Posted by 
Just a minute after the Flyers blueliner Randy Jones netted what would eventually be the game winning goal in Tampa Bay last night a blackout knocked out all power in the building. At the same time a whistle blew the play dead, but no one watching at home could see it. The broadcast was dead and the arena was pitch black. Eventually the power came on and the technical difficulties image that appeared on the screen was removed in favor of the resuming broadcast. The play was held for a bit while the teams waited for all of the lights to reboot themselves, but this wasn’t the first time play had been halted in the game. It would also not be the last as the Toronto War Room had to get involved in the game twice. Two calls made by Toronto declared a kick-in goal by Recchi and a high-stick goal by Stamkos both void. It was not a good night for the Lightning as if the blackout had sapped all power from the Bolts themselves.
For the Flyers it was a much better night. Richards added two goals to the total along with an assist on his way to becoming the NHL’s first star of the night. Carter would also net two taking the NHL goal race briefly back from Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin. Scott Hartnell and of course defenseman Randy Jones would also account for two others on the way to a Flyers win by the score of 6 to 1.
The game would also see many other whistles beyond goals and replays and blackouts. That’s right, last night became yet another penalty fest. The Flyers have a tendancy to have games with a large number of penalties, and this one was no different. Philadelphia leads the league in time in the sin bin, and with 24 calls in the game you can guarantee that the Flyers got their fair share in this game. 13 of the 24 times the refs saw something they didn’t like a Flyer ended up watching the game from behind a glass. It makes sense that the only goal scored by Tampa Bay was a PPG netted by former two-time Flyer Vaclav Prospal. 60 minutes of penalties total forced special teams to be an important factor in the victory. There were plenty of 4 on 4s as well which Philadelphia surprisingly dominated though they have played horribly with only 8 skaters on the ice all season.
At the end of the night Niittymaki earned himself another win on the season, and the entire team shipped out to Saint Louis where they will meet the Blues tonight at 8:30. These two points tonight are important as the beginning of February is rough for the team. They open the month on Wednesday against the league leading Boston Bruins at home for the first meeting between these two all season. Then they’re in Boston that next Saturday. It’s not going to be an easy stretch so any points Philadelphia can get away with tonight will be helpful in a push for the lead of the division.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
Tampa Draft Coverage – Twitter Style
Examining the Schedule: Tampa Bay
Tampa’s Top Scorers Need to Share the Wealth
Halpern healthy scratch?
Caps Go 2-1 on Division Road Stretch
Lightning-Blackhawks Game Preview
We hope you enjoyed this post. As always, leaving a comment below is both appreciated and encouraged. Thanks!
