Not a ton of fans expected the Philadelphia Flyers to start the season 2-0-0, but given the quality of their first two opponents — the New Jersey Devils are a total mess and the Vancouver Canucks were pegged “mentally weak” by their own head coach — a perfect start to the season might not have been as improbable as many assumed.
Tuesday night, though, the Flyers faced their first legitimate test of the season. The Tampa Bay Lightning have been a top team in the NHL over the last decade or so, and beating the star-studded juggernaut would be a tall task for any club, let alone a team going through an identity crisis.