The Lightning scored on their first SOG in the game. Zach Bogosian cranked a one-timer from the left circle past a screened Carter Hart. But for much of the rest of first period, the Lightning struggled to execute plays with the puck. They committed numerous icing infraction and ceded the majority of the possession time. They did defend hard in front of Vasilevskiy without the puck, however, so the Flyers didn't generate as many scoring chances as they might have. Still, Philadelphia produced a handful of good ones and Vasilevskiy turned them all aside.
The Lightning cleaned up their puck management issues in the second and, as a result, they were the ones to dominate possession. They also added to their lead with a couple of goals. Steven Stamkos' rebound tally began with a Ryan McDonagh steal in neutral ice. With the Flyers trying to hustle back to their own end, McDonagh passed the puck to Stamkos, who had room on down the left wing. Stamkos set up Bogosian in the slot. Bogosian put a backhander wide of the net, but retrieved it behind the goal. He slid a pass through the low slot to Stamkos at the bottom of the left circle. Nick Seeler blocked Stamkos' initial shot, but Stamkos slid the rebound into the net.
Nearly all of the Flyers' best looks in the second period came during two penalty kills. Philadelphia posted eight shots in the second - four of those occurred while the Flyers were shorthanded. The Lightning didn't generate much pressure during those two power plays, but they dominated five-on-five action. During a delayed penalty call on the Flyers, the Lightning maintained possession in the offensive zone, which allowed Vasilevskiy to get off the ice and Stamkos to come off the bench. As the sixth attacker, Stamkos set up Corey Perry at the bottom of the left circle. Perry roofed a shot over Hart's glove, snapping his season-opening goal drought.
In the third, the Flyers posted 14 shots on goal and a few of them were dangerous. But the shots came in bunches during isolated segments in the frame. The majority of the period was played in the Philadelphia defensive zone, where the Lightning registered 14 shots of their own. Alex Barre-Boulet added to the lead when, following a Stamkos face-off win, he zipped a shot over Hart's glove from the top of the right circle.
At the other end, Vasilevskiy took care of those 14 Philadelphia shots and earned his first shutout win of the regular season. Thanks to his solid performance, a well-balanced attack, and strong, overall play in the final 40 minutes, the Lightning head into their Thanksgiving break with a record of 11-4-3.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy - Lightning. 34-save shutout.
2. Zach Bogosian - Lightning. Goal and assist.
3. Steven Stamkos - Lightning. Goal and two assists.
