The power outage was the real star of the show tonight.
The power outage was the real star of the show tonight.
In what was easily one of the strangest games the Flyers have had this season, they were able to largely dominate the Tampa Bay Lightning, looking recovered and refreshed after a disappointing couple of games this past weekend. Half of the goals were scored by defensemen, Jamie Drysdale doesn't need a sling but John Tortorella does, and so, so many electricity jokes...there's a lot to unpack from this game.
Lights Out
Okay, just to get it out of the way, the power went out. It (mostly) came back on. It didn't significantly affect how the Flyers played (although Travis Sanheim did say the ice started to warm up and became "terrible" as the game went on), and they were able to get a convincing 6-2 win over the Lightning.
Head coach John Tortorella that the officials asked both him and Lightning head coach Jon Cooper if they wanted to continue playing. Both of the coaches did, but prioritized asking their respective goalies if they were okay with continuing the game with significantly dimmer lights—well, sort of.
"I don't really give a s— what [Sam Ersson] thought at that time," Tortorella said. "We're 1-0 up, we're going to play."
A lot of positive factors went into this win. There were six different goalscorers—Bobby Brink, Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Sean Walker, Noah Cates, and Tyson Foerster. Players felt confident enough to start pulling out the trickery to get pucks past the Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy. The defense was able to keep one of the (if not the) most dangerous top lines in the NHL quiet for most of the night. After back-to-back losses against division rivals that could've easily decimated their confidence and mentality, the Flyers responded the best way they could've.
Men of the Moment
Tyson Foerster continued his hot streak, scoring an impressive backhand shot against Vasilevskiy. It was exactly the push they Flyers needed.
"I think we score a goal that he usually stops," Tortorella said of Foerster's shot. "That gave us some juice."
Bobby Brink also came up big, scoring the Flyers' first goal of the night on his first shift since being recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms that morning. While Tortorella stated that he believed that Brink—who's been dealing with some "inconsistencies" and moving up and down between the Flyers and Phantoms—still has "a lot to learn," but was pleased to see the 22-year-old score.
"I didn't bring him here to check." Tortorella joked.
Linemate Morgan Frost also enjoyed seeing Brink score on his first shift back in the NHL, saying, "I loved his [celebration]. It was pretty electric. He's awesome. I think he brings a lot of life and a lot of laughs to the group. It's good to have him back."
Group Effort
Although a 6-2 win against a very good Lightning team is certainly an impressive scoreline, Tortorella was hesitant to call the performance "dominant." He highlighted the fact that the Flyers didn't play their best hockey across the first two periods, but stated how important it was to have a variety of different goalscorers in this game.
"Everybody's got to chip in," he said, referring to the absence of Travis Konecny's offensive contributions in the wake of an upper body injury. "I'm not sure what the situation is with [Konecny] or when he comes back. Until he does, we've got to do it by committee and everybody has to raise their level."
The Flyers' next game will be in Washington, D.C. against the Capitals on Mar. 1 at 7:00 p.m. EST.
Related: John Tortorella Compares Konecny to Former Blue Jackets Star