Tampa Bay @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 27, 2018 ) Philadelphia 5, Tampa Bay 6

The Philadelphia Flyers have climbed back into contention for an Eastern Conference playoff spot with a remarkable run and will test themselves on Tuesday, when they host the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flyers have won three in a row and earned points in 13 of their last 14 games (12-1-1) after sweeping a home-and-home series against Detroit over the weekend, with red-hot rookie goaltender Carter Hart in the crease for both victories.

Hart is expected to start against Tampa Bay for the first time after the Flyers lost 6-5 overtime decisions in the first two meetings as they attempt to chip away at their six-point deficit for a wild-card spot. “This is how we’re going to have to keep playing if we want to make the playoffs,” Philadelphia defenseman Ivan Provorov told reporters after scoring his second goal in three games on Sunday. “It’s going to be tough because we didn’t start the season the way we were capable of playing, but now we’ve got a chance.” They will need a big defensive effort against the Lightning, who have scored 30 goals during their six-game winning streak after NHL scoring leader Nikita Kucherov recorded five points in a 5-1 win at Columbus on Monday. Kucherov has notched 18 of his 99 points in the last five games and has registered six in the two meetings with Philadelphia this season, but Tampa Bay could be without defenseman Victor Hedman after the reigning Norris Trophy winner left after the first period on Monday with a lower-body injury.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (45-11-4): Backup Louis Domingue (18-4-0) may get a chance to extend his franchise-record 10-game winning streak on Tuesday in place of Andrei Vasilevskiy (26-7-4), who has allowed a total of one goal in the last three contests. Brayden Point has posted 12 of his 78 points and captain Steven Stamkos five of his 33 goals during six-game point streaks while Kucherov broke the franchise record for assists in a season (70) with 22 games remaining. Stamkos, who has recorded 40 points in 31 career games against the Flyers, has scored 381 career goals for Tampa Bay - two shy of Vincent Lecavalier's franchise record.

ABOUT THE FLYERS (28-24-7): Hart (13-6-1, .924 save percentage) has won 10 of his last 11 decisions and told reporters: “I’m not trying to get too far ahead of myself or live in the past. I just want to worry about every challenge that I’m presented with.” Captain Claude Giroux was kept off the scoresheet in each of his last two games but has collected nine points in his last nine contests and tops the team with 61 - seven more than Sean Couturier (team-high 24 goals). Jakub Voracek (15 goals, 35 assists) saw his nine-game point streak come to an end last time out, but 22-year-old left wing Oskar Lindblom scored his ninth and 10th goals on Sunday.

OVERTIME

1. Tampa Bay LW Alex Killorn needs one goal to reach 100 for his career while C Tyler Johnson is two points away from 300.

2. Philadelphia D Travis Sanheim has recorded a goal and six assists in his last nine games to push his career-high total to 22 points.

3. The Lightning have scored 23 goals en route to winning the last four meetings - three of them after regulation.

PREDICTION: Flyers 4, Lightning 3