, the Tampa Bay Lightning had to face another opponent the very next night. Therefore, they are well-rested and have had plenty of time to put together a plan to defeat the Lightning.
On the bright side, there is a possibility the Tampa Bay Lightning will be getting back two of their key defensive players when they take on the Flyers. According to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper said Lightning defensemen Anton Stralman and Braydon Coburn will be a game-time decision. There’s no denying it would be a benefit to the Bolts to get someone like Stralman back in the lineup.
Another player the Tampa Bay Lightning will need to keep a close eye on is Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Wayne Simmonds. Not only is he one of the most hard-hitting players in the league and well-known for his willingness to get in the face of an opponent and drop the gloves, but he is currently leading the Philadelphia Flyers in goals scored with 24. Add in his 22 assists this season and you get a grand total of 46 points.
On the other side of the ice, it is Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov who is leading the way for the Tampa Bay Lightning. So far this season, Nikita Kucherov has scored 25 goals and 29 assists for a grand total of 54 points. This places Kucherov is first place on the team in overall points.
On the heels of Nikita Kucherov is Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. Stamkos is currently leading the team in goals scored with 29 goals. When you add in his 23 assists so far this season, you come up with a total of 52 points.
The Tampa Bay Lightning definitely put a fair amount of pressure on the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. When the buzzer sounded to end the third period of play, the Lightning outshot the Bruins 42-32. The Tampa Bay Lightning shot the puck at the net 42 times and was still not able to pierce the defense of Bruins goaltender Jonas Gustavsson.
The sound of the crossbar is definitely frustrating when you know you are doing your best to put the puck on the net. If the Tampa Bay Lightning want to emerge victorious over the Philadelphia Flyers tonight, they are going to have to find a way to convert on their opportunities while maintaining the kind of pressure they put on the Bruins on Tuesday night.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has beaten the rough and tumble Flyers this season, and they have everything within their power to do it once again. All they will need to do is focus on the task at hand and do what they do best; score goals, win games, and bring home the much-needed two points
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The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m. EST at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Can’t make it to the game? Never fear! We have you covered. Here’s a closer look at all the information you’ll need to make sure you don’t miss a moment of the action between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers tonight.