The Blackhawks closed out their 2023-24 season on Thursday night in a back-and-forth thriller, falling 5-4 in overtime to the LA Kings in the final contest of the NHL regular-season.
Lukas Reichel put Chicago in front late in the first period before a three-goal middle frame from LA swung the momentum the other way after 40 minutes of play. Tyler Johnson, Joey Anderson and Ryan Donato turned things back around early in the third, each scoring within a five-minute span to give Chicago a 4-3 lead. The Kings, though, leveled the game again on a power-play with 1:21 to play to knot things 4-4, forcing overtime, where Adrian Kempe needed just six seconds of the extra frame to find the winner for the Kings, 5-4.
Chicago finished the season with a 23-53-6 record and will have the second-best odds entering the Draft Lottery ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft in late June.