CHICAGO — Alex DeBrincat tied Thursday’s game with 18 seconds left, but the Chicago Blackhawks still lost to the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime at the United Center.
DeBrincat knotted it 3-3 — with assists from Patrick Kane and Wyatt Kaylnuk — but the Panthers’ Sam Bennett scored the game-winner with 52 seconds left in the extra period.
While the Hawks (49 points) aren’t yet eliminated from playoff contention, they couldn’t take advantage of the fifth-place Dallas Stars (54) losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 on Thursday. The fourth-place Nashville Predators (56) are idle until Saturday, when the Hawks also wrap up their season series against the Panthers.
Adam Gaudette put the Hawks on the board in the first period, scoring his first goal since being traded to the Hawks from the Vancouver Canucks on April 12. Gaudette knocked in a rebound off Dylan Strome’s shot.
The Hawks and Panthers traded goals in the second period. Alex Wennberg scored on the Panthers’ first power-play opportunity. About 31/2 minutes later, Vinnie Hinostroza, another trade acquisition, scored against his former team.
Anthony Duclair tied it at 2 when Brandon Montour’s shot bounced off Kevin Lankinen’s leg to Duclair.
Late in the second, Alex DeBrincat and Brandon Hagel nearly cashed in on a two-man shorthanded rush, but DeBrincat was waved off because of a high stick.
Montour put the Panthers ahead in the third when he took a centering pass from Alex Wennberg and fired from the high slot as Aleksi Heponiemi screened Lankinen.
Spencer Knight made 24 saves for the Panthers while Lankinen had 35.
