TBLvsCHI_Backcheck

Power-play opportunities proved to be the difference in Tuesday’s contest between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks at AMALIE Arena.

Tampa Bay had multiple power-play looks in the first period, but it was the visiting Blackhawks who left with the lone power-play goal of the game and a 4-1 win.

Tampa Bay is now 26-20-3 this season.

Tampa Bay was the first team to score on Tuesday, and it didn’t take long–the Lightning took a 1-0 lead 3 minutes, 34 seconds into the game off the blade of Brayden Point.

Tampa Bay’s leading goal-scorer buried his one-timer shot from the right side of the slot after a pass by Nikita Kucherov from behind the goal line. The goal was Point’s 28th of the season.

Tampa Bay looked primed to build on its lead late in the first period when Chicago forward Patrick Maroon was assessed a double minor, handing the Lightning a four-minute power play with 3:43 left in the opening frame.

Lightning forward Mitchell Chaffee hit the crossbar and had another shot on goal, but no goals were scored on the extended power play.

"It's a missed opportunity, that's for sure,” forward Brayden Point said of the double minor. “As far as the confidence of the team, I mean, we were still up one at that point and playing some pretty good hockey. So it would have been nice to go up two. I think the power play has been pretty good for us this year and (we had) a chance to make a potentially different game there.”

The Blackhawks had 1:37 of a 5-on-3 power play midway through the middle period, scoring just as the second penalty was expiring to tie the game 1-1.

Connor Bedard’s sharp angle shot from the right corner of the offensive zone knotted the score, and Chicago rookie Landon Slaggert gave the visitors a 2-1 lead on his snap shot from atop the left faceoff circle with 1:46 left in the period.

“You basically have a 1:37 5-on-3 against. You kill it off, this is gonna be a huge momentum swing,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

“And then you let one in with like three seconds left. Those are the highs and lows you have to wither through. And then the next one we turn one over, which is a tough play, and they end up shooting it into the net and now again you’re chasing. That’s been something that we’ve had to do of late is chase games, and a lot of times you can't come back. Unfortunately tonight we couldn’t come back.”

Chicago goalie Arvid Soderblom made 34 saves for the victory in a game the Lightning outshot the Blackhawks 35 to 20.

An insurance goal from Ryan Donato in the third period sealed the 3-1 win for Chicago. A point shot by Seth Jones caromed off the endwall and found a waiting Donato at the left post.

Teuvo Teravainen added an empty-net goal for Chicago in the game’s final minute.

Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said the team has to learn from Tuesday as they finish a grueling January schedule.

"In the second there, they had a little push back. We kind of just got a little sloppier with the puck as the game went on for whatever reason—missing passes, missing guys, turning it over. And, you know, it's definitely a frustrating feeling here. We should feel frustrated, but at the same time, we still had enough looks. Did some things in that game where we could have got something out of it, it didn't happen. So at this point we've got to learn from it.”

We've got to get better here. It's obviously a tough stretch, and we're going through a lot of adversity, and we're getting tested here. It's a good test for us because it can go one way or the other, and we've got to stick together and get out of this together.”

Tampa Bay hosts the Los Angeles Kings (26-15-6) on Thursday.

Benjamin’s Three Stars:

  1. Arvid Soderblom, CHI (34 saves, win)
  1. Landon Slaggert, CHI (Game-winning goal)
  1. Brayden Point, TBL (Goal)