The San Jose Sharks will once again not be a part of the NHL’s postseason.
The Sharks got third-period goals from Rudolfs Balcers and Jaycob Megna to erase a two-goal deficit but could not score in the shootout in what became a 5-4 loss to the host Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.
The Blackhawks got goals from Patrick Kane, Taylor Raddysh, Calvin de Haan, and Dylan Strome, with Strome’s goal at the 4:07 mark of the third period giving Chicago a 4-2 lead.
But Balcers scored his ninth of the season at the 5:40 mark and Megna, playing in his hometown, added his second of the season with 4:25 left in regulation time to tie the game.
But the Sharks could not beat Hawks goalie Kevin Lankinen in three shootout tries, and Alex DeBrincat beat James Reimer as San Jose was officially eliminated from playoff contention.
For San Jose, Timo Meier and Scott Reedy also scored, and Reimer made 28 saves, as the Sharks (29-33-11), now with nine games left in the regular season, can reach a maximum of 87 points.
The Dallas Stars, the Western Conference’s second wild-card team, and the Los Angeles Kings, in third place in the Pacific Division, entered Thursday with 88 points.
It’s the first time in the Sharks’ 30-season history that they’ve missed the playoffs in three consecutive years.
The Sharks have now lost eight straight games, a streak that began with a 5-2 defeat in Arizona. Lankinen made 33 saves for Chicago, which snapped its own eight-game losing streak.
Four of the Sharks’ eight losses on the streak have been by one goal.
The Sharks played most of the first period without winger Alexander Barabanov, who was injured with just over 13 minutes to go on a hit by Blackhawks defenseman Riley Stillman.
As the puck was sent behind the Blackhawks’ net, Stillman hit Barabanov along the sideboards. Barabanov got up and immediately skated toward the Sharks’ bench, and was later replaced on San Jose’s top line with Meier and Tomas Hertl by Matt Nieto.
The hit on Barabanov resulted in a fight between Stillman and Jeffrey Viel. Viel went up to Stillman later in the period and the two had a spirited tilt.
The Sharks, though, did lose Radim Simek to an unknown injury late in the first period after he hit Philipp Kurashev. Coach Bob Boughner dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the game. The healthy scratches were forward Jonathan Dahlen and defenseman Ryan Merkley.
The Sharks finished the COVID-19 pandemic-abbreviated 2019-2020 season with a 29-36-5 record, placing them in 15th and last place in the Western Conference.
Last season, when NHL teams played strictly within adjusted divisions, the Sharks finished tied for sixth in the West Division with a 21-28-7 record, which was 25th-best in the then 31-team NHL.
