The Golden Knights had a chance to win it in the extra period, but Kevin Lankinen made the save to give the Hawks a 4-3 victory. (0:42)
Vegas will miss the NHL playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
The Golden Knights were eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Chicago.
To stay alive, Vegas would have had to defeat the Hawks and the Stars would have had to lose to Arizona. The Stars and Golden Knights played each other on Tuesday, where a Dallas win would have eliminated Vegas. Vegas led Dallas twice in that game, but eventually fell in a shootout.
It cliched the Vegas loss to Arizona with the magic number being one point.
The Western Conference's final playoff spot has been secured by the Stars. The seeding will be determined this week.
I am surprised. I am disappointed. Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said he was at the front of the line for responsibility. It isn't an easy thing and it doesn't feel good for anyone right now.
This is a wasted season for the Golden Knights. In each of the past four seasons, the expansion club made the playoffs and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
It looked like Vegas could be a contender again. In February, the Golden Knights were a top 10 club in the league with a 28-16-3 record and hadn't suffered a regulation loss in over two months.
Mark Stone, the captain, was injured and would not return until April. Stone's move to long-term injured reserve allowed Vegas to get Jack Eichel back after he had back surgery.
The Golden Knights made a blockbuster trade with Buffalo in November to get Eichel and put them over the top. After failing to make the playoffs in his career with the Sabres, joining Vegas meant a chance to finally make it.
In 33 games, he has collected 12 goals and 22 points. The Golden Knights had other issues that caught up to them.
Key injuries to Stone and others took their toll. Stone was pointless in his first six games after rejoining the lineup on April 12. After battling shoulder and leg injuries, Lehner had to have season-ending surgery.
On paper, what can anyone say we are missing? Everyone knows that hard work beats talent on paper and chemistry is the most important thing on and off the ice.
Vegas' playoff future then rested on rookies, with the best among rookies with at least 10 starts, and a 14-9-5 record, which included a.917 save percentage.
Thompson was left out to dry repeatedly of late because Vegas couldn't overcome its own defensive deficiencies. The Golden Knights led twice at 3-1 and 4-2 but fell apart down the stretch and lost in a shootout.
Vegas lacked consistency when it was needed the most.
There will be a lot of time for reflection as the team struggles.
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