Lightning at Blackhawks

The Tampa Bay Lightning are playing some of their worst hockey of the season while in the middle of the toughest stretch of their schedule and visit another struggling team on Monday, when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks. The Lightning lead the Eastern Conference with 65 points but are just 2-4-1 in their last seven games and have been outscored 14-4 during a season-high three-game losing streak.

“Guys didn’t forget how to play hockey in the last week and a half,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “We’re just out of sync. One guy zigs, the other guy zags. It’s crazy (that) in the last week and a half, we kind of lost our swag.” The Lightning, who play their next seven contests on the road, managed just 23 shots in a 5-2 loss at Minnesota on Saturday while Chicago is just 1-3-0 on its six-game homestand after dropping a 7-3 decision to the New York Islanders the same night. Patrick Kane registered two goals and an assist Saturday to become the fifth player to reach 800 points for the Blackhawks, who sit five points out of a playoff position. “Time’s ticking here and we know that the urgency has to be there,” Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith told reporters. “It’s got to come in-game. We can sit here and talk all we want and say things, but it’s got to come down to us doing it in the game.”

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, WGN (Chicago)

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (31-12-3): Ondrej Palat (eight goals, 30 points) was sent home to undergo further tests after suffering a lower-body injury on Saturday while forwards Michael Bournival and Matt Peca were recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League. Nikita Kucherov has gone four games without a goal - his second-longest drought of the season - and owns a minus-6 rating in his last three contests but leads the league with 61 points. Tampa Bay has allowed 26 goals in its last six games and nine in two contests since All-Star defenseman Victor Hedman went down with a lower-body injury.

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (22-18-6): Artem Anisimov (13 goals) is expected back in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 28 after suffering an upper-body injury and reportedly skated with Alex DeBrincat and Ryan Hartman at practice on Sunday. Anisimov’s return should give a boost to an offense that has produced six goals in four games since scoring eight against Ottawa and a power play which is 0-for-10 in the same stretch. Defensemen Jan Rutta (minus-9 in his last seven games) and Gustav Forsling (minus-8 in his last 11) could be healthy scratches after struggling to a combined minus-7 mark against the Islanders.

OVERTIME

1. The Lightning are 4-0-1 in five meetings with Chicago since their six-game loss in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, including a 3-2 overtime win on Nov. 22.

2. Tampa Bay LW Alex Killorn is slated to play in his 400th NHL game on Monday while Chicago D Connor Murphy’s next contest will be his 300th in the league.

3. Chicago D Erik Gustafsson recorded a goal and an assist on Saturday in his season debut.
Poll

Who will win this game?

Odds
SpreadMoneylineMoneyTotal
Chicago BlackhawksBlackhawks+1 12  -205100
4.50
o -105u -135
Tampa Bay LightningLightning-1 12  145-138
Moneyline Consensus: Chicago Blackhawks: 0%     Tampa Bay Lightning: 0%
Vegas Prediction: Chicago: 2 (Loss)    Tampa Bay: 3 (Win)
Season Series
ChicagoStatsTampa Bay
0-1-1Vs2-0-0
2Goals5
2.8Shot %7.2
10.0Power Play %12.5
51.9Faceoff %48.1