The Tampa Bay Lightning (37-21-5) are back at home to host the Philadelphia Flyers (24-28-11) tonight with puck drop at 7:00 p.m. ET. Even in the midst of a tough losing streak, the Bolts are still heavily favored by FanDuel tonight at -315 on the money line with an over/under at 6.5.
The Lightning have dropped their last five games and eight of their last 10. It’s been a really rough stretch for the Bolts as the regular season continues to wind down, and it wasn’t made any easier this past weekend. Tampa Bay fell 5-3 to the Sabres in Buffalo on Saturday and got blanked 6-0 by the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday in a game where seemingly nothing could go the Lightning’s way. Some have wondered whether fatigue is setting in on the team after years of consistently deep playoff runs and extended season playing time. Only time will tell as the Lightning will look to prove that theory wrong tonight against the Flyers.
Cooper: "We're in a rut right now. At some point, you just have to work your way out of it. You show some signs of yourselves getting out of it. Then, all of a sudden, you take 1 step forward, 2 steps back. At some point here, we've got to take 1 step back, 2 steps forward."
— Chris Krenn (@Chris_Krenn) March 5, 2023
Philadelphia won their last game Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 at home but haven’t been able to put together back-to-back wins since early January. They sit near the bottom of the Metropolitan division and are out of reach of the wild card race barring an incredible late-season run. The Flyers ultimately did not trade veteran winger James van Riemsdyk at the deadline despite multiple reports and rumors surrounding a trade. A deal with the Red Wings reportedly fell apart near the deadline when Detroit was unable to trade a forward to make space for van Reimsdyk on the roster.
The season series is currently split 1-1 with the Flyers picking up a win over the Bolts back in October during the Lightning’s home opener. Steven Stamkos scored two goals early in the second period, but Philadelphia came roaring back for a 3-2 win. The Lightning evened the series with a 4-1 victory on December 1st thanks in part to two goals from Nick Paul and Steven Stamkos’ 1,000 career point.
INJURIES: Lightning defensemen Erik Cernak and Victor Hedman are both considered day-to-day.
Philadelphia have four players currently on IR: D Ryan Ellis, RW Cam Atkinson, and centers Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny.
Odds (Courtesy of FanDuel): TBL -315 ML/PHI +250 ML, O 6.5 +102/U 6.5 -124
Where to watch: Bally Sports Sun, NHL Power Play, ESPN+
Where to listen: Lightning Radio 24/7, 102.5 MHz-FM
Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
March 7, 2023, 7:00 p.m. ET