Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks' disastrous 2017-18 season will not feature a miraculous postseason turnaround at the end.

According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, Chicago was officially eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday thanks to a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. It marks the first time the Blackhawks haven't been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2007-08 campaign.

This is a shocking development on the surface considering Chicago won the Central Division last season at 50-23-9 and captured three Stanley Cups during its span of nine straight trips to the postseason. What's more, many of the mainstays who anchored the recent run of success, such as Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, have remained healthy this season and on the ice.

Still, health was an issue for the Blackhawks, as goaltender Corey Crawford hasn't played since Dec. 23 because of what Paul Skrbina of the Chicago Tribune said "has been reported as a concussion-related ailment."

It is not difficult to envision Chicago competing for playoff positioning had he remained healthy considering he is 16-9-2 on the season.

Veteran forward Marian Hossa was also ruled out for the season before it even started because of a skin disorder and the side effects of the medication he uses to treat it.

Even Chicago's headline-making trade this past offseason came back to bite the team. Artemi Panarin has been a revelation for the Columbus Blue Jackets as they charge toward the playoffs, while Brandon Saad has struggled upon his return to the Blackhawks. According to ESPN.com, Saad is a career-worst minus-eight in plus-minus.

Panarin, meanwhile, notched a hat trick in Columbus' victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday, extending his team's winning streak to nine games. He leads the Blue Jackets in points (68) and assists (43).

Chicago has been an NHL powerhouse for the past decade, but injuries, poor play and personnel moves cost it in 2017-18.

Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly said, "Change needs to be done" in response to the racist taunts fans subjected him to during his team's 7-1 defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks last Saturday.

"I don't really have all the answers, but something needs to change," Smith-Pelly said in an interview with TMZ Sports. "It shouldn't happen anywhere—hockey, baseball, basketball—it shouldn't happen in the world."

While Smith-Pelly was serving a penalty in the third period, a small group of fans in Chicago's United Center started chanting "basketball, basketball, basketball" at the seven-year veteran. He stood up to confront the fans at the glass separating the penalty box from the arena seats.     

Smith-Pelly addressed the taunts a day after the game, saying the fans had "crossed the line" and he had heard that one other time when he was younger.

"It's sad that athletes like myself 30, 40 years ago were standing in the same spot saying the same thing," he told reporters. "You'd think there'd be some sort of change or progression, but we're still working towards it, I guess. And we're going to keep working towards it."

The Capitals shared his full comments:

Not only were the fans in question ejected from the contest, but the Blackhawks also confirmed they'll be banned from attending games going forward.         

The Chicago Blackhawks permanently banned the fans who were ejected from the United Center for directing racist comments toward Washington Capitals right-winger Devante Smith-Pelly during Saturday's game.

Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the news Monday, noting a team spokesperson said, "Racist comments and other inappropriate behavior are not tolerated by the Chicago Blackhawks."

According to ESPN.com, four fans were ejected from the game because of the racist comments.

The Blackhawks apologized to Smith-Pelly and the Capitals when they released a statement following the contest:

The ESPN.com report cited a Capitals spokesperson who said the fans were chanting "basketball, basketball, basketball" at Smith-Pelly.

The forward was upset in the penalty box and expressed his disgust after the game.

"It's disgusting," he said, per ESPN.com. "It's sad that in 2018 we're still talking about the same thing, over and over. It's sad that athletes like myself 30, 40 years ago were standing in the same spot saying the same thing. You'd think there'd be some sort of change or progression but we're still working toward it, I guess, and we're going to keep working toward it."

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement in response to the incident:

"Last night in Chicago, individuals directed racial taunts and abuse at Washington Capitals player Devante Smith-Pelly. The National Hockey League condemns this unacceptable and reprehensible behavior. The League fully supports the actions taken by the United Center and the Blackhawks to eject the offenders and would expect the same response to any similarly unacceptable behavior at any of our arenas.

"While this incident was isolated in nature, no player, coach, official or fan should ever have to endure such abuse at one of our games. The League will take steps to have our clubs remind all stakeholders that they are entitled to enjoy a positive environment—free from unacceptable, inappropriate, disruptive, inconsiderate or unruly behaviors or actions and may not engage in conduct deemed detrimental to that experience."

On the ice, the Blackhawks won the game 7-1 and snapped an eight-game losing streak.

