It was exactly the kind of performance Guy Boucher and the Tampa Bay Lightning have been looking for all season long. On Sunday night, the Philadelphia Flyers and Bolts took to the ice for what would quickly become an incredibly one sided affair. The Lightning battled, scored and dominated the flow of play from start to finish. Perfection is just about the only word to describe it.
After allowing a weak goal within the first minute of play, the Lightning really managed to settle into a rhythm. Unlike many times last season when they allowed an early goal, the Bolts kept their composure, did not lose faith and came back with a number of solid shifts. Before the first period was over, the Lightning had turned a one goal deficit into a two goal lead with tallies from Teddy Purcell, Eric Brewer and Vincent Lecavalier. In what would become the theme of the night, the Bolts’ puck movement really set the stage for a complete victory. All three first period tallies were assisted by Martin St. Louis and were a result of smart passes and heads-up play from all five Bolts skaters.
Despite not scoring in the second period, the Bolts continued to control and dictate the pace of play. Considering the team’s recent struggles in the second frame, Guy Boucher and the coaching staff has to be happy with a relatively error-free and disciplined segment.
After a solid second period, the Bolts seemed confident that they would be able to bring home the two points. The team’s stellar third period performances have been well-documented and tonight was no different. Victor Hedman jumped on a juicy rebound early in the period to extend the Bolts’ lead to three. Then, midway through the period, Steven Stamkos scored his third of the season with a patient and slick re-direction in the slot.
The team’s defensive effort and relentless offensive attack resulted in a 5-1 victory over a seemingly tired Philadelphia Flyers squad. From the coaches’ perspective, it has to be refreshing to see that this team can take on the league’s contenders when it’s playing well. You can bet that Boucher will save the tape from this one and use it to reinforce just how dominant this team can be when everyone is moving their feet.
As mentioned repeatedly, the team’s overall effort was very inspiring. That being said – there was a number of incredible individual performances.
Sami Salo registered two more assists and now has five through five games in addition to leading the league in the plus-minus category. Despite his age and injury history, Salo has been a fantastic addition to this team. Against the Flyers, he consistently made smart defensive plays, key offensive passes and good decisions. In nearly 26 minutes of ice time, Salo did just about everything right.
Up front, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos Teddy Purcell and Vincent Lecavalier all had very strong performances. From the Lightning’s perspective, those are the guys that are needed night in and night out. St. Louis put up four assists, won puck battles and was momentarily tied for the league lead in scoring. Steven Stamkos scored his third of the season and added a beautiful assist. Teddy Purcell had a three point performance including a Stamkos-like goal. Vincent Lecavalier had an early fight and scored the Lightning’s insurance tally. Basically, all four played big roles in the Lightning’s victory; moving forward, if the Bolts get more performances like this out of these guys, the team is going to win a lot of games.
However, perhaps the most inspiring and needed performance of the night came from Anders Lindback. After a shaky start to the season, Lindback came in and gave the Bolts his best game of the year. Despite allowing an early weak one, he settled into the game, made big saves off odd-man Flyer rushes and shut the door for 59 minutes allowing the Lightning to run away on the scoreboard. He didn’t face too many shots, but a few of his 24 saves were just plain dandy. Given all the questions that have been directed towards him through five games this season, he desperately needed a performance like this. He was calm, collected and he maintained his composure whenever the Flyers got chances. The Lightning didn’t need him to steal the game, but he was there to make saves whenever called upon.
All in all, as said, tonight’s game was nearly perfect for the Lightning. Through two games of this five game home stand, the Bolts have picked up four points; fans, players and coaches can’t ask for anything more than that. Up next, the guys will welcome the struggling Florida Panthers to the Tampa Bay Times Forum for their first meeting of the season. Sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference and comfortably at the top of the Southeast Division, the Lightning will be looking to continue their hot start to the season.
I’ll be back with a pre-game blog for that one. As always, thanks for reading.
Tampa Bay Lightning: 4-1-0 (1st in the East)
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