All signs pointed to this being a close game, and it was. Till it wasn’t. Goals by Gage Goncalves and Brandon Hagel just over a minute apart early in the third period turned a close game into a big win for the Lightning as they put seven pucks past Sam Ersson on just 23 shots to start their road trip with a 7-2 win. Goncalves finished with two goals while Nikita Kucherov kept his hot streak going with two goals and two assists.
Brayden Point (3 assists), Anthony Cirelli (2 assists), and Charle-Edouard D’Astous (2 assists) also had multi-point nights as the Lightning ran their winning streak to nine games and they are now 15-4-3 on the road.
First Period:
“It’s going to be a tight-checking game”
“Two strong defensive teams”
Look, after the teams combined to score three goals in the first six minutes it turned into a pretty defensive game. Those first few minutes were fairly open, though. It started two minutes into the game when Brayden Point won a puck battle along the boards as the Flyers exited the zone. He flung the stolen puck at the net where Nikita Kucherov one-timed it past Samuel Ersson.
With all the scoring talent the Flyers have on their top line (even with Travis Konechy out injured) of course it was a player who had zero points in 36 games that tied it up. Erik Cernak did a good job of tying up Garnet Hathaway, but didn’t take his stick out of play. That allowed the veteran to tip Noah Juulsen’s shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Did it deter this Lightning team? Nope. The Point-Kucherov Connection struck again. Perhaps the Flyers were confused when Kucherov broke to the left side of the ice instead of his customary right side. Whatever it was, they lost their containment on him and he whistled a shot past Ersson to make it 2-1.
The Flyers aren’t ones to crumble either (lest they faith face the wrath of Tocchet) and they had some solid zone time (helped by a power play), but couldn’t find an equalizer. Ersson, who probably wasn’t pleased with his play on the first two goals, made a couple of nice saves to get back into rhythm.
A late power play for the Lightning had some solid looks, but no goals.
Second Period:
The Lightning had 55 seconds remaining on their power play, but couldn’t keep it in the zone. Following the power play, the game settled into the pattern that developed in the first period – a lot of play forced to the perimeter, space was at a premium and usually away from the net, and two teams that didn’t want to make life easy for each other.
It wasn’t a dirty game, but it was a chippy game, and it was rare that a player passed on an opportunity to put a hit on someone. There was a comical moment where Kucherov took an uncalled hit up high that knocked the stick out of his hands. As he berated the officials from the bench, one of the referees tripped over the discarded stick. Instead of leaving it there, he picked it up and skated it back to the Lightning bench. He reward for bringing Kucherov’s twig back to him was what appeared to be an expletive.
The Lightning were doing a good job of defending the front of the net as they knocked down shots headed to goal and broke up cross-ice passes. The Flyers matched their play, except for one rush. Anthony Cirelli started it with a shot that Ersson knocked down, Charle-Edouard D’Astous followed up with another one that the goaltender deflected, but Nick Paul was right there to send the third attempt into the back of the net.
Third Period:
Having a two-goal lead heading into the final frame was a nice cushion for the Lightning. It forced Philadelphia to come out of their defensive shell a little, and finally some seams opened up for the Lightning.
It was the Point line that exploited it first as Kucherov entered the zone on a rush, took a hit to slip the puck to Gage Goncalves who showed off the hands that made him a top prospect in the system. He put the puck in the defenders’ feet and then roofed it over Ersson’s shoulder from in close.
Shortly after Brandon Hagel had a lane after Jake Guentzel feathered a pass into space and Hagel didn’t miss, didn’t hit the post, didn’t shoot it wide. Just like that it was 5-1.
Get the lead.
Protect the lead.
Extend the lead.
It’s the new mantra for the Bolts and they followed it to a tee in the first 45 minutes of the game. A power play goal for the Flyers made it 5-2 as Vasilevskiy may have given up the slowest goal against in his career after Owen Tippett took a divot out of the ice on a one-timer. He barely made contact, but it sent a fluttering puck toward the net that Vasy never had a chance on.
So, that sparked a comeback for the home team, right? Yeah, not so much. Yanni Gourde finished off a breakaway and Gage Goncalves scored his second of the night to blow the game open (again).
There are little things that make players like to play for certain coaches. With the big lead, and the Lightning on the power play, Coach Cooper sent Zemgus Girgensons, Yanni Gourde, and Pontus Holmberg over the boards as a reward for the hard work they’ve been putting in as a line. They didn’t score, but it was a little gesture that the players will appreciate.
The game cruised to its inevitable end with Vasilevskiy making his 18th and final save just as the final horn sounded. With the two teams set to match up again in a couple of days, things could get interesting.
The Goals
Nikita Kucherov [21] (Brayden Point) 1-0 Lightning
"KUCHEROV'S HOT HAND CONTINUES!!!" 🔥 Kuch opens the scoring off a great steal and dish from Pointer! #TBLvsPHI 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 7:20 PM
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Garnett Hathaway [1] (Noah Juulsen, Rodrigo Abols) 1-1
Hath found a way. #TBLvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers
— Philadelphia Flyers (Bot) (@notflyers.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 7:48 PM
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Nikita Kucherov [22] (Brayden Point, Charle-Edouard D’Astous) 2-1 Lightning
"WHAT A SHOT FROM KUCHEROV!!!!!" Another multi-point outing for Kuch and he's just getting started! 💪 #TBLvsPHI 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 7:31 PM
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Nick Paul [5] (Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Anthony Cirelli) 3-1 Lightning
"SCORE, ON THE REBOUND!!! IT'S NICK PAUL!!!!!" Right place, right time for Nick Paul! #TBLvsPHI 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 8:37 PM
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Gage Goncalves [5 ] (Nikita Kucherov, Darren Raddysh) 4-1 Lightning
"WHAT A GOAL!!! GAGE GONCALVES!!!!!" Gonzo carves through the Philly defense for a beautiful finish! #TBLvsPHI 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 9:12 PM
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Brandon Hagel [21] (Jake Guentzel, Anthony Cirelli) 5-1 Lightning
Tampa Bay goal! Scored by Brandon Hagel with 16:23 remaining in the 3rd period. Assisted by Jake Guentzel and Anthony Cirelli. Philadelphia: 1 Tampa Bay: 5 #TBLvsPHI #LetsGoFlyers #GoBolts
— NHL Goals (@nhlgoals.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 9:12 PM
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Owen Tippett [14] (Christen Dvorak) Power Play, 5-2
Power play goal for Philadelphia! Scored by Owen Tippett with 15:15 remaining in the 3rd period. Assisted by Christian Dvorak. Philadelphia: 2 Tampa Bay: 5 #TBLvsPHI #LetsGoFlyers #GoBolts
— NHL Goals (@nhlgoals.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 9:22 PM
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Yanni Gourde [6] (Zemgus Girgensons) 6-2 Lightning
"YANNI GOURDE!!!!! A BREAKAWAY GOAL!" Gourde cashes in on the breakaway! #TBLvsPHI 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 9:29 PM
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Gage Goncalves [6] (Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point) 7-2
"GONCALVES! Snaps it home again!" Gage Goncalves with another snipe! #TBLvsPHI 🎧: boltsaud.io/live 📻: 102.5 The Bone
— Lightning Audio Network (@boltsradio.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 9:35 PM
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