Morning Chirps: Artyom Levshunov Getting Hot, 4 Nations Rematch Set

The Chicago Blackhawks will be back on the practice ice this afternoon as they begin preparations for Saturday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The championship game at the 4 Nations Face-off is set, and the Rockford IceHogs have gone streaking.

Blackhawks Chirps

• We concluded our trip around the prospect world by stopping in Europe to check in on Ilya Safonov, Roman Kantserov, and Jiri Felcman.
• Nick Lardis scored a goal in his 16^th straight game to hit 57 on the season. He has 25 goals during his streak. The 2023 second-round pick wasn’t done there, as he added four assists. The Brantford Bulldogs clinched an OHL playoff spot with their 8-6 win over the Soo Greyhounds.

• Jack Pridham scored his 19^th goal of the season in the Kitchener Rangers’ 5-3 loss to the Peterborough Petes on Monday. Be sure to check out the OHL Prospect Check-In to get caught up on all the draft picks playing in Ontario.
• Teuvo Teravainen was a healthy scratch for Finland’s 5-3 loss to Canada at the 4 Nations Face-off. We’ll see if he participates in today’s Blackhawks practice or if he’s given another day off.

IceHogs Chirps

• The IceHogs extended their winning streak to three games by beating the Iowa Wild 4-2 last night. Rockford had a balanced attack with goals coming from Andreas Athanasiou (just 23 seconds into the game), Samuel Savoie, Zach Sanford (shorthanded penalty shot), and Brandon Baddock. Sanford added two assists for his second three-point game in the last three games.

• Arytom Levshunov had the primary assists on the opening two goals. The second overall pick of last summer’s draft is starting to find his offensive game. He has two goals and eight points in his last eight games. It sure looks like the league is slowing down for him, and he’s playing with more confidence than he has at any point in the season.

4 Nations Chirp

• Canada punched their ticket to the 4 Nations Face-off yesterday with their win over Finland. Things got interesting after they had a 4-0 lead heading into the third period, but they held on for the 5-3 win. Cale Makar, who missed Saturday’s game against Team USA, was back in the Canadian lineup.

• Team USA lost 2-1 to Sweden, but their growing injury list was the story of the night. Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, and Charlie McAvoy missed the game with minor injuries. They played with only 10 forwards for most of the game after Brady Tkachuk injured himself crashing into the goalpost. He returned for one quick shift before calling it a night. Team USA gets two days off before the rematch with Canada, so hopefully, they will have their full lineup ready to go.

• A late report by Jim McBride of the Boston Globe says McAvoy was admitted to Mass General Hospital as he deals with an upper-body injury.

NHL Chirps

• Ansar Khan of MLive doesn’t think the Detroit Red Wings will be sellers at the trade deadline. However, if a “hockey trade” of a roster player for another roster player comes up, they could do something along those lines. Khan added that he doesn’t see any way the Red Wings could trade Vladimir Tarasenko without salary retention or attaching a draft pick or prospect for a team to take on his entire cap hit.  
• Aarif Dean of Colorado Hockey Now pondered how aggressive the Colorado Avalanche should be before the trade deadline. The Avalanche’s depth forwards, like Casey Middlestadt, Ross Colton, Miles Wood, and Jack Drury, have struggled to produce consistently.
• Could New York Islanders captain Brock Nelson be coming to the Central Division? Russ Macias of NYI Hockey Now explains why the Winnipeg Jets might be the perfect fit for Nelson.
• Hannah Kirkell of Vegas Hockey Now gave us three ways the Vegas Golden Knights could temporarily replace defenseman Shea Theodore after he suffered an injury in the opening game of the 4 Nations Face-off.