The Bolts looked sluggish in the early going but a slashing call on Philipp Kurashev in the opening minutes of the second period gave them a chance to get themselves going. Instead, it led to the game-opening goal for the Blackhawks.
On the play, Andrei Vasilevskiy made the initial save on Brandon Hagel's shot but the rebound bounced way up in the air before landing in the slot. Hagel outmaneuvered Pat Maroon for the puck and fed Ryan Carpenter who went top shelf on Vasilevskiy to give the Hawks a lead. The goal ended Vasilevskiy's franchise-record shutout streak at 228:09.
Chicago continued to keep the pressure on and doubled the lead at the 14:04 mark of the second period. Patrick Kane held the puck patiently at the point before firing a shot towards traffic that deflected off Alex DeBrincat on its way past Vasilevskiy.
It wasn't until the third period that Tampa Bay settled in, scoring a pair of goals 1:51 apart to tie the game in the opening three minutes.
Anthony Cirelli got the Lightning going with a shorthanded goal just over a minute into the third. From the slot, Cirelli slightly changed the direction of Jan Rutta's point blast and got the puck past Lankinen.
Less than two minutes later, Steven Stamkos tied the game with a beautiful toe drag move around Kane and quick shot. Off a faceoff win, Stamkos avoided Kane's check, drove to the middle of the ice and scored with a quick release.
Both teams had their chances in the third with Alex DeBrincat and Mikhail Sergachev each hitting the post with shots.
At the last possible moment, however, it was Killorn who delivered the dagger. Just when it appeared the game would be decided in a shootout, Hedman's shot from the point got through traffic in front of Lankinen and crossed the line with 0.1 second remaining to secure the win for the Bolts.
Although he saw his shutout streak snapped, it was another great performance in net for Vasilevskiy. He finished the night with 35 stops, including some that kept the Lightning in the game early on.
The Bolts and Blackhawks return to the United Center for the second game of the series tomorrow night.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
No Scoring
2nd Period
CHI | 7:24 Ryan Carpenter (4) - Brandon Hagel - SHG
CHI | 14:04 Alex DeBrincat (12) - Patrick Kane, Connor Murphy
3rd Period
TBL | 1:04 Anthony Cirelli (6) - Jan Rutta, Alex Killorn - SHG
TBL | 2:55 Steven Stamkos (11) - Yanni Gourde
Overtime
TBL | 4:59 Alex Killorn (4) - Victor Hedman
