Are the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated from playoffs? Sidney Crosby's & Co.'s unfortunate fate sealed after latest loss

Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will miss the playoffs for the third straight year following a 3-1 defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. The loss knocked them out of playoff contention.

The Penguins are eighth in the wild-card standings, 11 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

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The Penguins conclude their season on April 17 against the Washington Capitals. After 16 consecutive playoff appearances, the Pens have experienced a steep decline yet remain optimistic about their future.

As veterans Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin near the end of their careers, the Penguins appear to lack the energy to push the future Hall of Famers toward another Stanley Cup run. The Penguins are 31-35-12 with four games remaining in the season.

How the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Chicago Blackhawks

On Sunday, the Chicago Blackhawks eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins from playoff contention after beating them 3-1 at United Center.

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After a goalless opening period. Frank Nazar opened the scoring for the Blackhawks at 18:55 into the second period.

Ilya Mikheyev extended the Blackhawks' lead at 9:40 into the third period. Rickard Rakell cut the deficit for the Penguins after scoring on the power play at 14:36 into the third, but it was the only goal the victors scored.

"We weren’t even close to the team we were yesterday,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said (via NHL.com). “It was one of those nights we just didn’t seem to have the energy. I didn’t think we did as good a job managing.

"There’s going to be some nights where you don’t have your legs or you don’t have your A game, so to speak, but you have to acknowledge it and manage the game appropriately. I just don’t think we were diligent enough.”

Mikheyev scored his second of the night, making it 3-1 for the Blackhawks on an empty net, snapping their five-game skid in the process.

Mikheyev notched up two points, while Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno accumulated one apiece. Spencer Knight made 28 saves and posted a .966 save percentage on the night.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks meet again on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena.

About the author

Abhishek is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of sports reporting experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He became a fan of ice hockey after watching NHL fight videos on YouTube, which led to him professionally writing about the sport and his continued interest in all things hockey.

A fan of the Boston Bruins, Abhishek considers their incredible comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 playoffs as the most iconic moment in the NHL. His admiration for the six-time Stanley Cup winners also comes from the team’s storied history, distinctive black and gold uniform and their success in the sport. His all-time favorite NHL players are Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, for their ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Abhishek ensures his reporting is fair and balanced by being well-researched in his details, which he expects to be relevant, up-to-date and in line with ethical standards. His specialties are doing detailed match analysis and covering fan reactions.

Abhishek enjoys music, traveling and going on walks with his three German Shepherds in his free time, along with learning about horticulture.

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Edited by Bhargav