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. That magical thing being Patrick Kane scoring an absolute beauty of a goal, as he usually does, from his usual spot. As many have said before (and will likely continue to say): just another day in the office. This was his 82nd point on the season, and his 34th goal. Not bad for someone who seemingly had a rough start.
Hawks went to the power play about midway through the period, but nothing came of it.
Well, at least not until just about a minute afterwards, when Tomas Jurco finally netted his first goal of the season, and incidentally, his first as a Hawk. And boy, did it look nice. With the assist from Nick Schmaltz, Jurco put the Hawks up 3-1. And I felt good.
The Lightning opted to pull Andrei Vasilevsky after facing just three goals, which I thought was interesting, but I understood. In came Peter Budaj, the trade from the LA Kings.
The Hawks took another penalty, and Jonathan Toews wanted to argue (even though it was a blatant high stick). But, they killed this one, and as the period wound down, the Hawks were still leading 3-1. Things were good.
Vasilevsky came back into the game, which surprised me more than the fact that they pulled him in the first place, but it was clearly a good call, given the outcome of the game.
Anyways, the Hawks go to an early power play after Alexander Killorn took a penalty for interference. I thought maybe they had a chance to make a move here, but nope, they weren't feeling it. 0 for 2 on the power play.
If there is one thing I'd say the Blackhawks really need to work on, it's rebounds. There are so many times during a game where I yell at them because no one is there to get the rebounds. That's just my two cents, though.
Maybe count Richard Panik out of the group that needs rebound help. Panik tried to shoot a stray puck up and over Vasilevsky, failed, then grabbed his own rebound and scored a pretty nice goal, giving the Hawks a 4-1 lead. The sole assist was from Trevor van Riemsdyk, but let's be real--Panik should get an assist on that, too.
Not much later, Jonathan Drouin nets one for the Lightning. Then Anton Stralman scored. Worse yet, the Hawks took a penalty for delay of game (again), and Jonathan Drouin scored again. And suddenly, the Hawks are tied with a team they led just five minutes prior, 4-1.
This is what I mean by saying the Hawks need to get it together before the playoffs.
The third period wasn't too exciting--a few good chances here and there, a wasted power play early on, but honestly, the Hawks looked tired against a fiery and incredibly fast Lightning team.
Then, it was to overtime we went.
Both Toews and Panarin get good looks about midway through, but neither can quite connect.
And with just under a minute left, Panarin made a turnover that would decide the game. Yanni Gourde raced down the ice, and since Darling was defenseless (as he was most of the game), the Lightning took the win.
So, what did we learn, kids?
The Hawks need to work on not taking stupid penalties. I know Ryan Hartman earned a scolding from Coach Quenneville a few nights ago against the Panthers, but it's not even the rookies that are mostly the problem. Look at the three Blackhawks players in the box tonight: Brent Seabrook, Jonathan Toews, Niklas Hjalmarsson. Vets need to stay out more than the rookies do.
Also, the rebound thing. That's something that I know can be hard to manage, and you're obviously not going to get every rebound. But, they need to maybe communicate better to get an idea of where each player should be. Because right now, even though they've clinched a playoff spot, the Blackhawks are fumbling their way to the finish, and that is not the way to head into the playoffs.
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