Without Nikita Kucherov, and without Brayden Point, and without Erik Cernak, the Tampa Bay Lightning still managed to deliver. On home ice at Amalie Arena last night, they delivered a convincing 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers – built on the back of one of the more impressive middle frames you’ll ever see out of an NHL squad. Here are last night’s thumbs:

Thumbs Up: Dominating the Second Period
After middling their way through the opening 20 minutes, the Bolts took over the game with overwhelming authority in the second period. They gave the Flyers absolutely nothing, which in turn allowed them to pad their lead. For a team that was working through some growing pains in the early going this season, Tuesday’s second period was great evidence that things are starting to click. From the top of the lineup through the bottom, everybody nailed their assignments.

Thumbs Up: Zach Bogorrsian
Zach Bogosian channeled his inner Bobby Orr in this game, contributing at both ends of the ice. He scored the game’s opening goal with a one-timer from the left side, just a little bit north of Steven Stamkos’ favorite spot in the circle. And he wasn’t done there. His assist on Stamkos’ 10th of the season was a thing of beauty.

Beyond the heroics on the score sheet, Bogosian was a rock in the defensive zone. The Flyers generated very, very little when he was on the ice. With Cernak out of the lineup, the Lightning needed players like Bogosian to step up. He did that and then some.

Thumbs Up: Steven Stamkos’ Big Night
I mentioned in my last blog that the Lightning were going to need someone like Steven Stamkos to play a big role in the offense with both Point and Kucherov on the sidelines. He answered that call to action with a three-point night, bringing his season totals to 22 points through 18 games. Reports of the Captain’s demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

Thumbs Up: Corey Perry Gets His First
For a player who came in with the reputation as a veteran who could add some scoring touch to the bottom-six, Corey Perry had a fairly rough start to the season. If you were willing to look beyond that promise of goals and points, though, you saw a player doing a lot of things right in a swiss-army-knife-like role. It was fantastic to see him rewarded with his first goal as a member of the Lightning last night. Here’s to many more.

Thumbs Up: Making the Most of Opportunity
With injuries plaguing the lineup, opportunity has knocked for Alex Barre-Boulet. He’s making the most of it. Barre-Boulet scored his third goal of the season by being quick off the draw and taking an unexpected shot through traffic. It’s one that the Flyers might like back, but it counted just the same.

For Barre-Boulet, the goal was a reward for a game well played. According to Natural Stat Trick, he led the Lightning in five-on-five expected goal share for the evening. It’s the kind of thing that he will need to continue to do if he wants to stick with the team when bodies get healthy.

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Overall, there was very little to complain about in this game. The Lightning now find themselves just four points back of the division-leading Florida Panthers.

As always, thanks for reading.

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