Nikita Kucherov led the way as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1.

First Period: 

The Chicago Blackhawks played host to the second-best team in the league, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and it felt that way early on.

Tampa controlled play early and had a few good looks. But Wyatt Kaiser and Jason Dickinson combined for a nearside post shot that went up in the air. A mere few moments later, Nick Foligno would step up as a leader on this team, defeating TJ Finley in a heavyweight bout.

After Arvid Soderblom (yes, the goalie) committed a penalty, Chicago relied on their now league-best penalty kill to bail them out. Despite the Lightning having great chances, in particular Gage Gonclaves shot off the post, nothing went. Yanni Gourde was the next Lightning player who laid siege in the Blackhawks’ zone. Despite the lopsided affair, it would be the home team to get on the board first. 

After a very close tag-up by Nick Foligno, Oliver Moore crossed the blue line with the puck. He led a pass to Nick Laris, who had a run-in with Tampa defensemen Declan Carlile. Chicago’s Ryan Greene picked up the puck and made no mistake, hitting the back of the net. Greene has now scored his 3rd goal in the past seven games.

Story continues below.

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After a failed challenge by Tampa, Chicago couldn’t get any momentum up a man. The teams went into the locker room tied. 

Second Period: 

Rookie defenseman Artyom Levshunov had a rough start to the period. After getting burned early, the Bulgarian national was sent to the box on a lazy play where his stick got wrapped around a Lightning forward. JJ Moser was one of many Tampa players to hem the Blackhawks in their own zone, but Arvid Soderblom stood tall in net, making save after save for Chicago. As the onslaught of shots hit the net, the Blackhawks couldn’t start any offensive momentum. From 1:10 remaining in the first to 5:18 in the second, Chicago didn’t record a single shot on goal. Over 15 minutes of gametime didnt yeild a single offensive threat. After what felt like an eternity, Chicago’s Wyatt Kaiser got a solid shot pass off where the puck nearly trickled through the crease.

With under two minutes remaining, Arvid Soderblom once again protected the Blackhawks’ lead, shutting down impressive chances from Tampa’s Max Crozier, Brandon Hagel, and Anthony Cirelli. However, the dam finally broke after Nikita Kucherov found himself alone in front to tie the game going into the third. 

 

Third Period: 

The final frame started very similarly to how the others transpired. With Arvid Soderblom making a show-stopping save on Tampa Bay’s forward core. The Swedish goaltender made 30 stops and recorded a .968SV% in the losing effort. On the powerplay Darren Raddysh had two shots that clocked in at over 95mph, but both were swallowed up by “Sodie.”

Later, the “Triple B” line of Bedard-Bertuzzi-Burakovsky almost connected on a tic-tac-toe play to regain the advantage. With time expiring, Artyom Levshunov made a game-saving stick block on Nikita Kucherov’s one-timer from the high slot. After a last-minute scramble in front of the Blackhawks’ crease, the two teams would get prepared for overtime.  

Overtime & Shootout

Unlike the first 60 minutes of play, the ‘Hawks dominated the overtime period. Ilya Mikheyev and Andre Burakovsky had back-to-back chances cross through the crease. Later, Connor Bedard set up a Nick Lardis clap bomb, which beat everything but the iron. 

In the shootout, we would see 6’8 Louis Crevier score a sweet one. But Kucherov shushed the madhouse, and former Chicago Blackhawks prospect Dominic James ended a game that was much closer than it felt. The Tampa Bay Lightning quieted the roar of the Madhouse in the 2-1 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Cowboy Round-Up and What’s On Tap

This year’s Chicago Blackhawks are all about taking the good with the bad. Rocky with smooth. Artyom Levshunov in the first two periods, with Levshunov in the third. It was a rocky performance for not just him, but also for the entire team. Not without reason, however, taking Carolina to a dogfight and a shootout victory isn’t an easy task for any team. Let alone following that up with the second-best team in the league, with the Tampa Bay Lightning coming into your house the following night. 

However, the way this team was able to get a point is what Championship teams are made of. Defense and goaltending. Chicago now has the highest-ranked penalty kill in the entire league, stifling the league’s best players night in and night out. Arvid Soderblom stood on his head with a great 30-save performance.

On tap for the Chicago Blackhawks is a battle versus the other Florida team. The Blackhawks will travel to Sunrise and take on the Panthers on Sunday at 6 p.m. Central Time.