Morning Chirps: Breaking Down Ovechkin’s Goals, More History For Kane

The Chicago Blackhawks are off today after a historic night in the nation’s capital. They will be back in action tomorrow evening when they host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rockford IceHogs had a rough night in Michigan, while two more prospects advanced in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) playoffs.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky with a pair of goals in the Washington Capitals win last night, but we are seeing the young core improve with each passing game. That is far more important than wins and losses right now, and it will eventually equate to more victories.
• My good friend and former NHL video coach Steve Peters broke down both of Ovechkin’s goals. Give Petey a follow and subscribe to Inside the Coaches’ Room. You won’t regret it!

• Jack Pridham and the Kitchener Rangers beat the Flint Firebirds 2-1 to win their first-round series in five games. Pridham didn’t have a point in Game 5 but finished the series with three goals and five points.
• The Windsor Spitfires advanced to the second round after beating the Soo Greyhounds 8-4 in Game 5. AJ Spellacy has missed the last three games due to an undisclosed injury. The Spitfires will meet the Rangers in the second round.
• One of the craziest games in Blackhawks history was played on this date in 1970. The Montreal Canadiens walked into the Chicago Stadium needing a win or tie to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. They still could have sneaked in with a loss if they scored five goals or more. With the Blackhawks up 5-2 in the third period, the Canadiens played nearly the final 10 minutes with their goalie pulled. The Blackhawks scored five empty-net goals to win 10-2 and eliminate Montreal from the playoffs. Remarkably, this marked the only time between the 1948-49 and 1994-95 seasons when the Canadiens did not participate in the postseason.

IceHogs Chirps

• The IceHogs had a rough night, opening their home-and-home series against the Grand Rapids Griffins with an 8-3 loss. Rockford got goals from Dmitry Kuzmin, Gerry Mayhew, and Jalen Luypen. Goaltender Mitchell Weeks was pulled early in the second period after allowing six goals on 13 shots. He was replaced by Nick Grabko, who made his AHL debut. He stopped 17 of the 19 shots he faced. There was no announcement on why Drew Commesso did not travel to Michigan. These two teams will play again tonight in Rockford.

NHL Chirps

• The St. Louis Blues have been the hottest team in the NHL lately, as their 11-game winning streak is reminding people of their run to the Stanley Cup in 2019. However, they suffered a big blow in Thursday’s win over the Penguins. Dylan Holloway sustained a lower-body injury in the first period, and the team announced that he is considered week-to-week. It is unlikely that he will play again in the regular season.
• San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky has been named the head coach of Team USA for the upcoming IIHF World Championships. The tournament will begin May 9 and be played in Denmark and Sweden.
• The Canadiens signed Boston College goaltender Jacob Fowler to a three-year entry-level contract. Marc Dumont of Montreal Hockey Now looked at the impact of Fowler’s deal at both the NHL and AHL levels.
• Patrick Kane netted his 20^th goal of the season in the Detroit Red Wings’ 5-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. He passed Mike Modano for the most 20-goal seasons by a U.S.-born player with 17. Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now says Kane has made a strong case to stay with the Red Wings beyond this season.