Lightning 4, Flyers 1: Holmberg and Mikheyev Pull Away Late

October 5, 2026 - Tampa - Pontus Holmberg had been on the ice 17 seconds of the second period when he beat Dan Vladar high glove from the right circle. The NHL recap called it a rush shot. Tampa was already up 1-0. Philadelphia never caught the 2-0.

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 at Benchmark International Arena. Tampa is 2-1-0 after an opening loss to the Rangers. Philadelphia is 0-2-2. The NHL recap said the Flyers opened 0-2-2 for the first time since 2014-15. The Associated Press recap on ESPN used 2013-14 for that same 0-2-2 start. The box is not in dispute: one Flyers goal, four Lightning goals, 36-14 shots.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 13 of 14 in 60:00. The AP recap put the win at 372 for his career, tied with Andy Moog for 20th, and said he needs two more to tie John Vanbiesbrouck for 19th. Vladar stopped 32 of 35 in 57:24 and still left with the L. Joseph Woll did not play. Attendance was 19,092. The game started at 7:09 p.m. ET, per the NHL game summary.

Point's tip, then Holmberg off the rush

Brayden Point opened it at 16:05 of the first. The NHL recap had him redirecting John Carlson's wrist shot from below the hash marks. Nikita Kucherov got the other assist. 1-0.

Holmberg made it 2-0 at 0:17 of the second. Ilya Mikheyev and Zemgus Girgensons on the play. The NHL recap said Vladar was beaten high on the glove side.

Tyson Foerster cut it to 2-1 at 7:22. He wheeled from the top of the left circle. The NHL recap said the puck deflected off Charle-Edouard D'Astous's stick and past Vasilevskiy. Nick Seeler and Sean Couturier drew the assists. One Flyers goal on 14 shots. That was the night's only answer.

Mikheyev's wraparound, Hagel's empty net

Mikheyev pushed it to 3-1 at 17:00 of the third. The NHL recap had him tucking a wraparound on the backhand after Holmberg's pass. Three minutes left. Philadelphia still had not found a second.

Brandon Hagel closed it at 19:53 into the empty net, Kucherov the helper. 4-1. The NHL landing lists the empty-net modifier. Hagel finished with eight shots. Jake Guentzel put five on Vladar and left without a point. Anthony Cirelli played 16:31. Victor Hedman played 16:01.

Kucherov finished with two assists. The AP recap put him at 1,128 career points, past Mike Bossy and Joe Nieuwendyk for 67th. Travis Konecny had two shots in 19:05. Matvei Michkov had one in 16:40. Trevor Zegras played 18:19 without a shot. Travis Sanheim blocked five in 25:04. Denver Barkey made his season debut after missing the first three games with a lower-body injury, the AP recap said. He is not seeded on AthX.

Philadelphia has been held to two or fewer goals in all four games, the AP recap said. Rasmus Ristolainen was a late scratch after leaving Saturday's overtime loss in Carolina, the NHL recap noted.

The NHL three stars were Holmberg, Mikheyev, and Vasilevskiy. Holmberg finished plus-1 with three shots in 13:05. Mikheyev had one shot in 16:43. Kucherov played 21:59 with one shot and four giveaways. Erik Cernak was plus-3 in 22:15. Janis Moser was plus-2 with three shots.

Philadelphia's best volume night still belonged to Foerster (four shots, plus-minus minus-3). Cam York was minus-3 in 23:31. Sanheim's five blocks in 25:04 were the most on either club. Simon Benoit took five PIM. Jeffrey Viel took five for Tampa.

The Flyers visit Ottawa on Thursday. Tampa hosts Minnesota that night.

AthX Engine on a 36-14 shot night

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Holmberg at 8.80 and Hagel at 8.80. Mikheyev is 7.10. Foerster is 6.90. Point is 6.30. Kucherov is 5.60. Vasilevskiy is 7.00 on a win, 13 saves, and one goal against. Vladar is 9.20 on 32 saves and three goals against. The save volume paid him more than the winner.

Tampa's team line is 19.80. Philadelphia's regulation loss floors at 0.00.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Vasilevskiy after 372 wins, and for a Flyers club still looking for its first. They are not the same number.

Track Vasilevskiy, Holmberg, Kucherov, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020040. Information only; not financial advice.*