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As a Hawk fan, about the best thing you can say about tonight's 3-2 loss to the Lightning is the home team always finds a way to make it hard.
The Lightning continue to prove that not only is this a series, it's theirs for the taking if the Hawks don't start burying more of their chances, and don't get better goaltending from Corey Crawford.
Crawford's defenders will no doubt point to the big saves he made tonight, but again the second Tampa goal —the momentum changer—was pretty much on him. And for the second straight game, Kyle Cumiskey was victimized—tonight on Tampa's third and winning goal.
The Hawks did some things they wanted to do, especially creating havoc down low with Jonathan Toews' line. And they had a clear edge prettty much across the statistics, but they were leaky on the back end all night starting with Tampa's first goal.
And full marks to Ben Bishop who, although clearly battling some kind of injury, has now outplayed Crawford in the last two games.
The Hawks now have their backs to the wall for Game 4—a place where they've been and come basck from more than once. But the Lightning don't appear to be slowing down either.
I'll be back tomorrow.
JJ