RECAP: Blackhawks Fall in Opener to Lightning, 5-1

The Blackhawks couldn't stop the reigning champions on Wednesday night as the Tampa Bay Lightning took a 5-1 win on opening night at Amalie Arena in Florida.
Dylan Strome scored the lone goal on the night for Chicago and Malcolm Subban got the season's first start in goal, stopping 28 of the 33 shots he faced in the loss.

CHI at TBL
GAMECENTER: CHI at TBL
THREE THINGS: Trailing Off, 'A' in Murphy and Dream Come True
GALLERY: Blackhawks at Lightning
INSIDER: Season Preview, Interview with Mitchell
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Making his NHL debut on the night, Ian Mitchell registered 17:15 of ice time and put one shot on goal.
UP NEXT: The Blackhawks will remain in Tampa and face the Lighning again on Friday night (6 CT, NBCSCH) in the second of eight meetings this season.

GAME RECAP

CHI: 0, TBL: 1

1st - 10:39: Ondrej Palat (Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos) - PPG

After Chicago led the opening half-period in shots, 6-2, Tampa opened the scoring at the 10:39 mark of the frame on the power play. Ondrej Palat put home in-tight rebound off a Victor Hedman shot from the point to take the early 1-0 lead.

CHI: 0, TBL: 2

1st - 16:18: Mathieu Joseph (Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli)

Off a battle for a fumbled puck in the corner, Mathieu Joseph turned and sent a shot towards the goal mouth and followed up his own chance off the pad of Subban. The puck trickled across the goal line and in for a 2-0 Tampa Bay lead.

CHI: 0, TBL: 3

1st - 17:58: Anthony Cirelli (Erik Cernak, Alex Killorn)

Late in the frame, the Lightning opened a three-goal lead off an offensive-zone draw. Alone in front, Anthony Cirelli tipped home an Erik Cernak shot from the half wall, over the shoulder of Subban and in for a 3-0 advantage.

CHI: 0, TBL: 4

2nd - 9:56: Steven Stamkos (Brayden Point, Victor Hedman) - PPG

Tampa Bay notched their second power-play goal of the night near the mid-point of the game, as Steven Stamkos found twine off a cross-ice, one-timer feed from Brayden Point. The Lightning captain's first of the season gave the home side a 4-0 lead.

CHI: 0, TBL: 5

3rd - 6:45: Brayden Point (Steven Stamkos, Mikhail Sergachev)

Stamkos returned the favor to Point in the third period, setting up the center with a one-timer opportunity in the slot nearly seven minutes in. Point fired a shot past the blocker of Subban to take a 5-0 lead.

CHI: 1, TBL: 5

3rd - 16:36 Dylan Strome (Andrew Shaw, Adam Boqvist) - PPG

Strome opened the Blackhawks' scoring for the season before the final whistle on the power play to spoil the shutout for the Lightning. On the man advantage, Strome put a puck into the slot from behind the goal that deflected off of Andrei Vasilevskiy's pad and into the net to cut the lead to 5-1.