The two teams completed a trade Monday, as Washington announced it acquired defenseman Michael Kempny from Chicago in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2018 draft.

Former Stanley Cup champion and current NBC Sports analyst Eddie Olczyk is recovering from surgery after he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

"I have been diagnosed with a form of colon cancer and am currently undergoing treatment for the disease," Olczyk said in a statement released by the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. "I have been working with outstanding health care professionals and expect to be back in the broadcast booth after I complete my treatment."

Blackhawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry added Olczyk "is recovering well from the procedure and will be undergoing further treatment in the coming weeks, including chemotherapy."

Olczyk, 50, spent 16 years in the NHL after he was selected third overall by the Blackhawks in the 1984 draft. 

By the time Olczyk retired in 2000, he had tallied 794 points on 342 goals and 452 assists. 

Since calling it quits, the 1994 Stanley Cup champion has served as the primary color commentator for NBC Sports' No. 1 hockey booth alongside Doc Emrick. 

Olczyk has also contributed to NBC Sports as a horse racing analyst, making regular appearances on the network's various television platforms during Triple Crown season. 

Patrick Sharp will be returning to the Chicago Blackhawks after two years with the Dallas Stars as the two sides agreed to a deal, the team announced Saturday. 

Per Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, Sharp will likely sign a contract that could include performance bonuses when free agency begins on Saturday. Lazerus added the deal was worth $1 million toward the salary cap.

Sharp has played 10 of his 15 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks. He was traded to Chicago by the Philadelphia Flyers in December 2005 and was part of the franchise's three Stanley Cup victories in 2010, 2013 and 2015. 

During the 2013-14 season, Sharp set career highs with 44 assists and 78 points and his 34 goals matched his second-best single-season output. 

The Blackhawks traded Sharp to the Stars in July 2015 due to salary-cap concerns. The 35-year-old had just 18 points in 48 games last season, his lowest scoring output since his first full season in 2003-04. 

Chicago Blackhawks veteran forward Marian Hossa's career may be in jeopardy because of an allergy to his equipment, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported Wednesday.

Hossa has reportedly been on medication to neutralize the allergy, but doctors have long-term concerns about his health if he continues to take it, which could lead to his retirement.

The Blackhawks later confirmed Hossa will not play next season as he deals with the problem. Hossa issued a statement in the team release, which reads in part:

"Over the course of the last few years, under the supervision of the Blackhawks medical staff, I have been privately undergoing treatment for a progressive skin disorder and the side effects of the medications involved to treat the disorder. Due to the severe side effects associated with those medications, playing hockey is not possible for me during the upcoming 2017-18 season. While I am disappointed that I will not be able to play, I have to consider the severity of my condition and how the treatments have impacted my life both on and off the ice."

Blackhawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry said in the release that the team strongly supports Hossa's decision based on the "dramatic nature of the medications required and their decreasing effectiveness."

With regard to the allergy, an anonymous source told Friedman: "It's only funny to anyone who's never had it."

The 38-year-old Hossa has played 19 NHL seasons, and he is coming off a 2016-17 campaign that saw him register 26 goals and 19 assists for 45 points.

He remains a productive, complementary player for the Blackhawks, and he still has four years remaining on his contract at an annual cap hit of $5.275 million, per NHLNumbers.com.

On his career, Hossa has put up Hall of Fame-worthy numbers, with 525 goals and 609 assists for 1,134 points.

Hossa also has 149 points in 205 career playoff games, has won three Stanley Cups and has played in five NHL All-Star Games.

Chicago Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane potted an empty-net goal with just 41 seconds remaining in Wednesday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The tally made Kane the first Blackhawks player since Brian Noonan in 1991 to record two hat tricks over a three-game span, per ESPN Stats & Info. He scored three of the team's four goals in Wednesday's contest and three of its six last Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes. He added a goal and an assist against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday between the two scoring outbursts, totaling eight points combined over the three-game span.

The 28-year-old winger isn't likely to surpass the career-high 46-goal season he posted in 2015-16, but with 27 goals so far and a maximum of 13 games left, he should surpass his second-highest total of 30 goals from 2009-10. While he doesn't rank among the top forwards in goals this season, Kane does sit second in points (68) thanks to his 41 assists. Only Edmonton Oilers prodigy Connor McDavid has more (72) on the campaign.

