NBCSN continues with its coverage of the 2016-17 season with a doubleheader tonight. It all gets going at 7:30 p.m. ET when the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Philadelphia Flyers. To watch that game online, click here.
There was some good news and some bad news for the Flyers on Tuesday night.
On a positive note, they managed to take down the Florida Panthers by a score of 3-1. Unfortunately, they lost center Sean Couturier to a lower-body injury. He’ll be re-evaluated later on today.
Going back to the win, goaltending always seems to be a question mark in Philadelphia, but Steve Mason was solid in the victory. The Panthers finally got a puck by him with less than two minutes remaining and with the game already out of reach.
“A real strong game from the entire team and from a personal standpoint, I felt good,” said Mason, per CSN Philly. “The guys in front did a great job of moving bodies and giving me a lane to the point shots and shots from the outside.”
With this being their second game in two nights, don’t be surprised if the Flyers give Anthony Stolarz his first NHL start.
If there’s one team that doesn’t feel bad about Philadelphia’s injury situation, it’s the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Bolts are currently without captain Steven Stamkos and workhorse defenseman Anton Stralman.
Despite being hit hard by injuries, the Lightning are returning home after a successful road trip that saw them go 4-1-0 (one of those wins came in Philly).
“It’s a pretty resilient group, I’ll be honest,” coach Jon Cooper said, per the Tampa Bay Times. “We’ve liked our start. If you can win two out of every three, you’re going to have a pretty good chance to make the playoffs. You take a look at the injuries we’ve had on the road trip, lost our captain, kept marching on.
“It’s only been a couple games, but if they keep doing this, I’m going to be pretty proud of this group.”
In the late game, the San Jose Sharks play host to the Chicago Blackhawks at 10:00 p.m. ET. To watch that game online, click here.
The San Jose Sharks didn’t play last night, but they took care of some important business.
They managed to sign star defenseman Brent Burns to an eight-year, $64 million extension, which means he won’t be hitting the free agent market in July.
“The word I use for him is unique,” GM Doug Wilson said, per CSN Bay Area. “To see that size and that skill set and that type of shot – you’ve seen how the game has evolved, especially in the last few years. There’s not many players like that that can create offense from the back end. But, he also defends well.”
There’s no doubt that Burns is a one-of-a-kind player and the Sharks are better when he’s at his best.
As for the team as a whole, they managed to snap their three-game losing streak with a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.
Tonight’s game is the second of a five-game homestand for the Sharks, but the schedule maker isn’t doing them any favors. As if it’s not enough that they’ve played so many road games at this point of the season, they’ll also play three games in four nights against the ‘Hawks, Islanders and Ducks.
As for Chicago, they’re coming off a disappointing 5-0 loss in Edmonton on Monday.
It was the second straight game that they went down multiple goals. The ‘Hawks found themselves down 3-0 against Vancouver on Saturday, but they managed to fight back and eventually win 4-3 in OT.
Against Edmonton, there was no comeback.
“Our first periods have been a concern most of the year,” head coach Joel Quenneville told CSN Chicago on Monday. “Tonight it was one of those first periods, they get a power play but we’re still in the hockey game. We seem to be getting better as the games go on, but tonight wasn’t the case.”