Blackhawks: Three Tampa Bay Lightning players to keep an eye on tonight

The Chicago Blackhawks might not be the best hockey team anymore, but they can do better than what the NHL saw on Wednesday night.

Today’s game needs to be a step in the right direction for the Blackhawks after the effort we all saw from the team on Wednesday. The jitters of starting a new NHL season should be behind the group, and now they can focus on the task at hand.

Tampa Bay is a very skilled roster. We could put everyone on this list as players to watch out for from their team. However, three different guys stand even more prominently amongst the pack for the ‘Hawks. If the team can find a way to stop these three players, then the ‘Hawks might have a chance.

So without further ado, let’s jump in with three members of the Tampa Bay Lightning to keep an eye on tonight.

Ryan McDonagh

Ryan McDonagh quietly led the Lightning in ice time in game one. I think it is entertaining to watch McDonagh because he is one of the backbones amongst this team of stars. Yes, Hedman, Stamkos, Kucherov, and Point are all very well known players, but McDonagh plays one of the most important roles on this team.

McDonagh was responsible for shutting down the Blackhawks offense, and he did a great job putting up two blocked shots for the Lightning. The way the Blackhawks’ offense failed in game one was largely thanks to McDonagh and the defense not letting Chicago set up anything in the offensive zone.

So, tonight the Blackhawks need to find a way to get things going with players like McDonagh and Hedman around trying to get the puck going the other way. Does Chicago have a tough challenge ahead? Yes, but hey, they will play Detroit in a few games.