FLYERS NEWS

The Flyers got roped into an old west shootout at the Wells Fargo center tonight, as they combined with the Tampa Bay Lightning for 15 goals. Not once, not twice, but 4 times, the Flyers had a lead and 4 times they failed to hold it, and 3 of those 4 times they were up by 2 goals. It's easy to blame the goaltending on a night like this. After all Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled after after allowing 4 goals on just 11 shots in 1 period of play and Brian Boucher did no better allowing another 4 goals on 22 shots. They pretty good excuses though. Having not rested in 11 games now, Bobrovsky was obviously tired, and having not played in 11 games, Boucher was obviously rusty. Both were also hung out to dry by their defense. While the Flyers only allowed 33 shots on goal, which isn't terrible, far too many were from point blank range. Moroever, the vaunted Flyer penalty kill disappeared, allowing 3 goals out of a whopping 9 power play opportunities. The Orange and Black meanwhile were 0 for 4 on the power play which probably cost them a chance to outduel Tampa in this one.

Early in the first period Nikolay Zherdev and Andreas Nodl scored goals within seconds of another to put the Flyers up 2-0. Their lead lasted just over 3 minutes as Steve Stamkos and Martin St. Louis teamed up for a power play tally, and Adam Hall slipped one by Bobrovsky to tie it at 2. James Van Reimsdyk picked up the assist as Jeff Carter briefly put the Orange and Black back ahead 3-2. Again it didn't last St. Louis setup Ryan Malone on the power play to tie it at 3 just 4 minutes later. With help from Matt Carle and Ville Leino Braydon Coburn registered his 100th career point to put the Flyers back up 4-3. Then Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell combined to make it 5-3 just a few minutes later. Again the breathing room didn't last. Brett Clark scored just seconds after Briere to cut it to 5-4. Then Stamkos and St. Louis teamed up again early in the 2nd period to tie it up at 5.

From there Daroll Powe setup Nikolay Zherdev for his 2nd goal of the night to make it 6-5, less than a minute later. 5 minutes after that JVR picked up his 2nd assist, as Andrej Mezjaros scored for a 7-5 lead. Again though it didn't last. Stamkos and St. Louis teamed up to assist ex-Flyer Steve Downie to cut it to 7-6. Then Stamkos and St.Louis teamed up on the power play again to tie it at 7. Finally, 5 minutes into the 3rd period Nate Thompson scored to give Tampa its first lead of the night, at 8-7. That was finally too much for the Orange and Black to overcome as they dropped their 2nd in a row 8-7.