(Tampa) Steven Stamkos had one goal and two assists and the Tampa Bay Lightning got off to a good start in their title defense Wednesday, winning 5-1 over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli each provided a goal and an assist.
Ondrej Palat and Mathieu Joseph were the other Lightning scorers.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves. He was deprived of a shutout by Dylan Strome, with 3:24 remaining in the game.
For a seventh straight season, Tampa Bay deserved the curtain-raiser victory.
The Lightning led 3-0 after a period thanks to the rebound converted by Palat and pucks deflected by Joseph and Cirelli.
Malcolm Subban stopped 28 shots in a losing cause.
The two teams will face off once again on Friday night in Tampa.
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