Blackhawks fall to Avalanche; Officially Eliminated From Playoffs
Following tonight’s loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the Chicago Blackhawks have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, the first time since the 2007–08 NHL season.
The Blackhawks lost 5–1 to the red hot Avalanche, who have now won five of their last 6 games, and have gotten points in 11 of their past 12 games. They now sit with 88 points and in the first wild card spot, two points ahead of the Anaheim Ducks and four points ahead of the Dallas Stars, who are out of the playoffs as of right now.
The Blackhawks started off the scoring, with Brent Seabrook scoring about 16 minutes into the first period on the power play . That goal was Seabrooks 5th of the season and just his 2nd in the last 26 games.
According to Mark Potash on Twitter, the Blackhawks have scored fist in 27 of the 36 games they have played in 2018, yet are 12–12–3 in those games. The team has struggled outside of the first period, overall being outscored by oppenents in the second and third period 151–130 this season.
The Avalanche scored two goals in the first 5 minutes of the second period, with Alexander Kerfoot scoring on the power play to tie the game at one. Just three minutes later, Mikko Rantanen gave the Avalanche the lead, scoring his 16 goal of the season.
A little over halfway through the second period, Tyson Barrie made it a two goal game. Barrie scored on the power play once again, his 12 goal of the season making it 3–1 Colorado.
An empty net goal in the third period by Erik Johnson gave the Avalanche a 4–1 lead, followed by a another goal by Kerfoot making it 5–1, officially eliminated the Blackhawks from playoff contention, something that has been expected since February.
GAME NOTE:
The Blackhawks recalled forward Andreas Martinsen earlier Tuesday morning as forward Matthew Highmore is dealing with a lower body injury. Martinsen skated with Nick Schmaltz and Vinnie Hinostroza. Martinsen made himself noticable with a big hit on Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who left the game following the hit. He would return later.
Martinsen played a little over 12 minutes in the game, but for the most part stayed quiet. With just 8 games remaining in the season, Martinsen may get some playing time, but at age 27 they may opt to go with a younger option with the playoffs officially out of reach.
Thoughts on the Blackhawks missing the playoffs? Will they be back next season? Let us know in the comments below!
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