Hedman faucets in late objective, Lightning edges Blackhawks 3-2 to finish 3-game slide

CHICAGO — Victor Hedman snapped a tie 11:53 into the third interval, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Thursday evening.

Brayden Point had a power-play objective and two assists for Tampa Bay, which had dropped three straight. Mikhail Sergachev scored within the second and assisted on Brandon Hagel’s empty-netter.

Hedman, who additionally had an help, slipped to the left fringe of the crease and tapped within the puck for the game-winner after Erik Cernak‘s blue-line drive bounced off the again boards. The Lightning dominated the motion for a number of minutes earlier than Hedman‘s fourth objective of the season.

After Chicago‘s Corey Perry tied it at 2 early within the third, the Lightning bought rolling.

“After giving up that second goal, I thought we took over the game once again after that,” Hedman mentioned. “We got some zone time and we kept playing so it was big for us.”

Lightning coach Jon Cooper praised his crew’s response after Perry linked. The 38-year-old ahead accomplished a nifty passing sequence for his fourth objective after a Tampa Bay turnover at its personal blue line.

PHOTOS: Hedman faucets in late objective, Lightning edges Blackhawks 3-2 to finish 3-game slide

“The boys dug in,” Cooper mentioned. “What happened in the past is basically we shied away from the moment and tonight we didn’t. A big response from us in the third to close it out.”

Lukas Reichel additionally scored for Chicago in its second straight loss. Connor Bedard, who had 4 objectives and two assists in his earlier two video games, had only one shot on objective.

“Today, we didn’t give him chances, Hedman said. ”He needed to earn them. But you’ll be able to nonetheless see when he will get the puck, you don’t know what he’s going to do.”

Bedard and his line have been penned within the Chicago zone when Hedman scored.

“I thought that in the third especially, they had the puck way too much in our zone and we couldn’t get it back,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson mentioned.

The Lightning have been shut out by Carolina and St. Louis of their earlier two losses. Point’s seventh objective, on a deflection at 4:40 of the second, tied it at 1 and ended Tampa Bay’s scoring drought at 146 minutes and 50 seconds.

Jonas Johansson made 13 saves for the Lightning. Petr Mrazek blocked 25 pictures for the Blackhawks.

Reichel opened the scoring with a power-play objective with 7:01 left within the first. Chicago’s first-round draft choose in 2020, Reichel bought his first objective in 14 video games this season by redirecting Philipp Kurashev’s shot from the proper level.

The Lightning took a 2-1 lead on objectives by Point and Sergachev simply over 4 minutes aside within the second.

Point tied it at 1. Parked within the crease, he tipped Hedman’s drive from the highest of the slot.

The Lightning’s earlier objective was by Steven Stamkos with 2:10 left in Chicago’s 5-3 win at Tampa Bay every week in the past.

Point’s objective withstood a video problem by the Blackhawks. He gave the impression to be offside when he entered the Chicago zone, however was dominated in command of the puck.

Sergachev made it 2-1 on a screened shot from the left level at 9:01. His first objective of the season slipped by visitors and below Mrazek. Perry tied it at 2 at 2:09 of the third.

Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli left the sport within the first after blocking Wyatt Kaiser’s shot.

Chicago performed with out injured forwards Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou, in addition to defenseman Jarred Tinordi, who’s on injured reserve.

Cernak returned after lacking Tuesday’s recreation at St. Louis with an upper-body harm.

UP NEXT

Lightning: Host Edmonton on Saturday.