Kucherov scores in OT to give Lightning 4-3 win over Blackhawks

CHICAGO (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored 58 seconds into overtime and had two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Friday night.

Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist, Nick Paul and Mitchell Chaffee also scored and Victor Hedman had two assists to help the Lightning end a two-game skid. Jonas Johansson had 11 saves.

Louis Crevier and Frank Nazar each had a goal and an assist, and Colton Dach also scored for Chicago, which has a season-high four-game point streak (1-0-3). Arvid Soderblom finished with 36 saves.

In the extra period, Kucherov beat Soderblom cleanly with a hard wrist shot from the right circle.

Crevier's goal 4:59 into the second period gave Chicago a 3-1 lead.

Paul pulled the Lightning within one with 8 seconds left in the middle period, and Guentzel deflected Kucherov's pass from the right corner to tie the score with 3.3 seconds left in regulation.

During the game, the Blackhawks sent forward Taylor Hall to Carolina in a three-way deal.

Lightning: Paul’s goal in the closing seconds of the second period swung the momentum to Tampa Bay.

Blackhawks: Hall’s departure accelerates Chicago’s youth movement. Nazar, Dach — who got his first career goal — and Crevier all have no more than a half-season of NHL experience.

Guentzel’s tying goal from the doorstep took the wind out of the Blackhawks, who had been keeping the Lighting away from the crease for most of the third period.

The Lightning outshot Chicago 40-14, including a 17-1 advantage in the third period, and had the only shot in overtime.

Lightning visit Detroit on Saturday, and Blackhawks host Minnesota on Sunday.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov smiles after scoring the winning goal during the overtime period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic (72) moves the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Mitchell Chaffee, left, celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with right wing Nikita Kucherov (86), during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, left, head-bumps goaltender Jonas Johansson (31) after scoring the winning goal during the overtime period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, second from right, celebrates with teammates after scoring the winning goal during the overtime period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Southern separatists in Yemen said Saudi warplanes carried out new airstrikes Saturday on a military camp in the port city of Mukalla and other areas where their forces are stationed, as Saudi-backed forces moved to retake the city.

There was no immediate Saudi comment. It was the latest direct intervention by Saudi Arabia, which in recent weeks has bombed the separatist Southern Transitional Council, or STC, and struck what is said was a shipment of Emirati weapons destined for it.

The Saudi strikes hit Barshid Brigade camp west of Mukalla in Hadramout, one of two governorates seized last month by the STC, according to the group’s AIC satellite news channel.

Yemen has been engulfed in civil war for more than a decade, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels controlling much of the north and a Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognized government in the south. But coalition member the United Arab Emirates also supports the separatists, who call for South Yemen to secede again from Yemen.

The latest Saudi strikes came a day after the separatist movement announced a constitution for an independent nation in the south.

Last month, the STC moved into Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. That pushed out allies of the Saudi-supported National Shield forces, a group in the anti-Houthi coalition.

After Saudi pressure and an ultimatum from anti-Houthi forces to withdraw from Yemen, the UAE said early Saturday it had pulled out all its forces.

The tensions in Yemen have further strained ties between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, neighbors on the Arabian Peninsula that have competed over economic issues and regional politics, particularly in the Red Sea area. Ostensibly, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shared the coalition's professed goal of restoring Yemen's internationally recognized government.

An official with the STC told The Associated Press on Saturday that more than 100 Saudi airstrikes struck multiple locations across Hadramout over the past 24 hours, resulting in deaths and injuries. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media.

Mukalla residents Ahmed al-Faradi and Salem Maadan told the AP the city was now controlled by the Hadramout Tribes Confederacy and the National Shield forces.

Col. Ahmed Baqatyan, a military commander in the Hadramout Tribes Confederacy, said that striking the Barshid Brigade camp was necessary because it sits on the route to the southern port city of Aden. He said clearing the camp of STC forces was aimed at preventing them from regrouping and launching a return to Mukalla.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Transportation Ministry, aligned with the STC, condemned Saudi airstrikes late Friday it said targeted the international airport in Seiyun, “exposing the airport to serious risks that could damage its infrastructure, hindering its operation and the resumption of flights.”

Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said it plans to hold a conference in its capital, Riyadh, to bring together all southern factions in Yemen "to discuss just solutions to the southern cause."

Saudi Arabia was responding to a request for dialogue from Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, the ruling organ of the internationally recognized government.

There were no immediate details about the proposed conference.

The anti-Houthi coalition was showing other signs of strain. Clashes erupted on Friday between National Shield forces and the southern forces in Hadramout and their allies, killing at least eight people, paramedic Ahmed al-Ketheri told the AP.

Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said that when Saudi Arabia and the UAE began a military operation against the Houthis a decade ago, the Saudis were interested in controlling the mountains of Saada, while the UAE wanted to capture Aden because of its importance as a gateway to the Red Sea.

Khashan said the situation got out of control in recent weeks when the UAE-backed STC started capturing areas in Hadramout that border the kingdom.

“For the Saudis that was a red line,” Khashan said, adding that the Saudis felt that they were being “held captive between the Houthis in the north and the UAE in the south.” They ”decided to stop the UAE from its regional expansionism," he said.

Khaled reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

Supporters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a coalition of separatist groups seeking to restore the state of South Yemen, hold South Yemen flags during a rally, in Aden, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)