CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Saturday at the United Center with a smattering of fans in attendance.
The Hawks increased the number of team-invited guests and had them sitting in the lower section of the stands (opposite the benches), which were empty earlier this season. They’re hoping to accommodate about 20% capacity May 9-10 against the Dallas Stars, which would be about 4,000 fans.
The Hawks rallied a couple of times Saturday but couldn’t pull off the comeback.
While the Hawks remained at 50 points, the fourth-place Nashville Predators beat the Dallas Stars 1-0 in overtime to move up to 58 points. The Hawks have five games remaining in the regular season.
There was the a 2-minute span in the second period in which back-to-back goals from Connor Murphy and Alex DeBrincat tied the score 2-2.
Then in the third, Kirby Dach scored on the a power play and Dominik Kubalik scored with 18 seconds left, assisted by Patrick Kane and DeBrincat. But time ran out on the rally — Dylan Strome’s blocked shot was the last attempt by a Hawk to tie it.
The Hawks were undermined by coverage breakdowns. The Panthers ripped off three goals in 1:06 between the end of the second period and beginning of the third.
Aleksander Barkov worked a 2-on-1 with Gustav Forsling and roofed it back-door over a sprawling Kevin Lankinen with 7 seven seconds left in the second. Then the Panthers scored twice in the first 59 seconds of the third, first on Anthony Duclair’s second goal of the game that came 28 seconds in and then on Owen Tippett’s short-range slapper set up from Sam Bennett’s feed from the goal line.
At least the Hawks went 2-for-3 on the power play. Murphy scored his third goal of the season in the second, and Dach flushed Philipp Kurashev’s midair feed.
Sergei Bobrovsky had 31 saves and Lankinen made 37.
Adam Gaudette had two assists.
