Lightning Extend Point Streak, Outlast Blackhawks in Shootout

Graphic: Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports

Byline Ernie Norquist

Thunderstruck Sports

The league’s hottest team made its annual visit to the United Center on Friday night, as the Tampa Bay Lightning faced the Chicago Blackhawks and Connor Bedard in a nationally televised matchup on ESPN. Tampa Bay entered riding a 14-game point streak, a surge that has pushed the Lightning near the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Chicago welcomed the challenge as a measuring stick. While the Blackhawks remain in a developmental phase built around Bedard, the matchup highlighted a clear contrast in trajectories: a veteran Tampa Bay roster built to contend against a young Chicago group gaining experience under the league’s brightest spotlight.

Both teams were playing on the second night of back-to-back games, though under different circumstances. Chicago returned home after a 4-3 shootout win over Carolina, closing out its set, while Tampa Bay opened a short 2-day road trip that concludes tomorrow in Columbus.

The physical tone was set early. At 3:23 of the first period, Nick Foligno and Jack Finley dropped the gloves after Foligno drove Max Crozier into the boards. Both players received fighting majors, with Finley also assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct minor. Chicago failed to capitalize on the power play against one of the league’s top penalty-killing units.

Tampa Bay earned its first man advantage at 7:25 when Chicago goaltender Arvid Soderblom was called for tripping Gage Goncalves. The Lightning generated quality looks, including a shot off the post, but could not solve Chicago’s penalty kill.

Late in the period, Darren Raddysh was called for tripping, and moments after the Lightning returned to full strength, Ryan Greene capitalized on a defensive breakdown to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. Tampa Bay challenged for offside, but the goal stood after review, resulting in a delay of game penalty. The Lightning penalty kill held again, and the period ended with Chicago ahead despite being outshot 8-4.

The second period tilted heavily in Tampa Bay’s favor. The Lightning controlled possession and zone time, and at 6:11 Artyom Levshunov was called for holding. Chicago coach Jeff Blashill, a former Lightning assistant, is well acquainted with Tampa Bay’s power play tendencies, and the Blackhawks penalty kill stood firm once more.

Tampa Bay continued to press, holding Chicago without a shot on goal for more than 15 minutes. The pressure finally paid off when Nikita Kucherov tied the game with a deft backhand past Soderblom for his 25th goal of the season. Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli earned the assists. Through 40 minutes, Tampa Bay held a commanding 21-6 edge in shots.

Despite holding Chicago to just six shots through two periods and spending extended stretches in the offensive zone, the Lightning entered the third tied. Tampa Bay pushed early, but the Blackhawks generated more sustained zone time as the period progressed. A cross-checking penalty to Jason Dickinson at 4:56 gave the Lightning another power play, but the scoreless trend with the extra skater continued.

Both teams settled into a cautious rhythm before trading chances in the final minutes of regulation. Each side pushed for a winner, but neither broke through, and the game moved to overtime with Tampa Bay extending its point streak.

Chicago controlled the early portion of overtime after winning the opening faceoff. A turnover led to a Blackhawks rush, but Andrei Vasilevskiy made a key stop at 2:55 to keep the game alive. Chances followed at both ends, yet neither team could finish, sending the contest to a shootout.

After two scoreless rounds, Kucherov opened the scoring in the shootout for Tampa Bay. Frank Nazar answered for Chicago, and Louis Crevier gave the Blackhawks the edge in the next round. Goncalves responded to tie it again, setting the stage for Dominic James. Appearing in his first NHL shootout, James scored the deciding goal to secure the second point for Tampa Bay.

Thunderstruck Three Stars

1. Dominic James, Lightning — Scored the decisive shootout goal in his first NHL shootout appearance.

2. Nikita Kucherov, Lightning — Recorded his 25th goal of the season and added a shootout tally.

3. Arvid Soderblom, Blackhawks — Kept Chicago in the game with a strong performance under sustained pressure.