Blackhawks watch 3-0 evaporate, lose 6-3 to Lightning
There are two paths we can choose after the Blackhawks dropped a 6-3 decision in the third and final game of their mini-series with Tampa Bay at the United Center on Sunday:
Big picture or little picture.
Big picture: The Hawks earned 3 of 6 standings points against the defending champs, an impressive feat considering the Lightning were 16-3-1 coming in. Coach Jeremy Colliton's team isn't going anywhere and is a viable threat to make the playoffs.
Little picture: The Hawks, who were up 3-0 early in the second period, are having a heck of a time holding onto leads. That's especially true at home where they've blown two to Tampa Bay and another to Columbus. The Hawks are 7-1-2 when leading after 40 minutes, a .700 win percentage that ranks 29th.
Big picture: The Hawks scored 8 goals vs. the Lightning, more than Tampa Bay allowed in its previous six games combined. Two came on the power play, a feat rarely accomplished by Lightning opponents this season.
Little picture: It's trial by fire for young defensemen like Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell, Lucas Carlsson and Wyatt Kalynuk, and forwards Brandon Hagel, Philipp Kurashev and Pius Suter. Teams like the Lightning will expose you in a hurry, as all of these rookies found out Sunday.
"We're gonna move on," said coach Jeremy Colliton, whose squad is now 13-8-5. "We got some points here. That's a positive. We've got to keep building our game. We're doing that.
"We'd love to have a little more killer instinct. We have 'em down 3-nothing at home. You don't want to give them any life, any reason to believe."
Which is exactly what happened moments after Suter made it 3-0 at 3:11 of the second as Hagel was whistled for hooking at 3:40. Eleven seconds later, Ondrej Palat scored the first of 4 power-play goals for the Lightning to make it 3-1.
"The first shift after the (Suter) goal we'd love to not take a penalty there," Colliton said. "Young guys typically don't get the benefit of the doubt in those situations, but we also put ourselves in a position where we lose body position and you're at the mercy of a 50/50."
Then the floodgates opened for Tampa Bay as Yanni Gourde scored at 4:11 to make it 3-2 and Hedman tied things up at 7:51 with Mitchell in the box for hooking. Gourde, who also had 2 assists, scored the game-winner at 16:55 with Janmark off for high-sticking.
"It's a very disappointing loss," said Janmark, who made it 2-0 late in the first period. "We proved that we can play with this team and be better. We put ourselves in a good situation, up 3-0 there, and at that point you just want the time to pass a little. Keep playing and play on your toes.
"And then they get the one and then you want to do the same to kind of stop the bleeding. But we can't seem to do that today."
Tampa Bay (17-4-2) outshot the Hawks 39-24.
The Hawks now begin a six-game road trip at Dallas on Tuesday. They're in a great spot in the Central Division standings, occupying the fourth and final playoff position with a 6-point lead over Columbus and an 11-point lead over Nashville.
Dallas has 18 points and has played seven fewer games than the Hawks.
"Overall we've got to be pretty happy with the progression of our young group," Colliton said. "We're certainly going to keep pushing them and want to keep raising the standard. And you've got to give credit to them - they keep showing there's more in them.
"So that's what we'll keep focusing on."