As a whole, the Lightning did better than in their earlier two losses to control the majority of possession. They outshot the Flyers, 39-24, and held a 71-49 advantage in shot attempts. They generated more scoring chances than Philadelphia as well. But key mistakes at crucial times opened the door for the Flyers to mount a comeback. And while Flyers goaltender Carter Hart allowed two power play goals to Steven Stamkos, he stopped every other Lightning shot.
The Lightning owned most of the possession in the first period, but couldn't translate that advantage into many scoring chances. That dynamic changed in the middle stanza. Not only did the Lightning cash in on the two Stamkos power play goals, they posted 14 other shots on net. They had 31 total shot attempts in the period. But Hart made 14 second period saves to keep the Lightning at two goals. The Flyers got one of those goals back, too. Six and a half minutes after the second Stamkos tally, the Lightning yielded a goal off the rush - Scott Laughton finished an open look on a rebound.
Still, the Lightning took their 2-1 lead into the final frame. But an early third period penalty led to a power play goal for James Van Riemsdyk. The Lightning let Van Riemsdyk set up in front of the Lightning net and he deflected Kevin Hayes' shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Then came the eventual winner. Poor puck management in the defensive zone has been an issue for the Lightning during their two earlier losses this year. It hurt them in this contest as well. Two consecutive unforced turnovers prevented the Lightning from clearing their zone. The second of those resulted in Noah Cates' open chance from the slot. He buried the shot at 12:44.
The Lightning did some good things in this game. They won the possession battle. They outshot and out chanced the Flyers. After the first period, they dominated face-offs, winning 28 and losing only 10. But the mistakes they made proved to be significant and costly. Consequently, they still have just two points in the standings.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
1. Carter Hart - Flyers. 37 saves.
2. Steven Stamkos - Lightning. Two PPG.
3. Noah Cates - Flyers. GWG.
