Final
Bolts try to stay hot in Philly
Jan 12, 2015 - 5:52 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Tampa Bay Lightning will aim for their second four- game winning streak in the span of a few weeks when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers for Monday's tilt at Wells Fargo Center.Tampa Bay is 7-1-0 over its last eight trips to the ice and enters Monday on a three-game winning streak.
The recent surge began with four straight wins to close out December before the Bolts lost on Jan. 2 in Pittsburgh. However, Jon Cooper's club rebounded from the setback against the Penguins with consecutive wins over Ottawa, Montreal and Buffalo.
The hot streak has pushed Tampa Bay to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, where it sits one point ahead of the New York Islanders. The Lightning also hold a three-point lead over Montreal for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Tampa hopes to keep rolling tonight against the Flyers, who have lost six straight, nine of 10 and 13 of the past 16 meetings in this series. Philadelphia last beat the Lightning on Feb. 5, 2013 in the City of Brotherly Love. Tampa Bay has won two straight encounters at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Bolts are 2-0 against Philly this season and will try to complete a season-series sweep tonight.
Tampa is coming off Friday's 2-1 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. Steven Stamkos scored the game-winning goal with 5:18 remaining in the third period. The goal pushed Stamkos' team-high total to 22 and he also is pacing the Lightning with four game-winning markers.
Valtteri Filppula also scored and Ben Bishop made 20 saves for the Lightning, who outshot the Sabres 47-21 in the win.
"They were getting a little bit tired ... we just kept pressing," Cooper said.
Tampa is opening a two-game road trip Monday and will close the brief swing tomorrow night in Boston.
With the Lightning playing on consecutive nights, Bishop is expected to get a rest from backup Evgeni Nabokov over the next two games. Bishop is 1-1-0 with a 2.53 goals against average in his career against Philadelphia, while the veteran Nabokov owns a 10-4-0 mark and 2.69 GAA versus the Flyers.
The Flyers will be without No. 1 netminder Steve Mason, who suffered a lower- body injury in Saturday's home loss against Boston. Mason is expected to miss at least one week of action and Philadelphia has recalled goaltender Rob Zepp from its AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Zepp will get the call tonight over Ray Emery. It will be the second NHL game for Zepp, who started for Philadelphia in Winnipeg on Dec. 21 and stopped 25- of-28 shots to win his debut.
Philly is hoping to close a four-game homestand on a positive note. Craig Berube's club beat Ottawa and Washington to begin the stay at Wells Fargo Center before dropping a 3-1 decision to the Bruins.
David Pastrnak scored the first two goals of his career to lead Boston to the win, while Flyers captain Claude Giroux registered the lone goal for the hosts.
Mason started the game in net for Philadelphia, but left seven minutes into the first period with his injury. He stopped all five shots he faced while Ray Emery allowed three goals on 13 shots in relief.
"You just want to play solid when you come in that way," said Emery. "I thought we played a really good defensive game, controlled the puck for extensive periods of time down there and had our chances. That's just the way things go sometimes."
The Flyers, who are 11 points out of a playoff spot in the East, fell to 10-6-3 at home this season. Philadelphia will play three of its next four on the road, beginning with Wednesday's game at Washington.
- TAMPA BAY: 3
PHILADELPHIA: 7
Final
Jan 12 9:36 PM - TAMPA BAY: 3
PHILADELPHIA: 7
End of Regulation
Jan 12 9:36 PM - TAMPA BAY: 2
PHILADELPHIA: 7
End of 1st
Jan 12 8:44 PM - TAMPA BAY: 1
PHILADELPHIA: 2
End of 1st
Jan 12 7:45 PM - TAMPA BAY: 0
PHILADELPHIA: 0
1st Period - 20:00
Jan 12 7:08 PM
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