After the Blackhawks’ 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, fans of the Blue Jackets, Ducks, Islanders, and Panthers rejoiced.

Fans in Chicago, however, did not.

The Setup

Earlier in the evening, the Columbus Blue Jackets took the Flyers into overtime, giving them an extra point in the standings and breaking a tie at the bottom with Chicago. All the Blackhawks had to do to hold on to it was to lose against the Penguins that night, then again in their own matchup against Philadelphia on Thursday.

And… It’s Gone

That “lead” didn’t even last an hour. After the Penguins scored in the third period to even the score at 1-1, Chicago didn’t look back, ending the game at 5-2. Pittsburgh didn’t do itself any favors, as it came into the game in control of its own destiny. Instead of getting closer to slamming the door on the Islanders and Panthers, they left the arena trailing both teams in the playoff race. The loss secured Florida a playoff berth, so now the Pens need some help from New York in order to sneak in.

Standings Update

On the opposite end of the standings, the Blackhawks fell to third in the projected lottery odds for the 2023 NHL Draft after having an opportunity to take the lead with just one game to go. The win gives them 58 points, tied with the Ducks, who lost to the Canucks Tuesday night, and one point above the Blue Jackets. Chicago also wins a potential tiebreaker over Anaheim if it comes down to it, so their chances quickly became slim.

Possible Redemption?

Any potential route to the bottom of the standings starts Thursday in the United Center when the Blackhawks take on the Flyers. Fans in Chicago will undoubtedly be watching the scoreboard for the results of the Blue Jackets and Ducks’ games while rooting for a loss from their own team. If everything goes perfectly for the Blackhawks’ race to the bottom, they can root for Columbus on Friday, the official final day of the NHL regular season, when they face the Buffalo Sabres.

Lottery Odds

If the season were to end today, the Blackhawks would have an 11.5% chance at the first overall pick, and the same odds for the second pick. Their highest odds, as the third-worst team, would be for the fourth pick, with a 40.7% chance. While the pick would still be helpful in jumpstarting their rebuild with either Leo Carlsson or Matvei Michkov (despite the delay Michkov would face in coming to Chicago), Tuesday’s win opens up the possibility of picking fifth, where there would be a significant drop in perceived value.

No matter how you look at it, the Blackhawks blew what might be their only chance at having the highest lottery odds of getting the first overall pick in the final week of the regular season. The “battle for Bedard” might be out of their hands with just a few days left. Despite having plenty of opportunities to secure the first overall pick, Chicago finds itself on the outside looking in.