Morning Chirps: IceHogs, Drew Commesso Stay Hot, Red Wings Lose Again

The Chicago Blackhawks canceled their optional morning skate yesterday but will have a full morning skate later today before taking on the Vancouver Canucks. Be on the lookout for our full game preview this afternoon. Meanwhile, the Rockford IceHogs won their fourth straight game, while the top team in the NHL’s Western Conference suffered a major injury.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Since the Blackhawks had the day off, we will spend our morning checking in on some prospects. It’s been a big week for Sacha Boisvert as he was named to the NCHC All-Rooke Team and was nominated as a finalist for the NCHC Rookie of the Year Award. He ended his freshman regular season with seven goals during his six-game goal streak. The streak was snapped in North Dakota’s NCHC Tournament opener. The Fighting Hawks beat Omaha 3-2 in game one of their best-of-three quarterfinal series.
• Marek Vanacker stayed red hot with another two goals in the Brantford Bulldogs’ 5-1 win over the Sudbury Wolves. The 2024 first-round pick has five goals and 10 points in his last four games. He has 23 goals and 41 points in 42 OHL games.

• Jack Pridham extended his goal streak to three games with a tally in the Kitchener Rangers’ 6-0 blowout of the North Bay Battalion. The 2024 third-round pick is up to 26 goals and 50 points in his 45 games.

• On this date in 1975, Tony Esposito became the second goaltender in NHL history to record six straight 30-win seasons by beating the Minnesota North Stars 5-2.

IceHogs Chirps

• Despite having many of their top players in the NHL, the IceHogs are playing their best hockey of the season of late. Before they took to the ice, they traded defenseman Brandon Baddock to the Toronto Marlies for future considerations. That was Rockford’s only move before the AHL’s trade deadline passed on Friday afternoon.
• On the ice, they beat the Hartford Wolfpack 4-0 to win their season-high fourth-straight game. The IceHogs got goals from Kevin Korchinski and Joey Anderson before getting a pair of strikes from Andreas Athanasiou. Aku Raty, acquired from the Utah Hockey Club last week, recorded an assist in his Rockford debut.

• I’m not saying the acquisition of Spencer Knight has lit a fire under Drew Commesso, but he’s playing the best hockey of his young professional career right now. He made 26 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season and his second in his last four starts. Since returning from an ankle injury on Feb. 28, Commesso is 4-0-0 with a .967 save percentage (SV%). The IceHogs go for five in a row tonight when they host the Grand Rapids Griffins.

NHL Chirps

• Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel told reporters that defenseman Neal Pionk is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. The Jets weren’t affected by his loss Friday night as they beat the Dallas Stars 4-1. Winnipeg still sits atop the NHL with 96 points, two points ahead of the Washington Capitals in the race for the Presidents Trophy. With the win, they extended their lead over the Stars in the Central Division to 10 points.
• Leon Draisaitl scored his fifth overtime goal of the season to beat the New York Islanders 2-1. The goal gave him 100 points on the season and ties him with Sebastian Aho (2024-25), Brad Marchand (2017-18), Alex Galchenyuk (2016-17), Jonathan Toews (2015-16), and Steven Stamkos (2011-12) for the most overtime winners in a single season. Connor McDavid set up Draisaitl’s tally to extend his assist streak to 10 games. This is his 17^th point streak of at least 10 games, the second-most in league history behind Wayne Gretzky’s 31.

• The Detroit Red Wings are playing themselves right out of the playoff race. I know, it’s hard to watch. Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now recapped their 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, their seventh loss in their last eight games. Even with the recent struggles, they are somehow still only two points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
• Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff compiled a list of the top undrafted college free agents heading into the NCAA postseason. It will be interesting to see if the Blackhawks pursue any of these young players.
• On Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights signed goaltender Adin Hill to a six-year, $37 million contract extension. Hannah Kirkell of Vegas Hockey Now discussed the new deal’s future salary cap implications.