Blackhawks Can’t Play Spoiler, Lose 3-2 To Celebrini & Sharks

The Chicago Blackhawks fell short in their bid to play spoiler on Monday night, losing 3-2 to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center to close out a three-game road trip. It’s the Blackhawks eighth loss in their last 10 games, dating back to Mar. 20.

The Sharks entered Monday’s matchup in must-win territory, sitting two points back of the Nashville Predators for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. With the Predators also having more regulation wins than San Jose, which is the tiebreaker, they couldn’t afford to lose on home ice against a young and struggling Blackhawks squad. Not with so few games remaining in the regular season.

The Hawks were hoping to carry over some momentum from Saturday’s win in Seattle and prevent the Sharks from earning a crucial two points, and they were successful in doing so in the early going. Ryan Donato kicked off the scoring just over nine minutes in, and the 1-0 lead held through the end of the first period. Chicago also limited San Jose to six shots on goal, with only four coming at even strength.

The second period, however, was a much different story, as the Sharks showed their desperation and played like a team with its back against the wall. The Blackhawks started to crack under pressure and couldn’t stay structured defensively, with goaltender Spencer Knight subsequently facing a wave of odd-man rushes. Knight did all he could to keep his team ahead for as long as possible, but eventually, the inevitable occurred.