EDMONTON, Alberta — Even the most optimistic Blackhawks players gave up on the playoffs weeks ago, but the inevitable outcome is now guaranteed.
A 3-1 loss Thursday against the Oilers officially eliminated the Hawks from playoff contention for a seventh consecutive season.
The Hawks' odds of ending that drought in 2026-27 might be better than they've been in a while, but they still won't be high. In the meantime, they have just six games left in 2025-26.
Rookie forward Nick Lardis scored the Hawks' lone goal — his fourth in seven games — during a third-period push, but he later left injured after a Teuvo Teravainen shot drilled his hand.
Goalie Spencer Knight saved 31 of 32 shots but missed about five minutes of the second period due to an equipment issue, during which the Oilers took the lead on an Adam Henrique breakaway goal on Arvid Soderblom. It marked just the second time in 76 games this season the Hawks have made an in-game goaltending change.
"I wouldn’t say we didn’t have opportunities," coach Jeff Blashill said, noting that the team's internal analytics actually gave the Hawks a 7-6 advantage in Grade A chances. "I would say we need to shoot more."
The Hawks have beaten the Oilers just once in their last 12 meetings, which shouldn't be surprising given the talent gap between the two teams.
"It felt like we were close but not close enough," Wyatt Kaiser said. "We were kind of chasing after it the whole game."
Blashill said Burakovsky's turnover on the Oilers' first goal factored into his demotion to the 4th line.
"He’s not feeling it right now. Unfortunately, he’s trying hard, he cares, he wants to be a good player, it’s just not going right now... Sometimes my job as a coach is to…
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 3, 2026
Slaggert’s search
Landon Slaggert has established himself as a regular among Hawks forwards during the second half of the season after bouncing in and out during the first half.
"What's been able to keep me in the line
