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Blackhawks fall to Lightning 5-1 in season opener
By: Mike Stiles - Thursday, January 14, 2021


(TAMPA BAY) - After nine days of neck-and-neck competition, the Blackhawks gave Malcolm Subban the first crack at the starting goaltender role Wednesday. He didn’t exactly run with it, although he also didn’t exactly get much help. In a decisive, predictable 5-1 loss to the defending champion Lightning in the season opener, Subban surrendered five goals on 33 shots. For every great save the relative veteran of the goalie corps misplayed another situation and gave up an easy goal. His rebound control, supposedly an emphasis for both he and Collin Delia’s offseason training, and puck awareness were noticeably subpar. Of course, none of his teammates performed much better. Much like the second playoff series of the summer against the Golden Knights, the Hawks received an up-close look at what a Cup contender now looks like and how far removed they are from that level. Dylan Strome scored the lone goal for Chicago on the night.

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