Lightning sink Blackhawks with late push


Reuters | Updated: 22-11-2019 12:44 IST | Created: 22-11-2019 12:44 IST
Lightning sink Blackhawks with late push

Anthony Cirelli, Brayden Point and Cedric Paquette scored third-period goals, and the Tampa Bay Lightning held on for a 4-2 win over the host Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. Mikhail Sergachev also scored for Tampa Bay, which snapped a two-game skid.

Brent Seabrook and Dylan Strome scored for the Blackhawks. Chicago has lost back-to-back games after winning the previous four in a row. Lightning goaltender Curtis McElhinney made 32 saves to improve to 3-1-2 on the season.

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford turned aside 31 shots but dropped to 4-5-2. Tampa Bay broke a scoreless tie when it converted on the power play with 3:50 remaining in the first period.

Sergachev faked a shot from the blue line and instead slid a pass to Yanni Gourde near the top of the left circle. Gourde quickly returned a pass to Sergachev, who blasted a slap shot past Crawford for his first goal of the season. Pat Maroon also picked up an assist on the play, which marked Tampa Bay's 17th power-play goal in 19 games. The Lightning entered the night with the second-best power play in the NHL, scoring on 29.6 percent of their opportunities.

Tampa Bay clung to a one-goal lead until midway through the third period, when Seabrook evened the score at 1-1. The veteran defenseman pinched in behind the net and banked a shot off McElhinney for his third goal of the season. Seabrook's highlight-reel goal came on his bobblehead night at the United Center, where he has played since 2005.

Only 1:17 later, Tampa Bay responded to pull back in front 2-1. Victor Hedman fired a wrist shot from the high slot, and Cirelli tipped it in for his fourth goal of the season and his third in the past three games. The Lightning made it 3-1 with 7:37 remaining in the third period. Point tipped in a feed from Ondrej Palat for his fifth goal.

Strome tallied his fifth goal to pull Chicago within 3-2 with 2:43 to go, but Paquette's empty-net goal padded the lead in the final minute. --Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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