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The Tampa Bay Lightning controlled Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers from beginning to end. Tampa Bay defeated Philadelphia 4-1 at Benchmark International Arena. The Lightning dominated the shot totals throughout the night. Tampa Bay finished with a commanding 36-14 advantage in shots on goal. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 13 shots during another strong performance. The victory moved Tampa Bay to 2-1-0 early in the 2026-27 season. Philadelphia dropped to 0-2-2.
Point Starts the Scoring
Tampa Bay controlled much of the opening period and consistently pressured Philadelphia goaltender Dan Vladar. However, the Lightning needed more than 16 minutes to finally break through. Brayden Point opened the scoring at 16:05 of the first period. Point redirected the puck past Vladar for his first goal this season. John Carlson and Nikita Kucherov collected assists on the goal. The Lightning entered the first intermission holding a 1-0 advantage. Tampa Bay also outshot Philadelphia 10-3 during the opening period. Tampa Bay’s pressure forced Philadelphia to spend plenty of time defending. Meanwhile, the Flyers struggled to create sustained offensive pressure against Vasilevskiy.
Holmberg Strikes Quickly
The Lightning wasted almost no time extending their lead during the second period. Pontus Holmberg scored just 17 seconds into the period. Ilya Mikheyev and Zemgus Girgensons earned the assists. Holmberg’s first goal this season gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 advantage. Philadelphia finally answered at 7:22 of the second period. Tyson Foerster scored his first goal this season to cut Tampa Bay’s advantage to 2-1. Nick Seeler and Sean Couturier received assists on Philadelphia’s only goal. The Flyers suddenly had life despite Tampa Bay controlling much of the action. However, Philadelphia never found the tying goal. Tampa Bay outshot Philadelphia 11-7 during the second period. Therefore, the Lightning carried a 21-10 shot advantage into the final 20 minutes.
Lightning Pull Away Late
Philadelphia entered the third period needing one goal to erase Tampa Bay’s advantage. Instead, the Lightning continued controlling the puck and limiting Philadelphia’s opportunities. The Flyers managed only four shots during the third period. Tampa Bay eventually delivered the insurance goal Philadelphia desperately wanted to avoid. Mikheyev scored with exactly three minutes remaining. Holmberg picked up the assist on the crucial goal. The goal gave Tampa Bay a 3-1 lead and essentially ended Philadelphia’s comeback hopes. However, the Lightning still had another goal coming. Brandon Hagel scored into the empty net with seven seconds remaining. Kucherov assisted on Hagel’s goal, giving him two assists during the victory. The Lightning scored twice during the final three minutes to turn a close game into a comfortable victory.
Tampa Bay Dominates the Shot Clock
The final shot total showed how thoroughly Tampa Bay controlled the game. The Lightning outshot Philadelphia 36-14 across three periods. Tampa Bay held Philadelphia to three shots during the opening period. The Flyers produced seven during the second period and four during the third. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay recorded 10 shots during the first period and 11 during the second. The Lightning then fired 15 shots during the final period. Vasilevskiy needed only 13 saves to secure his second consecutive victory. Philadelphia’s lack of offensive pressure made his evening much easier. At the other end, Vladar faced significantly more traffic throughout the game.
Lightning Continue Building Momentum
Tampa Bay has responded well since its difficult season-opening loss against the New York Rangers. The Lightning defeated Washington 3-1 during their home opener on Saturday. Now, Tampa Bay has followed that victory with another strong defensive performance. More importantly, several different players contributed offensively against Philadelphia. Point, Holmberg, Mikheyev, and Hagel accounted for Tampa Bay’s four goals. Kucherov added two assists without needing to score himself. Meanwhile, Holmberg finished with a goal and an assist. The Lightning also allowed only one goal for the second consecutive game. That defensive consistency should encourage Tampa Bay early in the season. Philadelphia simply could not generate enough offensive pressure Monday night. Tampa Bay dictated the pace, dominated the shot totals, and eventually put the Flyers away. The final scoreboard reflected that control. Final: Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Philadelphia Flyers 1.
The Lightning had a bad first game but like they have in the past they make adjustments and get wins.
Author Profile
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Bradley Walker (VP) and Head of our Florida operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a host on The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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