Lightning ends Chicago Blackhawks' winning streak
TAMPA, Fla. — Anton Stralman insisted the surging Tampa Bay Lightning didn't derive any extra satisfaction out of beating the Chicago Blackhawks to end a franchise-record 12-game winning streak for the defending Stanley Cup champions.
“No, not really,” the veteran defenseman said after the Lightning extended a roll of its own to a season-best seven games with a 2-1 victory Thursday night. “It's all about our winning streak now.”
Stralman's sixth goal of the season erased an early deficit, and Nikita Kucherov snapped a second-period tie with his 20th goal for the Lightning, which will try to match the longest winning streak in club history Saturday at Florida.
Ben Bishop had 17 saves as the Blackhawks were held to a season-low 18 shots. Corey Crawford stopped 31 shots to keep the Hawks in the game, but it wasn't enough to extend a career-best nine-game winning streak for the goaltender.
“They were definitely the better team. We didn't generate much. We didn't get much traffic and pucks to the net and didn't get the offensive zone time we like,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “We had a few shifts, but they were few and far between.”
The victory gave Tampa Bay split of the season series with the Blackhawks, who won last year's Stanley Cup final against the Lightning in six games.
Stralman scored in the first period and Victor Hedman had 2 assists for Tampa Bay. Artem Anisimov scored the Hawks' goal in the opening minute.
“It's just one of those games, I guess,” Crawford said, adding that the Hawks didn't play that poorly. “We worked hard. It's just some things didn't go for us. … That happens sometimes.”
The Blackhawks went 0-for-3 on the power play and were held to the lowest shot total since taking 19 during a 2-1 overtime loss at Calgary on Nov. 20.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has its longest winning streak since the 2003-04 season that ended with the team winning its only Stanley Cup title. The Hawks won the first meeting between the teams this season, 1-0 on Jonathan Toews' goal 17 seconds into overtime.
This one started like it might be the Blackhawks' night again.
Anisimov scored off a backhand pass from Patrick Kane just 43 seconds into the game, but the Blackhawks managed just 3 shots the remainder of the opening period — 2 of them in the final five seconds.
Kucherov's power-play goal snapped a 1-1 tie with 3:11 left in the second period. It came after the Hawks successfully killed Kane's penalty for high-sticking, only to give the Lightning another opportunity when their star was called for interference as he exited the penalty box and contacted the puck before getting both skates on the ice.
Blackhawks left wing Richard Panik did not play after oversleeping and reporting late to the team's morning skate.