Morning Chirps: Commesso Leads IceHogs to Next Round, Crazy NHL Night

The Rockford IceHogs got the last laugh on their in-state rivals as they advanced in the Calder Cup Playoffs. A former Chicago Blackhawks forward is suspended for his playoff game, and we’ll recap an exciting night in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let’s start chirping!

Blackhawks Chirps

• Jack Pridham and the Kitchener Rangers got bombarded 5-1 by the London Knights in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. The Knights scored three goals in the first 6:23 of the game and never looked back. Pridham finished his night as a minus-1 with two shots on goal. The series resumes in London on Sunday.
• On this date in 1992, the Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 6-4 to become the third franchise in NHL history to score 1,000 playoff goals.
• The Blackhawks’ reign as Stanley Cup champions ended on this date in 2011. After Chicago won three straight to force a Game 7, Alexandre Burrows was the hero for the Vancouver Canucks by scoring both goals in 2-1 overtime victory. Jonathan Toews scored a shorthanded goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation to force extra time. Unfortunately, just over five minutes into overtime, Burrows turned a Chris Campoli giveaway into a series-clinching goal.

IceHogs Chirps

• The IceHogs only managed three wins against the Wolves during their 12-game regular-season series, but they saved the wins for when they mattered most. They beat Chicago 5-0 to sweep their best-of-three series and move on to the Central Division Semifinals. Joey Anderson got the IceHogs on the scoreboard less than two minutes after the opening faceoff. The goal at the end of a crazy shift, and the Wolves interrupted the celebration after contact with goaltender Spencer Martin. Dmitry Kuzmin and Nolan Allan had the assists for their first AHL playoff points.

• Less than four minutes later, Zach Sanford found Kevin Korchinski driving to the net for his second goal in as many games.

• Veteran Gerry Mayhew increased the Rockford lead to 3-0 with a breakaway goal early in the second period. Cole Guttman picked up his second assist of the night and third of the series on the play.

• Mayhew scored his second breakaway of the night in the third period, seconds after being released from the penalty box.

• Aku Raty iced the game with a late empty-net goal, assisted by Aidan Thompson and Allan. Drew Commesso made 34 saves for his first postseason shutout. He was the most valuable player of the short series, stopping 66 of the 67 shots he faced. The IceHogs will play the Milwaukee Admirals in a best-of-five series. They went 3-5-2 against the Central Division champions during the regular season.

NHL Chirps

• The NHL Department of Player Safety fined Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins for shooting a puck at Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz during pregame warmup ahead of Game 3. The wrist shot cost Cousins $2,083.33. The Senators were also fined $25,000 for the incident.
• The Tampa Bay Lightning are 0-2 to the Florida Panthers and will be without one of their top players for Game 3. The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended former Blackhawk Brandon Hagel one game for his hit on Aleksander Barkov in Game 2. According to Florida Hockey Now, the Panthers’ captain is questionable for today’s contest, which starts at noon.
• The Carolina Hurricanes are not making friends in the Alexander Nikishin camp. The young defenseman came over from Russia and has yet to sign an NHL contract. Nikishin’s agent said he’ll either return home or request a trade if a deal isn’t made soon.

• Game 3 between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals had something for everyone. A raucous Bell Centre crowd, fights on the bench, and two injured goaltenders were just a small taste of an incredible game. In the end, the Canadiens cut the Capitals’ series lead to 2-1 after a 6-3 victory. Game 4 will be on Sunday at 5:30 pm.

• The New Jersey Devils entered the third period of Game 3 with a 2-0 lead before the Carolina Hurricanes stormed back to force overtime. Simon Nemec was the hero at 2:26 of the second overtime as his goal gave the Devils their first win of the postseason. He is the youngest player in franchise history. New Jersey can even the series with a Game 4 win on Sunday.

• Friday started with a crazy game in Canada, and it ended with another wild affair north of the border. The Edmonton Oilers cut the Los Angeles Kings’ series lead to 2-1 with a 7-4 Game 3 victory. The Oilers blew a 2-0 first-period lead before scoring two goals in 10 seconds late in the third period.