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

· Yahoo Sports

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.

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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.

With two goals in just shy of eight minutes from William Eklund and Kiefer Sherwood, San Jose flipped a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 advantage and never looked back. Will Smith added an insurance tally at 3:28 of the third period to extend the lead to 3-1, which proved to be the game-winning goal. Macklin Celebrini tallied the secondary assist for his lone point of the night.

Frank Nazar responded less than three minutes later with a power-play goal for his second point of the game, trimming the Sharks’ lead to 3-2 with still plenty of time remaining. The Blackhawks’ five-forward top power-play unit looked dangerous every time they stepped onto the ice, generating 14 scoring chances and nine shots on goal combined in their three opportunities. Finally, after countless close calls, the man advantage converted via a one-timer from Nazar.

Outside of the power play, the Blackhawks’ offense didn’t find much success on Monday, as the Sharks shut them down during 5v5 play following the first period. Over the final 20 minutes, the Hawks were credited with only one scoring chance and four shots on goal. They couldn’t even get Knight off the ice for the extra attacker until 1:17 was left on the clock, leaving little time to find the game-tying goal.

In the end, the Sharks were strong enough defensively to secure the one-goal win, evening the season series through two games. The third and final meeting comes in nine days at the United Center, serving as the Blackhawks’ final game of the 2025-26 campaign. That matchup will also likely have heavy playoff implications for San Jose, offering a second chance to play spoiler and close out the regular season on a high note.

Here are the highlights from the Blackhawks’ 3-2 loss to the Sharks, dropping their record to 28-36-14 through 78 games. Only four more to go.

FIRST PERIOD

The Blackhawks struck first for the second straight game as visitors, with Donato scoring just seconds after Macklin Celebrini’s holding penalty expired. Donato put home Nazar’s rebound for his 15th goal of the season, and third against the Sharks, to give Chicago a 1-0 lead at 9:01. With the secondary assist, Connor Bedard recorded his 200th career NHL point.

After a fast-paced opening 20 minutes, the Blackhawks held a 1-0 advantage and led 7-6 in shots on goal.

SECOND PERIOD

San Jose was quiet offensively in the first period, but they came to life and started racking up scoring chances early in the second. Knight was terrific to keep his team ahead for as long as possible, but eventually, the Sharks evened the score.

Wyatt Kaiser committed a costly turnover in his own end, springing Eklund for a breakaway chance in the other direction. Eklund snuck a shot through Knight’s five-hole at 6:57 to get San Jose on the board. 1-1.

The Sharks kept up the pressure and grabbed the lead for the first time at 14:55, with Sherwood blasting a one-timer past Knight from the right circle. Sherwood got lost in coverage between Nick Lardis and Teuvo Teravainen, leading to a wide-open shot. 2-1, San Jose.

The Blackhawks went to the power play for the second time in the game late in the second period and nearly knotted up the score, with a one-timer from Anton Frondell at the right circle ringing off the post. Frondell registered five shot attempts during the two-minute sequence, with each being blasts from the faceoff dot. He’s yet to bury one from that spot, but with his power, it’s coming sometime soon.

San Jose took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission, while the Blackhawks led 20-18 in shots on goal thanks to a late flurry from Frondell. The Sharks were ahead 15-10 in scoring chances at even strength through 40 minutes.

THIRD PERIOD

Smith scored a third straight goal for San Jose, extending the lead to 3-1 at 3:28. Celebrini skated into the offensive zone, bought some time, then shipped the puck down low to Collin Graf. With his back turned away from the play, Graf sent a perfect backhanded pass to set up Smith with an open net. Both Teravainen and Ethan Del Mastro got beat by Smith to the far post.

Nazar cut the Blackhawks’ deficit to 3-2 with a power-play goal at 6:09, clapping a one-timer from the left circle for his 15th goal of the season. With the primary assist, Teravainen extended his point streak to three games.

Nazar had a golden opportunity for his second goal and third point of the game, as he found the puck sitting in the crease with Knight off for the extra attacker. Somehow, his shot from point-blank stayed out of the net, either hitting defenseman Mario Ferraro or a sprawling Alex Nedeljkovic in net for San Jose. Regardless, the puck was deflected wide, and the Blackhawks fell just short of tying the game.

The final horn sounded at SAP Center, sending the Sharks to an emphatic victory, and the Blackhawks to yet another rough loss. They’ll head back to Chicago and look to start the season-ending four-game homestand with a win on Thursday over the Carolina Hurricanes. Probably easier said than done.

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The post Blackhawks Can’t Play Spoiler, Lose 3-2 To Celebrini & Sharks appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now.

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