To be honest, I wasn’t sure how this NHL thing was going to do in this whole post-Vancouver era we’re living in. But if tonight is any indication, things are going to work out just fine.
Things didn’t begin nearly as rosily as they ended, though. Steven Stamkos affirmed his status as one of the best scorers in the league, scoring twice in a row to put the Lighning on top 2-1 after Mike Richards had opened the scoring midway through the first by tipping a Daniel Carcillo shot.
But Carcillo carried the team on his moustache from there, scoring a very pretty garbage goal on a rebound to level the score at 2-2, a tie that held through the end of the second period.
Though the Flyers may have been lucky to be tied after two close periods, they redeemed themselves with a third period for the ages. Simon Gagne scored on the power play only 17 seconds in, tapping in a beautiful set up from Richards. The Gagne goal was followed by a Claude Giroux goal (initially credited to Gagne), which was followed by a James van Riemsdyk goal, which was followed by another Giroux goal, which was followed by a Jeff Carter shorthanded tally for the PAT.
When all was said and done, the Flyers had dropped a nickel on the Lightning in the third, scoring five times in a period for the first time this season, good for a 7-2 win and their fifth straight victory.
It’s a good time to be a Flyers fan right now.
After the jump, questions are answered, plus my first ever time picking a comment of the night.
Questions Answered:
- Can the Flyers offense keep up the hot streak they were on before the Olympic break? And then some.
- Do Mike Richards and Chris Pronger show any extra jump after winning gold medals? Richards was phenomenal. And Pronger’s jump manifested itself in his joining an odd-man rush, which was just bizarre to behold.
- How does Lukas Krajicek perform against his old team? He was aight, nothing special.
- How does Ryan Parent look in his first game back? Parent got crunched by Malone and a friend in the third period, throwing him to the ice and causing his helmet to dislodge from that magnificent head of hair. But he seemed okay after, so all is right in Parenthood.
- Can Michael Leighton keep up his success after two weeks off? He’s the best goalie ever.
Comment of the Night:
Thank you I’ll be here all week, try the schnitzel. — LegionofDoom
