Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 17, 2018 ) Tampa Bay 6, Philadelphia 5

Nikita Kucherov is in full pursuit of the top spot in the NHL scoring race and looks to extend his point streak to nine games when the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning host the rejuvenated Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. Kucherov boasts four goals and 11 assists during his eight-game streak to push his season total to 57 points - two behind league-leader Mikko Rantanen of Colorado.

“He’s truly one of the best in the league,” Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman told reporters after Kucherov’s five-point effort in a win at Edmonton on Saturday. “He sees the game like no one else. The things he comes up with sometimes, it’s quite impressive. … It’s fun being out there with him. You know he’s going to create chances for himself and for other players.” Captain Steven Stamkos is also wielding a hot stick with 13 goals in the last 12 games for the Lightning, who are 11-0-1 in their last 12, while the Flyers must raise their level of play even higher to start a four-game trip after getting a boost from a coaching change and a rookie goalie. Philadelphia is 3-1-0 since Scott Gordon replaced Dave Hakstol as coach and 20-year-old Carter Hart was recalled to win two of his first three starts, before veteran Michal Neuvirth beat the New York Rangers 3-2 in a shootout Sunday. “A lot of guys got their confidence back,” Flyers center Nolan Patrick told reporters. “We’re rolling right now, so it feels good.”

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, TVA

ABOUT THE FLYERS (15-16-4): Philadelphia has gotten more contributions from its depth players during the turnaround as Wayne Simmonds snapped a seven-game goal drought and Michael Raffl scored his first of the season in Sunday’s win. Captain Claude Giroux leads the team with 42 points - three in the last four games - and center Sean Couturier tops the Flyers with 14 goals, including 10 in his last 19 contests. Hart, a second-round pick in 2016, owns a 2.36 goals-against average and .904 save percentage after one-goal wins against Detroit and Nashville along with one-goal loss to Columbus.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (28-7-2): Stamkos owns five goals during a four-game scoring streak and has pulled within one of team leader Brayden Point (21), who recorded six assists over his last four contests. Tyler Johnson, who has been skating with Kucherov and Point of late, boasts four goals in five games to push his total to 16, while defenseman Victor Hedman registered 10 assists in the past 12 contests to close within two of 300 for his career. Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected in net Thursday after going 3-0-1 with a .930 save percentage during his first four games since returning from a foot injury.

OVERTIME

1. The Lightning won the last three meetings while scoring 17 goals in the process, including a 6-5 overtime victory Nov. 17.

2. Philadelphia D Ivan Provorov, who is mired in a six-game point drought, is slated to play his 200th NHL game.

3. Tampa Bay LW Ondrej Palat has registered four goals and three assists in his last seven contests.

PREDICTION: Lightning 5, Flyers 2