Watching regular season hockey games in May feels about as weird as playing postseason games in August. But that whole pandemic thing isn’t over yet, so here we are on the first day of the fifth month of the calendar with the Blackhawks at home again facing the Panthers at the United Center on Saturday night for the final matchup between these two teams in the 2021 season.
The short-term picture for each team is clear, with the Panthers already assured a playoff spot and the Blackhawks all but mathematically eliminated. Despite those differences, the teams still combined for some decent entertainment on Thursday night, as a late goal from Alex DeBrincat forced an overtime session that Florida won thanks to a goal from Sam Bennett to secure a 4-3 victory.