Blackhawks, Panik hit snooze against Tampa Bay

They say all good things must come to and end. For the Chicago Blackhawks franchise record 12-game winning streak, it came to and end last night at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1. You know, the Lightning. From last year. Chicago won the Stanley Cup over them. Yeah, you know. Well now they get a small bit of revenge by ending the Blackhawks most recent streak.

Outside of the first minute of the game, when Artem Anisimov scored a tremendous backhand goal to open the scoring 1-0 for the Blackhawks, Chicago looked slow and tired. Which could be expected when you play the amount of games the Blackhawks have played in a three and a half week span, 13 games in 24 days. Which may explain why newly acquired Forward Richard Panik reportedly overslept the morning skate and was a healthy scratch for the game. The disciplinary move forced Chicago to dress seven defencemen and play Rob Scuderi as a forward. That happened.

Panik overslept morning skate

I tend to give the players the benefit of the doubt when it comes to “over sleeping.” These are guys who have been conditioned to do things normal people would surely collapse from exhaustion from. Wake up, skate, workout, do interviews, rest, prepare for the game, play an NHL hockey game, workout, do interviews, go to bed. Do that 82+ times a year and see if you hit the snooze once in a while.

Panik being scratched put Chicago in a tough spot, being forced to dress seven defencemen and use a combination of Scuderi, Brandon Mashinter, and Dennis Rasmussen as a makeshift fourth-line. Well that wasn’t going to work very well and the Blackhawks were basically down to a three-line rotation. Having to play with a short bench on the road sets up a recipe for a tired team and that’s the way Chicago played against a Lightning team amassing an impressive winning streak of their own.

Granted, Panik is coming from at team like the Toronto Maple Leafs that may not have the winning atmosphere that Chicago does at the moment. So being able to understand the demand for being responsible and accountable that comes from coaches and management MIGHT be a change for Panik, but he is still a professional being paid handsomely for his work. So next time, make sure the volume is up on the alarm and the snooze button is disabled.

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Blackhawks must rebound quick

After being out-shot 33-18 in the game against Tampa Bay, Chicago turns around and plays the other Florida hockey team tonight, the Panthers. This Florida team is much like the Lightning in that they are battling for a playoff spot in the East and while they are currently the second place team in the conference, the Panthers are only six points clear of the ninth place Penguins.

Corey Crawford is expected to be in net again tonight. Also, a few former Blackhawks are making moves for the Panthers today as Brandon Pirri has been scratched amidst trade rumors and Dylan Olsen has been recalled on an emergency basis.

So what do you think about tonight’s game? Do the Blackhawks get back in the win column? Also, what do you make of Richard Panik’s mistake? Big deal or not so much? Let us know in the comments section.

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