Maybe the craziest game I've ever seen.
TB-8
PHI-7
Dan Ellis [7] allowed 4 goals on 10 shots before giving way to Mike Smith [8], who allowed 3 goals on 22 shots to get the win in relief.
First Period
04:21 PHI Nodl (4), Zherdev (1), Richards (12)
05:03 PHI Zherdev (6), Carle (5), Richards (13)
08:20 TB Stamkos (17), St Louis (15), Ellis (1)(PP)
08:36 TB Hall (3), Hedman (7), Bergenheim (5)
09:51 PHI Carter (9), O'Donnell (2), Giroux (12)
13:59 TB Malone (3), St Louis (16), Stamkos (15)(PP)
15:34 PHI Hartnell (7), Coburn (5), Carle (6)
18:04 PHI Briere (10), Hartnell (7), O'Donnell (3)
18:18 TB Clark (4), Moore (3), Hedman (8)
Second Period
04:11 TB Stamkos (18), St Louis (17), Lundin (5)
04:59 PHI Zherdev (7), Powe (4), Pronger (7)
09:27 PHI Meszaros (1), van Riemsdyk (5), Betts (4)
09:41 TB Downie (3), St Louis (18), Stamkos (16)
18:59 TB Stamkos (19), Purcell (8), St Louis (19)(PP)
Third Period
05:19 TB Thompson (3), Tyrell (2), Bergenheim (6)
Steven Stamkos [9] and Martin St. Louis [10] were the game's first and second stars.
What'd we see tonight? 1.) 15 goals? Check. 2.) A hat trick for #91 on just three amazing shots? Three shots. Three kills. Check. 3.) Brett Clark [11] scoring a goal by shooting it THROUGH the net? Check. 4.) Matt Roy darned near putting a guy in the hospital? Check. 5.)And the biggest shocker of all: in a game with 15 goals your winner is scored by... Nate Thompson [12]? Nate bleeping Thompson!?
Mind you, there were a few things this game could have used to spice it up a little more: 1.) Mike Smith scoring an empty net goal and then doing snow angels in his crease to celebrate. 2.) Creating a timewarp where ex-Lightning player Kurtis Foster [13] breaks a pane of glass and/or Evgeny Artyukhin [14] puts a player through the glass. 3.) Steve Downie [15] inciting a riot/bench clearer that ends with the stands being set on fire. 4.) For no good reason, Rudy Poeschek and Paul Laus happening to be in attendance and getting in a Pier 6 brawl at the nacho stand. 5.) A live penguin sliding out onto the ice and halting play. Baseball has squirrels and birds. I feel hockey should have the occassional stray penguin halting play. 6.) I like this one the best. Coach Fleming hitting Hulk Hogan with a steel chair while the ref isn't looking so Guy Boucher can get the 1-2-3 at center ice and win the championship belt. Just some suggestions to Gary Bettman and Lightning management on how to improve on the already unbelievable product we saw tonight.
Johan Harju [16] was -2 in 4:45. You couldn't swing a cat without hitting a minus in this game tonight.
Mathieu Roy [17] was -1 with a hit that almost put Darroll Powe in traction in 4:39.
Dana Tyrell [18] had a helper on the game winner and 2 shots and 2 blocked shots in 11:39. Andrej Meszaros [19] is a dead man the next time the Lightning play the Flyers for trying to take out Tyrell's knees in the third period, especially considering Tyrell had major knee surgery less than 2 years ago.
Box score [20] and extended statistics [21] from NHL.com.