The Tampa Bay Lightning held a 1-0 lead before Saturday’s game reached its second minute and then never trailed to push their winning streak to an NHL-best nine games with a 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Tampa Bay is now 27-13-3 this season.
Nikita Kucherov opened the scoring with a shot near the Flyers net before the game’s two-minute mark and then scored again to offset a goal for Philadelphia’s Garnet Hathaway in the first period.
The Lightning scored the game’s next three goals to make it 5-1 before the Flyers got one back late on a power play. Tampa Bay added two more goals for good measure.
Kucherov led all players with a four-point night, while Brayden Point had three assists and Gage Goncalves had two goals. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 18 saves for his seventh straight win.
The same teams will play again at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday.
Scoring summary
First period
TBL 1, PHI 0
1:49 Nikita Kucherov (21) - Brayden Point
Nikita Kucherov one-timed the puck into the Flyers net at the right post after Brayden Point forced a turnover in Philadelphia’s defensive zone.
TBL 1, PHI 1
4:15 Garnet Hathaway (1) - Noah Juulsen, Rodrigo Abols
Philadelphia tied the score on a tipped shot from the point.
TBL 2, PHI 1
6:05 Kucherov (22) - Point, Charle-Edouard D’Astous
Kucherov’s second goal of the period regained the Lightning lead, this time scoring on a top-shelf shot from the left faceoff circle.
Shots on goal: PHI 8, TBL 7
Second period
TBL 3, PHI 1
13:37 Nick Paul (5) - D’Astous, Cirelli
Tampa Bay added to its lead with a rebound goal from forward Nick Paul in the second period.
Shots on goal: TBL 8, PHI 8
Third period
TBL 4, PHI 1
2:03 Gage Goncalves (5) - Kucherov, Darren Raddysh
Tampa Bay extended the advantage when Gage Goncalves powered to the goal line and roofed his shot on Flyers goalie Sam Ersson.
TBL 5, PHI 1
3:37 Brandon Hagel (21) - Jake Guentzel, Cirelli
Brandon Hagel got inside positioning on a Flyers defenseman, broke in alone on Ersson and slipped a shot through Ersson’s arm.
TBL 5, PHI 2
4:45 Owen Tippett (14) - Christian Dvorak - PP
Philadelphia got a goal back on a third-period power play with a change-up rolling shot by Owen Tippett from the top of the zone.
TBL 6, PHI 2
9:00 Yanni Gourde (6) - Zemgus Girgensons
The Lightning offset Philadelphia’s late goal with a breakaway tally from Yanni Gourde.
TBL 7, PHI 2
11:00 Goncalves (6) - Kucherov, Point
Tampa Bay added to their lead with Goncalves’ second goal of the night, this one a shot from the right circle.
Total shots: TBL 23, PHI 20
