Alex Killorn nets beauty in OT, Lightning extend point streak to 13 games with 6-5 win over Flyers
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning rebounded again following another dismal third period against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Alex Killorn scored 18 seconds into overtime and the Lightning, after blowing a three-goal lead in the third, extended their point streak to 13 games Thursday night with a 6-5 win over the Flyers.
"In the grand scheme of things, it's another two points," Tampa Bay star Steven Stamkos said. "Usually you feel pretty good about a win (but) this one just felt like we let our goaltender down. Just very uncharacteristic play."
Stamkos had two goals and two assists to help Tampa Bay go ahead 5-2 at the end of two periods. Nikita Kucherov added a goal and three assists for the Lightning, who are 12-0-1 during their current run.
Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson had the other Tampa Bay goals, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves.
Killorn put home the winner from the top of the right circle.
Dale Weise and Robert Hagg scored in the opening 4:21 of the third, and Ivan Provorov got the Flyers even at 8:38.
"I think going into the third, if we knew we were going to take a point we would take it," Provorov said. "This game proves that this team doesn't quit, plays to the end."
Philadelphia erased a four-goal deficit during the second half of the third period before losing 6-5 to the Lightning in overtime on Nov. 17.
"As soon as you get the first (goal) it was like, 'OK, we can actually do this one more time,'" Hagg said.
Stamkos scored at 12:23 of the second before putting the Lightning ahead 4-2 on the power play 2:31 later. He has 14 goals in December, a career high for one month.
"There's still a couple days left this month so I'd like to continue that," Stamkos said. "I'd love to continue doing that in wins. It feels a lot better when things are going well for yourself and the team."
Kucherov extended his point streak to nine games (five goals, 19 points) and became the first NHL player to reach 60 points this season. The right wing was coming off a five-point game (one goal, four assists) in Saturday's 6-3 victory at Edmonton and set a team record for points in a month with 26.
The Flyers also got goals from Michael Raffl and Claude Giroux. Michal Neuvirth stopped 31 shots.
After the NHL's top power play converted its first two chances, Tampa Bay took a 5-2 lead when Johnson scored during a delayed penalty call with nine seconds left in the second.
Giroux tied it 2-all at 4:36 of the second after deking both defenseman Ryan McDonagh and Vasilevskiy.
McDonagh was minus-four.
After Kucherov scored at 13:56 of the first, Point got his 22nd goal as Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead on a power play with 48 seconds left in the period.
Point stopped a seven-game goal drought.
Stamkos got his 340th assist on Point's goal to move past Brad Richards into third place on Tampa Bay's career list.
After failing to score in his first 20 games, Raffl got his second goal in two games to make it 1-0 at 10:50 of the opening period.
NOTES: It was the Flyers' 4,000th game since joining the NHL as an expansion team in 1967. ... Tampa Bay C J.T. Miller and Flyers C Nolan Patrick both left with upper-body injuries. ... Lightning D Mikhail Sergachev exited late in the third after being hit near the left knee by a shot.
UP NEXT
Flyers: Play at Florida on Saturday night.
Lightning: Host Montreal on Saturday night.
