Hawks drop regular-season finale; will face Preds in first round
First things first.
The Blackhawks dropped their regular-season finale 3-2 in overtime to host Los Angeles on Saturday thanks to Dustin Brown scoring with 55 seconds left in regulation and Drew Doughty netting the game-winner 27 seconds into extra time.
But the loss isn't all that important. There are more pressing issues to worry about ... like who the Hawks will face in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
That team will be none other than the Nashville Predators, who blew a 1-0 lead and lost 2-1 to Winnipeg on Saturday when Blake Wheeler scored a short-handed goal with 45 seconds remaining.
The best-of-seven series will likely begin Thursday at the United Center.
“It's a long season to put yourself in this position here, and this year it's so wide open it should make for a great playoff,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Let's be ready to meet the challenge.”
The Hawks eliminated the Predators in the first round in 2010 and 2015, and went on to claim the Cup both times.
How about some more important stuff? Like Artemi Panarin's bonus.
The Hawks' second-year winger gave his team a 2-1 lead over the Kings with 6:07 left in the game and finished with 31 goals and 74 points. The goal came about thanks in large part to some gorgeous tic-tac-toe passing from Duncan Keith to Patrick Kane to Panarin.
After he rifled the shot past Jonathan Quick, Panarin raced over to Kane and looked like an 8-year-old on Christmas Day, almost jumping into his linemate's arms.
Panarin, who must finish in the top 10 in points among forwards to cash in on a $1.725 million bonus, is tied for ninth, and it does not appear anyone will pass him.
Jonathan Toews scored the other Hawks' goal at 6:25 of the first period. It was his 21st of the season.
Duncan Keith had 2 assists and finished with 47.
Kane closed the season with 34 goals and 89 points.
The Hawks (50-23-9, 109 points) ended up with the second-most points in franchise history, behind only the 112 posted by the 2009-10 title team. They also had to settle for tying the team record for most road victories (24).