Ducks for Dinner: Tampa Bay Lightning take Anaheim 5-1
On Thursday night’s game against the Pacific leading Anaheim Ducks, Valtteri Filppula scored two goals in Tampa’s 5-1 win.
The general consensus among the Lightning is ‘Win For Stamkos’ and that they have been doing. In their two games without the scoring leader they are 2-0, not including the Boston game. The team has stepped up and sent the Ducks to the Hurricanes with two losses against the Florida teams. The Ducks had lost 2-3 on Tuesday night in Sunrise.
Filppula and Martin St. Louis led the charge with a combined three goals and six points in a 5-1 rout of the Anaheim Ducks Thursday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
“We’re forced to play well without him [Stamkos],” Filppula said. “I think we have the confidence that we can do it.”
Filppula continued his hot streak and it didn’t hurt that Team Finland’s general manager and head coach were giving No. 51 a watchful Olympic eye from their booth in the press box.
The Lightning had two power-play goals on the night from Filppula and St. Louis, while the Harvard man, Alex Killorn, and Victor Hedman had goals as well. The lone Ducks goal was scored by Emerson Etem with assists from Cam Fowler and Francois Beauchemin.
The Lightning hit the road for four games against the Western Conference starting Saturday with contests against the Phoenix Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and the Ducks. It is also the second half of a stretch where the Bolts play seven out of eight games on the road. Tampa Bay will return home to play three games during Thanksgiving week.
