Sports with Megs

PITTSBURGH, PA -- Well, this Hawks team looked decidedly better tonight, and much more like themselves.  The Hawks certainly started strong, taking just three minutes to score--and of course, it was another Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane beauty (with Tanner Kero's help as well). This was Panarin's 26th goal on the season, and boy has he looked good this season. And, incidentally, all three of these players that helped on this goal are the three stars of the night. Well deserved, too. But, back on track. Not but a few moments later,  Scott Wilson took a penalty for whacking the back of Ryan Hartman's head with his stick--in the words of referee legend Mike Leggo: you can't do that. Hawks went to the power play, but nothing came of it and they were back to even strength. Corey Crawford made some incredible stops tonight, and I thank my lucky stars every night that the Hawks are lucky enough to have him in net. He and Scott Darling are an unbelievable duo. The

TAMPA BAY, FL -- Well, another lead blown. If that sounds really pessimistic to you, it is. Because if the Hawks think they can play like this in the playoffs and win any games against any team, they are sorely mistaken. Things looked good in the first period, though. Then it went downhill, and fast. To start, Artemi Panarin took no time to score, notching a goal just 1:23 into the game. This was a great start compared to the monstrosity that was Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers. Tanner Kero got the lone assist, and the Hawks pressed on. And they definitely did not stop there in the first period. But, first, a stupid delay of game penalty, presented to you by the Chicago Blackhawks. This call is such an easy one to avoid, but I don't think I've seen any other team take that penalty as often as the Hawks. And, just as expected of the Tampa Bay Lightning, they scored just a few seconds into their power play. Tie game. Then something magical happened.

CHICAGO, IL -- The Hawks are certainly on a hot streak. In the past week and a half, they've beaten some of the top teams in the league--and have made it look way too easy. Tonight was no different. I was a bit worried about this game, only because the Pittsburgh Penguins are a team to reckon with. But, with guys like Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary out due to injury, and the fact that they're coming off a loss to the Dallas Stars last night... The Hawks did have the upper hand to begin with, I think. But, the Penguins came out strong and tough, as usual, and the Hawks certainly rose to the challenge. The first period was basically a bust. I thought the Hawks had some great shots on goal, but Marc-Andre Fleury played incredibly well that first period and prevented anything from going through--even back-to-back Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook wristers. I was a little frustrated with the refs blatantly ignoring calls on both sides. The Hawks did manage to draw