Holmberg, Mikheyev Power Lightning Past Flyers
By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports
Pontus Holmberg and Ilya Mikheyev each scored and assisted as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 Monday night. The goals were the first of the season for both, as the Bolts improved to 2-1-0 to start the season.
Brayden Point also scored his first goal of the season at 16:05 in the first period, redirecting a John Carlson shot from the blue line past Flyers goalie Dan Vladar.
Point won the initial faceoff in the Philadelphia zone and rushed to the net. Kucherov passed to Carlson on the point, who moved along the blue line and fired a shot toward the Flyers' net.
Point caught the puck with the shaft of his stick to put the Lightning on the board.
The assist was Carlson's 500th career even-strength point, making him the 16th defender in NHL history to the mark.
Kucherov’s assist on the goal was the 1,127th point of his career, passing Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Bossy to enter the top 15 right-wingers in NHL history.
Until then, the game was relatively subdued, with both teams playing a defensive chess match. Neither team recorded a shot in the first five minutes, and they had only eight combined shots before Point's goal, with just under four minutes left to play.
Tampa Bay turned up the volume after that, outshooting the Flyers in the period, 10-5.
Holmberg and Mikheyev Step Up
Holmberg gave the Bolts a two-goal lead when he, Mikheyev, and Zemgus Girgensons scored within 17 seconds of the second-period start.
After Philadelphia took the opening faceoff into the Lightning zone, Girgensons found Mikheyev rushing through the neutral zone. Mikheyev got the puck to Holmberg on the left on Vladar, with Bolts defenseman Ryan McDonagh rushing to the right.
With Mikheyev flying through the slot creating a near 3-on-1 situation, the trio froze the Flyer defense enough to allow Holmberg a wrist shot that sailed into the back of the net.
"Our guys did a heck of a job. They just know one way. They have an extreme will," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "They all can skate. They all get around the ice. They are all able to control the puck and control the play. You're happy when they make plays like they did."
"We just try to play simple and just try to play both ways," Mikheyev added when asked about his line's recent play. "And it's step by step for us."
The Flyers cut the lead to 2-1 at the 7:22 mark when Tyson Foerster snuck a puck through traffic and past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
That would be as close as the Flyers would get, as Vasilevskiy and the stingy Bolts defense held Philadelphia to 14 shots.
Mikheyev extended the lead to 3-1 at the 17:00 mark of the third period when a Holmberg pass bounced off his skate and behind the Flyers' net. Mikheyev scooped up the loose puck and scored on a wraparound, deflating Philadelphia's comeback hopes.
Girgensons started the play when he forced an errant pass by Flyer defenseman David Jiricek in his own zone, which Holmberg stole in the neutral zone.
Holmberg then deked Jiricek as the Lightning reentered the zone and went to pass to Mikheyev when the puck bounced off Mikheyev's skate.
Mikheyev's wraparound sent Flyer fans to the exits.
When asked about Holmberg's deke that set up his goal, Mikheyev simply had two words:
"So smooth."
"The ironic thing is Holmy (Holmberg) did that exact thing in practice the other day that lit everybody up," Cooper said. "It was crazy he did it in a game tonight. Pretty cool."
Brandon Hagel finished the game with an empty-net goal to make it 4-1. He led the team with eight shots Monday night as the team finished with 36 total.
Point, Lightning Continue to Make Strides
After a disastrous opening night at Madison Square Garden last Thursday, the Lightning have rebounded with two impressive home wins.
Shot production has increased, and the energy level continues to build. The Bolts have also done well keeping the puck out of their own zone and creating opportunities.
After outshooting Washington on Saturday night, the Bolts outshot the Flyers tonight, including a 15-4 advantage in the third period.
“I think we didn't spend a lot of time in our in our own end," Point said. "I felt like we had the puck quite a bit, and you know they're a skilled team, and they’ve got a lot of speed, so I think we did a great job limiting that and just kind of trying to play in their end.”
Defensively, the Lightning limited opportunities for Philadelphia just as they did to the Capitals, holding the Flyers to 14 shots.
They also killed off all three Flyers power plays and improved to 6-for-7 on the penalty kill this season.
Andrei Vasilevskiy earned his 372nd career victory and moved into the top 20 for all-time wins, tying Andy Moog. Vasilevskiy has stopped 31 of the 33 shots he has faced over his last two games and owns a 2.05 goalsagainst average this season.
"I think we learned a lesson in the first game," Cooper said. "We're not the only team that laid an egg in game one. There's a lot of teams in the league that have had some tough outings. What I really like is our next two have been pretty darn good."
Point continues to make an impact since the start of training camp, working most of the summer to come back from injury last season and hone his skills.
"I like Point's game. I think part of it with him is staying healthy, and it's a little bit of a confidence thing with him," Cooper said. "I don't think he was used to scoring 18 goals last year, but he really dedicated himself this summer into getting back to what makes him tick, what makes him work."
The 11-year veteran spent his summer in town working with Kucherov at the Lightning training facility, and the hard work is paying dividends early. Point’s goal was his 117th career go-ahead goal, and he needs one more to tie Martin St. Louis for the fourth
most in Lightning history.
"What I love about him is he's winning his battles," Cooper continued. "He's skating. It's weird that the goal he has this year is a tip like that was, where I think some of the other chances he's had haven't gone quite in for him, but those are always big exhale goals."
"Pointer has been one of those guys when he gets one, he usually gets a bunch. So hopefully that's what happens."
Three Stars of the Game
Pontus Holmberg, Tampa Bay. A goal, an assist, and an amazing move to put the game out of reach.
Ilya Mikheyev, Tampa Bay. Scored his first goal in a Lightning sweater on a hard-earned wraparound.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay. Stopped 13 of 14 shots, including some key saves late to hold Philadelphia at bay.
Up Next
The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Minnesota Wild Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena. Puck drop is at 7 pm.
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