The Chicago Blackhawks fell to the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in a tight affair. Connor Bedard clinched his first point-per-game season in the loss.

Nick Lardis scored the Chicago Blackhawks lone goal in the loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy played in their first game against their former team since being traded last month. 

Andre Burakovsky: Tank Commander 

It’s safe to say this stretch of hockey has been rough for Andre Burakovsky. Since suffering an injury in late November, Burakovsky hasn’t been the same player. From the start of the season until his injury, Burakovsky had seven goals and 10 assists in 20 games. Since the injury its been completely different, only four goals and 11 assists in 50 games played. At one point, the veteran went nearly 30 games without a goal while playing on the Blackhawks’ top line.

On top of the lack of offensive play, Burakovsky hasn’t helped his team with turnovers. On Thursday, on Edmonton’s first goal, Burakovsky had the puck stripped right off his stick.  

The rough play was too much even for head coach Jeff Blashill, who said, “He’s just not feeling himself right now.” 

Story continues below.

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Burakovsky was demoted to line four in the third period of Thursday’s game. 

Familiar Faces

At the 2026 NHL trade deadline, the Chicago Blackhawks let go of two very valuable players, longtime Blackhawk Connor Murphy and defensive wizard Jason Dickinson. Throughout the game, the former Blackhawks and current Hawks were going at each other, but the Oilers were able to get the upper hand.

The most poetic moment of the night came on the empty net goal. Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson combined for the first and secondary assists on Vasily Podkolzin’s game sealer.  

Nick Lardis

The Good

With the Chicago Blackhawks down by one in the third, Teuvo Teravainen was moved up to join the line of Nick Lardis and Connor Bedard to generate some offense. The good news is that it worked. Teravainen found Connor Bedard at the point, who fired a heavy wrister on net. A mad scramble for the puck ensued, and Nick Lardis bounced the puck off of his former teammate Connor Murphy’s skate and into the net. Since being moved to the top 6, Lardis has been on fire. Over his past seven games played, Lardis has four goals and two assists. Those totals tie him with Tyler Bertuzzi for most by a Chicago Blackhawk in that stretch. 

The Bad

Despite the goal, the games wouldn’t end all peaches and cream for the rookie. With time ticking down in the game, Teuvo Teravainen launched a shot from the point. The slap shot went straight into Lardis’ left hand, leaving him shaken and forcing him to leave the game. Later, Teravainen said, “I feel bad he (Lardis) got a goal, and then he got a puck, but yeah, I feel bad about that.”

After the game, head coach Jeff Blashill was asked to provide a timeline for Lardis and responded in a conflicted manner, but gave his final word on the matter, saying:

“We’ll see tomorrow, let’s wait until tomorrow and see where he’s at.”

Year 8

Let’s make something clear before I continue this segment. No, I do not count the “Bubble Playoffs” as making the playoffs for the Chicago Blackhawks. They were the 12 seed and were one game away from being eliminated from playoff contention. Now that we have this topic out of the way, let’s continue.

With the Chicago Blackhawks playoff elimination tonight, the team has now once again missed the playoffs. The last time the team made the playoffs (outside the non-existent bubble year) was in 2017. The eight-seeded Nashville Predators steamrolled the one-seeded Blackhawks in a blowout. The last time they won a playoff series was 2015, when they won the Stanley Cup. 

The fanbase is impatient, a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. With the chances officially washed this season, general manager Kyle Davidson is now heading into year five of his “Five-Year Plan.” Between a projected high pick in the draft and the Blackhawks having tens of millions in cap space to play around with, moves must be made soon. 

On tap for the Chicago Blackhawks is a matchup against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Grab your coffee as a 9 p.m. CT puck drop is on the horizon Saturday Night.