The Chicago Blackhawks (4-12-1) lost for the second time in as many nights and for the fifth game in a row on Thursday, falling 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning (10-3-2) at Benchmark International Arena.

The Blackhawks remain winless on the road this season, dropping to 0-7-1 in eight games. The Lightning remain undefeated at home, moving to 8-0-0.

Former Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev scored twice, including the game-winning goal, in his first game against his old team since signing with Tampa Bay in free agency this past summer. Victor Hedman (PP) and Ryan McDonagh also scored for the Lightning. McDonagh had a plus-three rating, while his defensive partner, Erik Cernak, added two assists with a plus-three rating.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 of 26 shots and has now won 15 of 16 career regular-season games against the Blackhawks. He’s allowed just 33 goals in those 16 games.

Roman Kantserov was the only reason Vasilevskiy didn’t record his second career shutout against the Blackhawks, with the rookie snapping his fellow countryman’s shutout bid with 48.1 seconds left in the third period.

It was Kantserov’s team-leading eighth goal of the season, which extended his current point streak to seven games. Sam Rinzel and Ethan Del Mastro tallied assists on the goal, marking back-to-back games with assists for both defensemen.

Arvid Soderblom made his fourth start of the season and stopped 31 of 35 shots. Soderblom remains winless in 2026-27.

For the second straight game, the Blackhawks fell behind 2-0 in the first period and never recovered. While they rallied for three goals in the final 40 minutes on Wednesday, there wasn’t much of an offensive pushback in the second and third periods against Tampa Bay.

The Blackhawks registered only nine high-danger scoring chances in 60 minutes, as they struggled to find time and space with possession against the Lightning defense. They’ve now scored two goals or fewer in 11 of 17 games this season.

Perhaps the only positive from Thursday’s loss was the Blackhawks increased physicality, leading 31-13 in hits. One night ago, the Hawks had only 12 hits and were pushed around in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Scrappy fourth-liner Dillon Boucher led the team with seven hits in 8:12 of ice time, while also getting into a must-see scrap, his first NHL fight, against Jeff Viel in the second period. Boucher’s linemate, Cole Smith, was one of the better Blackhawks in Tampa and chipped in with six hits.

That’s a significant step in the right direction for the Blackhawks in that aspect. Now, they just have to figure out how to score and keep the puck out of their own net…

Here are highlights from the Blackhawks 4-1 loss in Tampa Bay.

First Period

With Del Mastro in the penalty box for tripping, Hedman opened the scoring at 4:12, giving Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead. Anthony Cirelli found a soft spot between Frank Nazar and Alex Vlasic on the entry, then found Hedman streaking to the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Mikheyev added to Tampa Bay’s lead at 18:22, because of course, with a harmless-looking wrist shot beating Soderblom five-hole. 2-0, Lightning. It’s Mikheyev’s third goal of the season.

The Lightning took a 2-0 lead into the second intermission, while outshooting Chicago 8-6 in a relatively low-event period.

Second Period

After failing to find a dance partner in his debut on Wednesday, Boucher dropped the gloves with Viel early in the second period for his first NHL fight. Both players landed heavy shots in the back-and-forth exchange.

The Blackhawks appeared to get on the board near the 15-minute mark, with Nazar deflecting Wyatt Kaiser’s point shot past Vasilevskiy, but the officials immediately waved it off for a high-stick. Nazar nearly had his third goal in two nights. Still 2-0 Lightning.

The Lightning maintained their 2-0 lead entering the second intermission, while outshooting the Blackhawks 25-14 through 40 minutes.

Third Period

McDonagh put the Lightning ahead 3-0 at 2:38 in the third period, blasting a slap shot over Soderblom’s glove for his second goal of the season. Point extended his point streak to six games with the secondary assist.

Mikheyev scored his second goal at 5:07, deflecting Cernak’s centering feed past Soderblom and sticking the dagger in the Blackhawks. 4-0, Lightning. Cernak recorded his second assist.

Kantserov got on the board with 48.1 seconds remaining, helping the Blackhawks avoid a third shutout loss already this season. Kantserov deflected Rinzel’s point shot past Vasilevskiy for his eighth goal of the season. 4-1.

The final horn sounded at Benchmark International Arena, signaling the Blackhawks’ fifth straight loss. They look to snap the losing streak in the road-trip finale on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.