Mar 9, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) is congratulated by right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) after he scored a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images The Tampa Bay Lightning have scuffled over the last two games, but a matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers might be just what the doctor ordered.
The Lightning hope to avoid a third straight defeat Thursday when they visit the Flyers, who aim to snap an even longer skid.
Following a stretch of 10 wins in 11 games, Tampa Bay has dropped two in a row by a combined margin of 8-1. They fell behind 3-0 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and never recovered in an eventual 4-1 defeat.
“At the end of the day, it’s a 60-minute game,” Tampa Bay captain Victor Hedman said. “(The Hurricanes) are a good team and when you give them chances, they’ll come at you.”
The Lightning have struggled with turnovers in each of the last two games, continuing to put goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy in a tough spot.
“We can’t pat ourselves on the shoulder and say good job,” Hedman said after Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Boston. “We’re chasing, first and foremost, a playoff spot, but positions in our division are up for grabs and we want to win as many games as we can to put us in the best possible situation come postseason.”
Adding injury to insult, Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov left Tuesday’s game during the second intermission and did not return. Tampa Bay coach John Cooper did not have an update after the game.
Kucherov in street clothes would be a welcome sight for the Flyers, who will take all the breaks they can get at this point. The team has lost the first five games of its seven-game homestand, including a 5-2 defeat against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
Philadelphia has amassed just eight goals during its five-game slide.
“This is a really frustrating, tough stretch for us,” Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler said after the Ottawa loss. “Tonight, we competed. Other than that stretch in the second where we were allowing them to have too many odd-man rushes — we have to get that out of our game — I thought we were supporting the puck much better and the [defensemen] were able to get up and pinch really well. We just need to get out of this together.”
One of the Flyers’ goals was scored by defenseman Jamie Drysdale, who has tallied in consecutive games for the first time in his career. He has three goals in March after entering the month with only two on the season.
“I feel pretty confident in my game,” Drysdale said. “But in saying that, as a team, we’ve got to win and I can still be a lot better. Made a bunch of mistakes defensively, caused a couple chances against.”
This is the second of three meetings between the Lightning and Flyers this season. Philadelphia posted a 2-1 win on Nov. 7 as Owen Tippett scored late in regulation and then the clincher in the shootout.
The teams meet again Monday in Tampa Bay.
–Field Level Media