The Tampa Bay Lightning will face the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night at Amalie Arena. The Bolts and Flyers look to get back on track after dropping the last two and five games, respectively. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m.
The Lightning are currently third in the Atlantic Division with a 37-23-4 record. The Flyers, meanwhile, have struggled mightily this season, sitting at seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a 27-31-8 record.
Goaltending Favors the Bolts
Andrei Vasilevskiy (30-18-3) has been one of the best goalies in the league this season, allowing just 2.25 goals per game, which is second in the NHL. The 30-year-old is tied for second in the NHL with a .920 save percentage. Vasilevskiy has four career shutouts against the Flyers.
The Flyers have had three different goalies play at least 15 games this season. Samuel Ersson (18-12-4), who is expected to be in net Thursday night, has allowed 2.97 goals per game (41st in the NHL) and has a .889 save percentage (45th in the NHL).
A Special Birthday
It’s Brayden Point’s 29th birthday. Point leads the Bolts with 32 goals this season, which ranks eighth in the NHL. The birthday boy would love to cash in on the celebration as he has scored just one goal over the last 10 games.
Injury Report
Nikita Kucherov is listed as day-to-day. The 31-year-old did not play in the third period of Tuesday’s game versus the Hurricanes due to undisclosed reasons. Kucherov has been elite this season as he is third in the NHL with 92 points. For comparison, Philadelphia’s leading scorer (Travis Konecny) has just 65 points. When Kucherov is in the lineup, the Lightning are very active at getting pucks to the net. Kucherov has achieved at least one goal in 24 of the games played and has recorded at least one assist in 39 games.
Garnet Hathaway (day-to-day) is on the injury report for the Flyers. Hathaway has missed five consecutive games with an upper-body injury. The 33-year-old from Naples, Florida is a game-changer for the Flyers. The right-winger was second in the NHL in hits last season.
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Key Matchup to Watch
Tampa Bay’s Ryan McDonagh is a name that many know as one of the best veteran defensemen in the NHL. On the other hand, Philadelphia’s Jamie Drysdale, who is just 22 years old, is a name that many might not know as he is one of the youngest defensemen in the NHL. These two defensemen are the key matchup to watch Thursday night.
McDonagh is third in the NHL with a plus/minus of 33. Simply put, when he is on the ice, the Lightning dominate play. The 35-year-old is due for a goal as he just has two on the season. While he isn’t known for his scoring, McDonagh has four shots on goal over the last two games. He is bound to get one through the back of the net.
Drysdale, who was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, is playing some of the best hockey of his career. He’s been one of the lone bright spots for the Flyers this season. Drysdale has a career-high five goals this season and has scored in two straight games.
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