Chicago has benefited from Kane's recent surge in scoring, winning five in a row and 10 of its last 11 contests. The stretch has pulled the Blackhawks within three points of the Minnesota Wild for the top spot in the Central Division, though the Wild have two games in hand on them. Chicago hosts the New York Islanders Friday.

Plenty of time remains for the Hawks to retake the top honors in both the division and the Western Conference. Should they move to the top of the standings, it would mark the first time the team has secured the top seed since 2012-13. The Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup each of the last two occasions they ended the regular season with the best record in the West.

Richard Panik produced one of this NHL season's prettiest goals Wednesday night.

With the game tied at 1-1, the Chicago Blackhawks winger deceived Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin with some nifty stick trickery. After shaking off Malkin, he deposited the puck past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for his 17th score of the season.

A between-the-legs juke is typically deployed by NBA players, but Panik borrowed a page from their playbook to fool the three-time first-team All-Star. 

Patrick Kane added a pair of third-period goals for good measure. The Blackhawks extended their winning streak to five with a 4-1 victory.

[Sportsnet Canada]

The Minnesota Wild (35-12-5) are out to prove they are a much different team this season under head coach Bruce Boudreau, who joined them after a fairly successful five-year run with the Anaheim Ducks.

The Wild will be going for their third straight win on Wednesday when they host their divisional nemesis in the Chicago Blackhawks (32-17-5) as home betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.

Prior to last season, Minnesota had been eliminated by Chicago in the playoffs three consecutive years before head coach Mike Yeo was fired after the team lost 13 of 14 during the 2015-16 campaign.

Enter Boudreau, who also saw his Anaheim club fall to the Blackhawks in the 2015 Western Conference Final before he was let go after the Ducks fell to the Nashville Predators in the first round last postseason.

So far, the change has been good for both the Wild and Boudreau, as they have the second-highest goal differential in the league behind only the Washington Capitals.

Minnesota has also won the only meeting this season against Chicago, taking its eighth straight in the regular-season series dating back to 2015, according to the OddsShark NHL Database, with a 3-2 victory at the United Center on January 15. However, it is worth noting the Blackhawks swept the Wild in the second round of the 2015 playoffs.

Lately, Chicago has struggled a bit, but the preseason favorite to win the Western Conference will get an excellent chance to prove itself as the best team in the Central Division over the next five weeks with three meetings versus the Wild during that stretch.

Like their opponent, the Blackhawks have also won two in a row following their second three-game losing streak of the year. They continue their six-game road trip at Minnesota after beating the Arizona Coyotes and Dallas Stars by a combined score of 9-6.

Totals bettors should probably stay away from this matchup considering the past three meetings have all resulted in pushes on five goals. But three of the previous four games between the teams before that all went over the total, averaging 6.5 goals.

The Chicago Blackhawks seem to have ensured one of their most productive pieces will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Blackhawks reportedly inked winger Artemi Panarin to a contract extension Wednesday. The team is expected to announce the deal Thursday, per CSN Chicago's Charlie Roumeliotis.

Bob McKenzie of TSN provided some details on the contract, "it's believed to be a two-year bridge deal in the $6M AAV neighborhood."

Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote Panarin was looking to sign a six- or seven-year deal during the upcoming offseason for more than $6 million or $7 million a year.

Panarin leads the team with 37 points this season in just his second year in the NHL. He won the Calder Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year in 2015-16 behind 77 points (30 goals and 47 assists) and frequently skated alongside Patrick Kane, who won the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP.

Powers said general manager Stan Bowman made it a priority to re-sign the 25-year-old Panarin, especially since Chicago has recently been forced to trade away young pieces such as Brandon Saad, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw because of salary-cap issues.

Bowman commented on his desire to keep Panarin in the Windy City in July, per Powers: "We've done it where we've signed guys in advance, during a season or the end of a season. We want to bring him back and keep him in Chicago. He had a great season [in 2015-16]. Love what he brings to the table. That'll play itself out as we go along here."

Kane, Panarin and Artem Anisimov often work well together when paired on Chicago's second line when the team is fully healthy, which is one reason the Blackhawks sit atop the Central Division standings with 49 points.

Considering Panarin is just 25 and Kane is 28, Chicago will ideally reap the benefits of the pair's offensive prowess for years to come following Wednesday's news.