Penguins are officially eliminated from playoff contention with loss to Blackhawks

Matt Vensel, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Apr 6, 2025

Published in Hockey

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are officially eliminated from playoff contention after they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-1, at the United Center in Chicago on Sunday night.

Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight stopped 28 of 29 shots to make it three years in a row without postseason hockey for Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, though mathematically speaking the team has been drawing dead for a couple of weeks.

The first period was fast-paced with few whistles, but neither team put one on the board. Alex Nedeljkovic, making his first start in 16 days, turned aside a few good looks to keep the game scoreless, including Landon Slaggert’s partial breakaway.

It was more of the same in the second period. The turning point came on the first power play of the game. Moments after Rickard Rakell got robbed by Knight, the Blackhawks scored shorthanded to go up, 1-0. Erik Karlsson tried to keep the puck in, failed and could not get back to prevent Frank Nazar from scoring on a 2-on-1.

It was just the fifth shorty Pittsburgh gave up this season and first since March 1.

The Penguins pushed for the equalizer in the third period but Knight foiled them. They then watched Ilya Mikheyev make it 2-0 with 10:20 remaining in the game.

Rakell spoiled the shutout bid with a power-play goal with 5:24 left. Rookie winger Ville Koivunen made a nice pass from the flank to set that scoring play in motion.

After Bryan Rust was stopped on the door step by Knight with Nedeljkovic on the bench for an extra attacker, Mikheyev put the game away with an empty-net goal.

Around the boards

— Crosby’s point streak is over after 12 games. It was the longest active point streak in the NHL and tied for the longest in league history by a player 37 or older.

— Sunday was just Nedeljkovic’s second start since March 7. He was solid in the loss, making 28 saves. Tristan Jarry got the nod in 11 of Pittsburgh’s previous 12 games.

— Blake Lizotte had a goal waved off in the second period because he played the puck with a high stick. Had it counted, that would have been his career-best 12th goal.

— Philip Tomasino missed the game due to an upper-body injury. The Penguin said the winger, who suited up Saturday in Dallas, was still being evaluated on Sunday.

— Tommy Novak, initially labeled as day to day, still has not played since March 9. He was scratched again Sunday, along with Tomasino and Vladislav Kolyachonok.

Coming up next

After a day off, the Penguins will host these Blackhawks in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

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