Three Players Who Led the Lightning to Victory Over the Flyers

Tampa Bay gets it together, with the help its goalie

Oct 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli (71) and Washington Capitals right wing Ryan Leonard (9) battle for the puck in the third period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tampa Bay Lightning faced the Philadelphia Flyers in the second night of their three game homestand and dominated the Flyers. Tampa had control of the game from the opening face-off and scored 4 times en route to a 4-1 victory.

The Tampa Bay Lightning had several players step up against the Philadelphia Flyers, but three performances stood above the rest. From goaltending to timely offense and an impact from one of the NHL's biggest stars, Tampa Bay had contributions across the lineup.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, Pontus Holmberg, and Nikita Kucherov each made their mark on the game in different ways. Here is a look at the three Lightning players who stood out the most against Philadelphia.

NHL Game Score Impact Card for Tampa Bay Lightning on 2026-10-05: pic.twitter.com/IYp4AFNGDP

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 6, 2026

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Oct 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) blocks a shot from Washington Capitals center Boone Jenner (22) in the second period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The win against the Flyers got Vasilevskiy into the top-20 all time in wins for NHL goalies. Vasilevskiy's work in the crease is why the Lightning win night in and night out, and he made numerous big time saves tonight. He had +1.1 goals saved above expected, and even though the Lightning's defense only allowed 14 shots, Vasilevskiy was nails.

Pontus Holmberg

Oct 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) shoves Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Pontus Holmberg (29) in the second period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Holmberg looked like the Lightning's best player tonight. He got the ultimate deciding goal with his second period 29' wrister and also assisted on Mikheyev's wrap-around. Holmberg does exactly what he needs to do night in and night out, and he just makes the puck move, something Tampa desperately needs.

Jon Cooper had this to say about Holmberg after the seasons first win:

“God, he's a linemate's dream honestly. Just, that puck is like a magnet. He's on his stick, his puck protection. Another guy that, he's a battle winner and he's just quiet. He goes about his game. We were just talking and I don't know how to put this.. What's below low maintenance? Zero maintenance? Can you say negative maintenance? That's what he is. He's awesome.”

Jon Cooper

Holmberg's whole night looked like that: a goal plus the helper here, an 8.0 Game Grade, and Tampa won high-danger chances 4-0 with him on the ice. @TBLightninghttps://t.co/WAWF3YPixG

— Metrics Arena (@MetricsArena) October 6, 2026

Nikita Kucherov

Oct 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) signs autographs for fans before a game against the Washington Capitals at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last years MVP didn't score tonight, but the attention that he gets on the ice just opens up so man opportunities for his teammates. He drew another penalty tonight, and although the Bolts once again couldn't convert on the power play, they had multiple chances just miss. Kucherov is the engine that keeps this thing going and could be on this list almost every night.

Kucherov logged 21:59 and picked up two assists in Tampa Bay's 4-1 win.

He paced the forwards, drove play in the offensive zone, and tilted the game toward the Lightning with constant pressure.@86Kucherov @TBLightning @NHLFlyers https://t.co/GkB2KftT5g pic.twitter.com/sHuzJGxQMP

— Metrics Arena (@MetricsArena) October 6, 2026

Tampa moves to 2-1 on the season and still have plenty of room to improve, but nonetheless, it's a promising start.

Tampa returns to the ice Thursday October 8th against the Minnesota Wild.