If there was any doubt that the Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning weren't the two top teams in the Eastern Conference, the teams eliminated those question marks on Tuesday night. It was a knock-down, drag-out battle from start to finish, ultimately needing a seven-round shootout to determine a winner.
Flyers Vs. Lightning: James Van Riemsdyk Puts Up The Gordie Howe Hat Trick As Philly Squeaks Past Tampa Bay
That winner was the Flyers, who defeated the Bolts for the first time in four tries this year on the winner from Kimmo Timonen. Martin St. Louis had a chance to tie the shootout for Tampa, but Brian Boucher stopped him to seal the two points for Philadelphia, who jumps five points ahead of the Lightning atop the East.
SB Nation’s Broad Street Hockey says that it’s officially a rivalry again between these two teams.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a hated rival again, and tonight’s game was living proof of that. It was one of those knock-down, drag-out battles from start to finish. A war of attrition at times, a war of engagement at others.
Whether it was Chris Pronger holding the puck in the defensive end to force the Lightning out of that horrible, blasphemous 1-3-1 trap or James van Riemsdyk fighting (!) Jones in defense of Claude Giroux after a nasty, dangerous knee-on-knee hit in the first period, this game had a bit of it all. I mean, it even had a Darroll Powe penalty shot goal. Yeah, seriously.
Powe's one of those guys who isn't exactly known for his shooting acumen. As he stepped to center ice for that penalty shot, he was jeered by his teammates from the bench. Then, with almost no room to shoot over the blocker-side shoulder of Dwayne Roloson, he did this.
The Flyers blew a two-goal lead in the second period following that Powe goal thanks to a beautiful shot from Teddy Purcell and a power-play goal from Vincent Lecavalier. James van Riemsdyk led the way for the Flyers, putting up the Gordie Howe hat trick in the first 27:33 of the game. Kris Versteeg looked good but was held off the score sheet in his Philly debut.
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