Owen Tippett scored a tying goal late in regulation and tallied the game-deciding goal in the shootout, and the Philadelphia Flyers broke a two-game losing skid by edging the host Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Thursday night.
Following a spirited 3-on-3 overtime session, Travis Konecny scored on a clever shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy (30 saves) in the shootout’s first round after coming in from the right side. Tippett then put the game away as the Flyers won the shootout 2-0.
Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, 27, made 22 saves and recorded his first NHL win in his first career shootout by stopping Gage Goncalves and Victor Hedman as the Lightning lost their fourth straight (0-3-1).
Aleksei Kolosov was slated to start in goal for the Flyers, but the Belarusian backstop was injured in morning skate and was scratched.
Nikita Kucherov scored a goal for the Lightning, who have a whole week off before getting back to action in their second matchup with the Winnipeg Jets on home ice next Thursday.
After getting injured Sunday in Winnipeg, Tampa Bay top-line center Brayden Point missed his second straight game, while the Flyers scratched rookie Matvei Michkov, who has just one point in the past five games.
After going 1-3-0 on their road trip against the Central Division, the Lightning took the ice again without Point, the team’s sparkplug on offense who moves the puck around in the bumper spot on the power play.
Fedotov made the first big save with Tampa Bay on the man advantage nearly nine minutes in, as the 6-foot-7 goalie slid over and made a point-blank save on Conor Geekie.
However, Kucherov stormed in from the left with the puck, swooped around Fedotov’s cage and whipped in his 11th goal, having the tally bounce off Sean Couturier’s stick that was inside the far post with 45 seconds left in the first period. Brandon Hagel and Emil Lilleberg posted assists on the goal.
Philadelphia turned up the pressure on Vasilevskiy in the next 20 minutes, logging 13 shots, but the Russian netminder, seeking his 300th career win, was up to the task of keeping the Flyers off the board.
With 4:16 left in regulation, Tippett lifted a bad-angle backhander that flew in above Vasilevskiy’s right shoulder for the winger’s third goal, with help from Konecny’s assist.
–Field Level Media
