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Morning Chirps: Foligno & Donato Hit Milestones, Good Salary Cap News

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Nick Foligno #17, Chicago Blackhawks addresses media postgame on Oct. 22

The Chicago Blackhawks have a well-deserved day off today after a big victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. The Rockford IceHogs couldn’t complete their weekend sweep of the Iowa Wild, but it was another big night for prospects outside the organization. There was some good news on the salary cap front ahead of a busy day in the NHL.



Blackhawks Chirps

  • In case you missed it, read how Tyler Bertuzzi and Seth Jones were the heroes against the Golden Knights.
  • Nick Foligno played in his 1200th career game last night. The evening was even more special when his father, Mike, read the starting lineup in the Blackhawks’ locker room. The captain had this to say about the moment:

“That was pretty special, especially on a day like today. It means a lot. He’s not around a lot with his coaching career for long parts of my career, and to have him here tonight with all the other dads, it’s just so special. I’ll remember this one forever and I’m sure he will too.”

  • Ryan Donato recorded his 100th career assist on Taylor Hall’s first-period goal. It was his 12th this season and his 30th with the Blackhawks. His road to 100 assists included 28 with the Seattle Kraken, 21 with the Minnesota Wild, 14 with the San Jose Sharks, and seven with the Boston Bruins. Donato is 10 points shy of 200 in his career.
  • Ryan Greene followed up his two-goal night on Friday by scoring in overtime Saturday as Boston University swept a weekend series from New Hampshire. He has at least one goal in each of the last five games and 10 points during that span.
  • After missing Friday’s game due to illness, Nick Lardis returned to action for the Brantford Bulldogs. He scored two goals and recorded an assist in the 5-3 win. He is second in the Ontario Hockey League with 36 goals, one behind top 2025 draft prospect Michael Misa. His 65 points are fifth in the league. Marek Vanacker scored a goal to increase his point streak to five games. He has four goals and eight points in his last 10 outings.
  • The Minnesota Golden Gophers lost 4-3 in overtime to Notre Dame on Saturday night. In the third period, Oliver Moore had the primary assist on the game-tying goal. The 2022 first-round pick has five goals and 19 points in 24 games this season.

IceHogs Chirps

  • The IceHogs had their two-game winning streak snapped with a 2-1 loss to the Wild last night. Ryan Gagnier had the only Rockford goal, his first of the season and second in his AHL career. Marcel Marcel picked up his fourth assist on the play.
  • The IceHogs remain in the fifth and final playoff spot in the Central Division. They are two points behind the Chicago Wolves for fourth place and three points behind the Milwaukee Admirals.
  • Rockford is back in action on Wednesday with a big game in Milwaukee. They will return home on Saturday to host the first-place Grand Rapids Griffins.

NHL Chirps

  • NHL players were notified on Saturday that escrow payments had been canceled for the rest of the season. This is a good indicator that the salary will not only go up but increase faster than originally expected. Hannah Kirkell gives a great escrow refresher course over at Vegas Hockey Now.
  • The biggest story in recent weeks has been the drama with the Vancouver Canucks with their stars J.T. Miller and Elias Petterson. Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic reported the Canucks have had a lot of talks with other teams about Miller but have yet to ask him to waive his no-movement clause. Miller was in the lineup on Saturday and picked up two assists in a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. The game ended with a ton of fireworks, including Connor McDavid cross-checking Connor Garland in the head.
  • Staying in Vancouver, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reported that Brock Boeser and the Canucks have not made any progress in contract extension negotiations. Even though he’s having a down season, if he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, the Blackhawks should do everything they can to bring him to Chicago.
  • Cale Makar scored twice to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars. He became the fastest active defenseman to reach 100 career goals.  
  • The Ottawa Senators scored twice in the final three minutes of regulation before beating the Boston Bruins 6-5 in a shootout. The victory puts them ahead of the Bruins for the second Wild Card spot and three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division. After the game, they got some great news, as it was revealed that goaltender Linus Ullmark will join the team on their upcoming road trip. There is still no timeline for his return.
  • Sidney Crosby picked up career assist 1,041 in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. This put him ahead of Marcel Dionne for 10th all-time in league history. He is eight assists away from catching the legendary Gordie Howe.