PHILADELPHIA — Forward Nick Paul quickly scooped the puck out of the net for safe-keeping as Lightning players rushed off the bench to circle Steven Stamkos.
The Philadelphia crowd, not knowing the magnitude of the second-period goal, booed the celebration before it received more information on the Wells Fargo Center video board.
Stamkos’ secondary assist on Paul’s second goal of the game made him the first player to score 1,000 points in a Lightning sweater, as Tampa Bay capped its three-game road trip with a 4-1 win over the struggling Flyers.
After taking four of a possible six points on the trip, the Lightning (14-8-1) return home for a Saturday game against the Maple Leafs — the first of six straight at home — having won seven of their last nine.
Stamkos’ achievement came during a second period that was one of the Lightning’s most dominant of the season.
Tampa Bay held a sizable advantage in zone time — at one point sustaining possession in their offensive end for roughly a four-minute stretch that had Flyers skaters gassed and unable to change lines — and outshot Philadelphia 17-2 in the period.
Stamkos, who is six goals shy of 500 for his career, took the puck out of the corner and passed it behind the net to defenseman Ian Cole, who centered a pass to Paul, who scored from in front.
A sea of blue jerseys swarmed over the bench to congratulate Stamkos. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy sped from the opposite end of the ice, and when Stamkos returned to the bench he was greeted with a hug from coach Jon Cooper.
When Ross Colton scored with four seconds left in the second period, scooping up a loose puck after Corey Perry stumbled in front of the net to give the Lightning a 3-0 lead, the home crowd had a real reason to boo.
Paul’s first goal, which came on the power play off a feed from Perry from behind the net, came with just under four minutes left in the first period, marking the ninth straight game in which the Lightning have scored a power-play goal. Paul now has 11 goals, which is second on the team to Stamkos’ 13.
Cole was credited with his second goal of the season midway through the third period, when he flung a puck off the back boards and the comeback deflected off Flyers goaltender Carter Hart into the net.
Vasilevskiy made nine of his 21 saves in the first period — several on Grade-A scoring chances — to keep the Flyers scoreless early. He stopped the first 16 shots he faced before Travis Konecny scored with 8:37 left in the game.
Lightning center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare played in his 608th NHL game, setting the record for most games by a French national player.
