Blackhawks News: The tank was hurt badly on Tuesday night

The Chicago Blackhawks came into game 81 tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for last place in the National Hockey League. They needed a big loss to stay in last place.

Obviously, the players and coaches don’t want to lose because their jobs could be on the line but everyone else does.

Connor Bedard had 72 regular season goals and 20 points in seven playoff games before his team’s elimination from the playoffs so people think he’s a generational player. The Blackhawks need that guy.

Of course, coming in last place will give them better odds to get him which is what they want. Well, Columbus earned one point to take the lead over the Hawks (in the standings) as they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime.

The Chicago Blackhawks had a very bad win on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.

It looked like the Blackhawks could finally be in last all by themselves again but they decided to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins by a final score of 5-2. That is a heartbreaking result for both sides.

The Pittsburgh Penguins needed those points over this horrible team to make their path to the playoffs easier. Now, it is way more likely that they miss than make it because of the fact that they got nothing from this game.

With the win, the Blackhawks then jumped Columbus by one point. If the season ended today, they’d have the second-best odds at Bedard but the Anaheim Ducks (who also lost on Tuesday) are in play for him too. Columbus has 57 points while both Chicago and Anaheim have 58.

Columbus has two games left on the schedule while both Chicago and Anaheim only have one. It is going to be a photo finish for the first overall pick’s best odds.

Obviously, coming in last doesn’t guarantee anything but it certainly helps. The last four lottery winners were teams that come in dead last. You also can’t pick worse than third overall if you come in 32nd place.

Chicago’s final game of the season comes on Thursday against the Flyers. That game is must lose when it comes to the tank. They also need a little bit of help if they want to finish in last place in the entire league standings.