The Blackhawks passed the Lightning test and now they need to improve

The Chicago Blackhawks started the regular season with two bad games against the Tampa Bay Lightning, so now, after starting the month of March with three games against the Lightning, it is nice to see the team do a little better.

Last night was not a good night for the ‘Hawks. They were good at times, but the finish to Sunday’s 6-3 loss after starting the game with a 3-0 lead was not fun to watch. Even still, there were some positives.

The Blackhawks are the real deal. While we all doubted it from time to time, Chicago stuck with Tampa Bay in two out of the last three games against them, and during the last game, they did have a good period scoring three goals.

Last night’s loss was an interesting game to watch. I spent the first period realizing that this young, scrappy team is sticking with the best team in the entire league. Watching Philipp Kurashev score a goal against Hedman and the Lightning was awesome.

The Chicago Blackhawks finished their Tampa Bay series at 1-1-1, and while that is not perfect, it does show that the team is improving.

The ‘Hawks just would not quit during the first two matchups. Despite giving up a two-goal lead in the first matchup, they made it to overtime, and in-game two, they kept battling back to get to extra time and win in a shootout.

Honestly, I was expecting the Blackhawks to lose all three of these games, so picking up three of a possible six points is huge for a team trying to sneak into the show. While a rematch with Tampa Bay is expected for the fourth seed, anything can happen.

The Blackhawks have a few more matchups against Tampa Bay later this month in particular. However, next up is the Dallas Stars, a team Chicago needs to beat to keep them down in the standings and create some separation.