The Tampa Bay Lightning kept their run rolling Friday night in Chicago, extending their point streak to 15 games with a 2–1 shootout win over the Blackhawks at the United Center. The Bolts have become a tough out on the road, going 11-0-2 in their last 13 away games and avoiding a regulation loss since Dec. 8.
It was a tight game through all 60 minutes, but the Lightning continue to find ways to win. Ryan Greene opened the scoring late in the first period, giving Chicago a 1–0 lead at 17:42 after taking a quick pass from Oliver Moore.
Nikita Kucherov, smiling through the boos at the United Center, tied the game 1–1 at 18:42 of the second period. Brandon Hagel fed him the puck, and Kucherov lifted a backhander past the goalie for his 25th goal of the season, propelling the Lightning into overtime.
When the tied matchup moved from overtime to a shootout, Kucherov made it look easy, sliding the puck through Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom’s five hole before circling around and shushing the home crowd.
After three rounds, the shootout remained neck-and-neck, with Frank Nazar matching Kucherov’s goal. Louis Crevier’s goal to start the fourth round put the Lightning in a tight spot, but Gage Goncalves, who has had recent success in shootouts, fired back to spark the fifth.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesNext up was rookie Dominic James, who scored on his first career shootout attempt to end the game, beating Soderblom with a wrister.
“Coop tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Get out there,’” said James. “So I started thinking of my move. I think my body just did that, put it five hole. Vasy with a huge save in OT and then multiple in the shootout. Gonzo stuck with it, and we got a couple more goals in the shootout. It was a lot of fun.”
The game-winner came against the Blackhawks, the team that drafted him in the sixth round in 2022. James opted not to sign with Chicago, instead choosing the Lightning as a free agent in August.
“I don’t know if I was nervous or excited for the opportunity, but everyone’s booing you. We’re on the road and we’ve got a streak going, so you’re happy to be in that position,” James continued. “It hasn’t really felt like we’ve been on a huge streak, everyone is so level-headed.”
Vasilevskiy earned his 353rd career win, tying him with Rogie Vachon and Evgeni Nabokov for 25th in NHL history. Tampa Bay’s run is the third longest in franchise history, behind a 16-game streak in 2018-19 and an 18-game stretch in 2003-04.
“That’s a scrappy team over there,” Jon Cooper said of the Blackhawks. “We had our looks, but like I said, we didn't stress and eventually got rewarded.”