Lightning beat Blackhawks 2-1 in shootout in their 15th straight game without a regulation loss

CHICAGO (AP) — Dominic James scored in the fifth round of a shootout and the Tampa Bay Lightning made it 15 straight games without a regulation loss, outlasting the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Friday night.

Tampa Bay is on a 14-0-1 tear, winning three straight after a shootout loss a week ago in St. Louis. The Lighting are 32-13-4 overall.

Nikita Kucherov tied it at 1 late in the second period with his 25th goal of the season and also scored in the shootout. Gage Goncalves scored in the fourth round of the tiebreaker to keep Tampa Bay alive and, after Oliver Moore failed for Chicago, James slipped the winner past Arvid Soderblom.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 17 shots for Tampa Bay.

Ryan Greene scored for Chicago, and Soderblom made 30 saves. Chicago had won two straight, beating Carolina 4-3 in shootout Friday night in Raleigh.

Andre Burakovsky nearly ended it for Chicago in overtime, but couldn’t get the puck in at the side of that net as it slid across the crease.

Tampa Bay outshot Chicago 13-2 in the second period and had a 21-6 overall advantage through 40 minutes. Both teams were 0 for 3 on the power play.

Kucherov tied it with 1:18 left in the second. He cut through the slot, taking Brandon Hagel's pass on his forehand and lifting in a backhander.

Greene opened the scoring on a power play with 2:18 left in the first period with a goal that withstood a lengthy review after the Lightning challenged for offsides. Greene cut across the front and beat Vasilevskiy with a forehand shot.

Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno fought Jack Finley early in the first, with Finley getting an extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Lightning: At Columbus on Saturday night.

Blackhawks: Host Florida on Sunday.

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

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) makes a save on the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago Blackhawks center Oliver Moore (11) and Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Max Crozier (24) crash against the boards during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Louis Crevier (46) and Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) fight for control of the puck in front of the net during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh (43) handles the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago Blackhawks left wing Landon Slaggert (84) collides with Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

PHOENIX (AP) — Right-hander Zac Gallen has agreed to a $22,025,000, one-year contract to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed Friday night.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending a physical.

The 2023 All-Star, a client of agent Scott Boras, was seeking a multi-year contract, but after nothing acceptable materialized, he's coming back to the desert where he's spent the majority of his big league's career.

MLB.com first reported Gallen and the D-backs were close to a deal. The value of the contract is equal to the qualifying offer that Gallen turned down in November after he become a free agent. He was the last player to reach a deal among the nine free agents who had turned down qualifying offers.

Gallen had his worst season in the big leagues in 2025, finishing with 13-15 record with a 4.83 ERA and an 8.2 strikeout rate per nine innings, the lowest of his career. But his velocity was still good and he performed better after the All-Star break with a 3.97 ERA over his final 13 starts. He had a $13.5 million salary.

The 30-year-old was one of the best pitchers in the National League from 2022-24, finishing fifth in the Cy Young Award voting in 2022 and third in 2023.

He was the ace for the D-backs in 2023, going 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA, as they made a surprise run to the World Series before losing in five games to the Texas Rangers.

Gallen was selected in the third round of the 2016 amateur draft by the St. Louis Cardinals after playing in college at North Carolina. He was traded to the Marlins in 2017 and made his big-league debut with the organization in 2019 before being traded again to the D-backs in a deal that sent Jazz Chisholm Jr. to Miami.

Overall, Gallen is 66-52 with a 3.58 ERA in seven major league seasons.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FILE - Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen works against a San Diego Padres batter during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull,File)