The Flyers closed the book on their 2024-25 meetings with the Tampa Bay Lightning the same way they opened them – outmatched and outscored.
At a Glance
- Tampa Bay completed a three-game sweep, outscoring Philadelphia 15-3.
- The Flyers have now lost back-to-back regulation games for only the second time this season.
- Star winger Travis Konecny exited early after an “abuse of officials” penalty.
- Why it matters: Philadelphia’s offense has dried up against elite competition, raising questions about its readiness for a playoff push.
Monday night’s 5-1 defeat at Xfinity Mobile Arena was the exclamation point on a lopsided season series. Tampa Bay (28-13-3) extended its winning streak to 10 games, averaging five goals a night during the run, while the Flyers (22-14-8) absorbed their worst two-game stretch of the year after Sunday’s 7-2 shellacking in the same building.
Lightning Strike Early and Often
The opening minute foreshadowed the long evening ahead. Just 1:10 into the contest, Pontus Holmberg pounced on a loose puck the Flyers never located and pumped it past Dan Vladar for a 1-0 lead.
Philadelphia never recovered.
Thirty-three seconds into the second period, Erik Cernak’s point shot deflected off Jake Guentzel and slipped between Vladar’s pads. Before the four-minute mark, Brayden Point converted a rebound on the power play for a commanding 3-0 advantage. Christian Dvorak finally answered for the Flyers, but two subsequent Philadelphia power plays failed to register a single shot.
Tampa Bay made them pay, netting another man-advantage goal in the final minute of the middle frame to restore the three-goal cushion. An empty-netter late in the third capped the scoring.
Konecny’s Eventful Return
Travis Konecny dressed despite bruises in both the upper and lower body. He missed Saturday’s contest after taking a puck to the knee in Sunday’s practice, but coach Rick Tocchet plugged his top winger back into the lineup hoping for a spark.
Instead, Konecny’s night ended prematurely. With 9:24 remaining, officials ejected him for “abuse of officials” following a cross-checking minor, stripping the Flyers of their most dynamic scorer during a comeback attempt that never materialized.
Special-Teams Woes
The Flyers entered the game needing their power play to flip momentum. It never happened. Philadelphia went 0-for-3, including two critical chances down 3-1 that produced zero shots.
Tampa Bay, by contrast, finished 2-for-4 and has now scored with the man advantage in six straight contests. The Lightning’s puck movement forced Vladar into repeated lateral saves, and the goalie had “little to no chance” on either rebound goal, according to Sarah L. Montgomery of News Of Philadelphia.
Vladar Not the Problem
Although Dan Vladar wasn’t flawless, the 28-year-old netminder hardly deserved the final stat line: 21 saves on 25 shots, the fifth goal deposited into an empty cage. The Flyers left shooters unmarked in the low slot on both power-play tallies, and the opening goal developed after three white jerseys failed to clear the crease.
Michkov’s Goal Drought
Rookie sensation Matvei Michkov skated 16 minutes, fired two shots, and was held pointless for the 19th time in his last 20 outings. Since December 1, the 21-year-old has lit the lamp only once – an empty-netter – while tallying eight assists. The Flyers rank 25th in goals per game since Thanksgiving, and Tocchet has openly pleaded for secondary scoring beyond the top line.
Fisticuffs in the Third
Frustration boiled over midway through the final period. Flyers forwards Rodrigo Abols and Nikita Grebenkin dropped the gloves simultaneously against Lightning counterparts Nick Paul and Max Crozier. Referees handed out five-minute majors to Abols and Paul, while Grebenkin and Crozier collected game misconducts after their secondary fight. The sequence injected brief energy, yet Tampa Bay calmly killed the ensuing four-on-four segment without surrendering a high-danger chance.
What’s Next
Philadelphia heads north to face the Sabres on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT), seeking to avoid a season-high three-game slide. Buffalo sits five points behind the Flyers in the wild-card race, so the matchup carries significant playoff implications.
Key Takeaways
- The Flyers have now fallen behind 1-0 in 30 of their 44 games, the second-highest total in the NHL.
- Their record after regulation losses improved to 9-2-2, but that trend faces a test if the skid continues.
- Special teams flipped the script: Tampa Bay’s power play clicked at 50 percent; Philadelphia’s sputtered at 0 percent.
- Abols and Grebenkin showed fight – literally – but moral victories don’t count in the standings.
With the season series closed, the Flyers can only watch the Lightning surge toward the Presidents’ Trophy race while they scramble to stay in the wild-card picture.
