Chicago Blackhawks win wild one in shootout over Lightning

It wasn't exactly as big as "Win one for the Gipper."

But the Blackhawks certainly wanted to prevail over Tampa Bay at the United Center on Friday for Brent Seabrook, who announced his playing days were over earlier in the day.

And they did just that, erasing a 2-0 deficit and defeating the Lightning 4-3 in a shootout when Philipp Kurashev converted in the third round.

Malcolm Subban stopped all 3 attempts from Tampa Bay and was spectacular in regulation and OT by turning away 37 shots.

Alex DeBrincat scored twice, upping his season total to 14 and his career number to 101. Both goals came on assists from Patrick Kane. Dominik Kubalik also scored, tying the game at 3-3 with 14 minutes remaining.

The night included a first-period tribute video to Seabrook, who was sitting in a luxury box behind the Hawks' bench. When it ended both teams gave the 35-year-old defensemen a round of hearty stick taps.

Both Kane and Duncan Keith acknowledged their teammate and friend with ear-to-ear smiles.

"It definitely meant something to the guys (and) for Seabs," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "Kaner had some great words after the game for Seabs. And Seabs was great, too. They've won together and there's a deep connection.

"They both care deeply about the Blackhawks."

Said DeBrincat: "It's good to hear from him. Probably a very emotional day for him and a lot of the guys in the room. It was good that we got the win. He can be proud of us and we've just got to keep going."

The Hawks improved to 13-7-5, while Tampa Bay moved to 16-4-2. The teams meet again Sunday.

The Hawks weren't nearly as sharp as they were in a 3-2 OT loss Thursday, allowing Tampa Bay to score on 2 of its first 8 shots. They steadied themselves long enough to tie things up on DeBrincat's goals at 12:57 of the first and 7:18 of the second.

But the real hero were Subban, who somehow kept the Lightning from scoring 6, 7 or even 8 goals.

"Subby was fantastic for us all night," Colliton said. "We didn't really play that well, but we're happy we found a way. And that's what good teams do. That's what they did the night before. ... We stayed with it, found a way to survive. So we end up with 2 (points).

Subban was helped by plenty of selfless teammates, including Connor Murphy, Carl Soderberg, Nikita Zadorov, Calvin de Haan, Pius Suter and Boqvist. Those six combined to block 19 shots.

De Haan was injured blocking a shot in the second period and hobbled to the dressing room. Colliton doesn't believe it will be a long-term injury, although the veteran may miss the rematch with Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Shaw, Smith updates:

In addition to placing Brent Seabrook on long-term injured reserve and announcing his playing days are over, the Blackhawks on Friday placed forwards Andrew Shaw and Zack Smith on LTIR.

Shaw is out with a concussion, while Smith is out with a back injury.

Asked if Shaw's career might be over, general manager and president of hockey operations Stan Bowman said: "Obviously Andrew's had some concussions here. First and foremost, I'm just concerned about him to make sure he gets himself in a better place. When he feels better, we'll have a better feeling if he's going to be returning to play or not.

"That'll come from him and the doctors more so than from me."

Shaw has one year remaining on a contract that carries a $3.9 million cap hit. Smith's contract ends after this season.

Cap issues: The Hawks now have six players on LTIR: Jonathan Toews ($10.5 million cap hit), Brent Seabrook ($6.875 million), Andrew Shaw ($3.9 million), Zack Smith ($3.25 million), Kirby Dach ($925,000) and Alex Nylander ($863,333).

In the short term, this isn't much of a concern as the rebuilding Hawks are exceeding expectations with a roster full of cheap veterans and up-and-comers.

Down the road, though, it could get dicey with the salary cap staying relatively flat.

"We've been through this before," said GM Stan Bowman, referring to Marian Hossa's skin condition that forced him to stop playing after the 2016-17 season. "I understand the curiosity about that. It'll evolve over time how we handle the situation in the coming years."

Much like the Hawks did when they sent Hossa's contract to Arizona, they could trade Seabrook - as long as he waives his no-movement clause. They cannot, however, buy him out now that he's on LTIR.