Twice, the Flyers were given the golden opportunity for a goal. A penalty shot.
It happened to Claude Giroux in the first. It happened to Scott Laughton in overtime.
Both times, the Flyers failed to capitalize.
In the overtime, it proved costly as moments after, Jason Garrison scored on a breakaway for his second goal of the game, giving the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 overtime win on Thursday night at Amalie Arena.
The two teams skated to a scoreless first period, but there were chances for both teams. The best chance came on a penalty shot for Giroux at 13:47. Giroux had Ben Bishop beat but Bishop recovered to lift the stick and nullify the scoring chance.
In the second, Tampa Bay opened the scoring with a quick goal. A point shot by Garrison went through a screen to beat Steve Mason at 1:25.
The Flyers responded to tie the game at 10:14 as Matt Read finished off a strong rush with R.J. Umberger and Laughton to beat Bishop.
Less than two minutes later, the Flyers grabbed the lead with a power-play goal. Brayden Schenn buried the rebound on a loose puck in front. Assists went to Umberger and Evgeny Medvedev.
The Lightning would tie the game on a power-play goal late in the second. Ryan Callahan managed to beat Mason short-side on a rebound chance.
The third period featured back-and-forth moments, but no scoring, forcing the 3-on-3 overtime.
Mason continued his brilliant display in overtime, making two of his 29 saves from in tight early in the frame.
At the other end, Laughton charged ahead on a breakaway and got a chance to end the game with a penalty shot. His chance was a weak backhand into the pad of Bishop, continuing the overtime.
It was moments later that Garrison got a chance to end the game on a breakaway and scored to give the Lightning the win.
Tampa Bay out-shot the Flyers, 32-25. The Flyers slightly out-hit Tampa, 26-25. Both teams were 1-for-3 on the power play.
The Flyers return to the ice on Saturday night for their second game on the Florida road trip, as they face the Florida Panthers. The opening face-off is set for 7 p.m.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
