Lightning extend point streak to 15 in shootout win against Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their point streak to 15 games in a 2-1 shootout victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Friday.

Tampa Bay’s run is its third-longest in franchise history, behind a 16-game streak in 2018-19 and an 18-game stretch in 2003-04.

Nikita Kucherov scored in both regulation and the shootout, and Dominic James recorded the game-winner in the fifth round of the tiebreaker.

“Yeah, ‘Coop’ kind of tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Get out there,’” James said of Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper. “So, I started thinking of my move. I don’t know. I think my body just did that, for the five-hole.”

It was the first NHL shootout for James, who admitted to being a bit nervous.

“Oh, absolutely,” he said. “I don’t know if I was nervous or excited for the opportunity. Everyone’s booing you. We’re on the road, and we’ve got a streak going. You’re happy to be in that position.”

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 17 saves for the Lightning (32-13-4), who won their third straight and are 14-0-1 since Dec. 20.

“Those can be frustrating games at times because you feel like you’re playing pretty well, and you’d like to be a little more rewarded than you are,” Cooper said. “But that then kind of tests the mettle of your players. You just don’t want them kind of trying to go and manufacture something out of nothing just because we can’t score right now. I thought our play without the puck was excellent. We didn’t really give them much.”

Vasilevskiy stopped Ilya Mikheyev from in close with three minutes left in overtime, and Andre Burakovsky could not convert on a rebound.

Ryan Greene scored, and Arvid Soderblom made 30 saves for the Blackhawks (21-22-8), who had won two in a row and went to a shootout for the second time in as many nights following a 4-3 win at the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

“I think there’s value in continuing to measure yourself against these teams,” said Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill, a former assistant coach to Cooper before taking the Chicago job this season. “But I think it’s interesting, I talked to a young player today, and (he) said it was the first time he ever played in Carolina. I hadn’t really thought of that. That’s a different experience.

“Then to see where Tampa’s at, because they’re similar to us structurally in a lot of ways. Obviously, systematically we have a lot of similarities. What we’ll take from tonight is just a lesson on how hard you have to be on your stick, how crisp you have to be with your passes. I thought they were harder and a little more crisp, so that’s the level we have to get to. That said, we were able to get a point and obviously had chances to win it in overtime, so we just have to continue to get better.”

Greene put Chicago ahead 1-0 at 17:42 of the first period, scoring after a quick pass by Oliver Moore from the left-wing boards and a touch by Nick Lardis. The puck went to Greene in the slot, and he put a forehand shot past Vasilevskiy’s glove.

"Just me and the goalie,” Greene said. “Just had to find a way to put it in. Happy it went in. I think tonight we owe a lot of credit to Soderblom. I thought he was unbelievable. I don't think that game goes into overtime without him playing the way that he did. So, credit to him."

Kucherov tied it 1-1 at 18:42 of the second period. Brandon Hagel fed Kucherov, who scored on a backhander while skating across the front of the crease for his 25th goal of the season.

The Lightning outshot the Blackhawks 13-2 in the second period and held a 21-6 advantage entering the third.

“We stayed patient, didn’t lose our composure and kind of trusted at the end that we’re going to get the goals,” Tampa Bay defenseman J.J. Moser said of the team’s current streak. “For sure, the defensive focus. We didn’t give the opposing teams much. That patience, even when the games are tied late in the game, we don’t think that we have to reinvent the wheel and get risky and maybe give up some chances.

“We stay patient, do the things we need to do and then trust that in end we’re going to get the bounces and the goals we need.”

NOTES: Lightning forward Jack Finley did not return after a first-period fight with Chicago captain Nick Foligno. Cooper said the team was being extra cautious with Finley, who had just 1:01 of ice time before leaving. … Vasilevskiy earned his 353rd career win, tying him with Rogie Vachon and Evgeni Nabokov for 25th in NHL history. … Chicago forward Teuvo Teravainen missed his fifth straight game because of an upper-body injury. … Blackhawks forward Colton Dach was a healthy scratch for the first time this season.