For the second straight game, the Chicago Blackhawks lost in a rather dramatic way.
Following Saturday's outing that saw them demolished 7-0 by the Florida Panthers, the Blackhawks continued their Florida road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning, dropping a 5-4 overtime decision after taking a 4-1 lead.
Related: Gourde caps off 3-goal Lightning comeback with OT beauty
It's been a rare couple of games for the Blackhawks who, prior to Saturday, had gone 6-0-1 in their past seven games, but Niklas Hjalmarsson admits a slump is better off happening now than in a few weeks.
"It's getting close to the end here and we're getting a little bit too comfortable maybe," Hjalmarsson said, according to Chris Pine of the Chicago Tribune. "As soon as you do that, you're going to lose games … At the same time I'm glad that we were playing like this before the playoffs so we can make some adjustments."
Luckily for the Blackhawks, their postseason spot is already guaranteed, meaning the remaining six games could be looked at as playoff tuneups. And according to Hjalmarsson, what the team might need to work on most down the stretch is staying focused.
"Eighty-two games is a long season. It's a mental grind more than anything," Hjalmarsson said. "As soon as you're not there 100 percent, it's going to show in the scoring. I thought we played decent today, but 10 minutes during the game we just let them do whatever they wanted. That was enough to lose the game."
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