Morning Chirps: Another Head Coach Becomes Available, Draft Lottery Date Set

Tuesday was a busy day across the NHL. The Draft Lottery date and Norris Trophy finalists were announced, and a new head coach became available. This all happened before four more incredible Stanley Cup Playoff games went down. It’s time to get you all caught up with our Morning Chirps.

Blackhawks Chirps

• The NHL announced that the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery will be held on Monday, May 5. The lottery will determine the order for the first 16 picks of the opening round. The first of two drawings will choose the first overall pick, with the second drawing for the second overall pick. The Blackhawks have the second-best odds for the first pick at 13.5%.
• Add Rick Tocchet to the list of available head coaches as the Vancouver Canucks announced that he will not return next season. He will draw a ton of interest, especially from the Philadelphia Flyers, where he played for 11 seasons.
• To nobody’s surprise, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the New York Rangers are expected to aggressively pursue former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.  TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that five teams have already inquired about Sullivan.
• On this date in 1945, the Hockey Hall of Fame announced its inaugural induction class, which included former Blackhawks Charlie Gardiner and Howie Morenz.
• On April 30, 1985, Darryl Sutter scored in overtime of Game 6 of the Norris Division Finals to eliminate the Minnesota North Stars. The game-winner was Sutter’s second goal of the night in a 6-5 Blackhawks’ win.
• Five years later, the Blackhawks blasted the St. Louis Blues 8-2 in Game 7 of the Norris Division Finals. Jeremy Roenick scored twice, with Steve Larmer, Denis Savard, Dave Manson, Greg Gilbert, Adam Creighton, and Duane Sutter adding goals.
• On April 30, 1995, Eric Daze scored his first NHL goal in his second game, as the Blackhawks beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-0.
• Finally, in 2013, the Blackhawks began their run to the Stanley Cup by beating the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in overtime of Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Bryan Bickell was the overtime hero after Marian Hossa scored in overtime.

NHL Chirps

• The NHL announced the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, given each year to the league’s best defenseman. Last year’s winner, Quinn Hughes, is a finalist again. He’s joined by Cale Makar, who won in 2022, and first-time finalist Zach Werenski.
• Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman met with the media on Tuesday. Among the topics discussed were his expectations to re-sign Patrick Kane this summer.
• There will be some key players missing from tonight’s Game 5 between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was suspended for two games for his high hit on Brandon Hagel during Game 4. Hagel will not play as the Lightning try to keep their season alive tonight. Niko Mikkola avoided suspension after he was kicked out of Game 4 for boarding Zemgus Girgensons. He was fined $5,000 for his actions.

• It’s officially spring because the Toronto Maple Leafs are making life miserable for their fans. The Ottawa Senators forced a Game 6 back on home ice after a 4-0 win last night. Since 2018, the Maple Leafs are 1-12 in games where they can eliminate their opponent. They will try again on Thursday.

• The Carolina Hurricanes are the first team to advance to the second round after beating the New Jersey Devils 5-4 in double overtime. This series appeared to be heading back to Newark, as the Devils opened up a 3-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game. However, the Hurricanes had different ideas and mounted a huge comeback. Sebastian Aho tied the game at 4-4 midway through the second period before clinching the series four minutes into the second overtime.

• The two Game 5s in the Western Conference did not disappoint. First, the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in overtime to go up 3-2 in the series. Marc-Andre Fleury started the third period after Filip Gustavsson left due to illness, becoming the first NHL goaltender to play in 18 postseasons. Ryan Hartman appeared to give Minnesota the lead with under two minutes left in regulation. The officials reviewed the goal to ensure it wasn’t kicked in and confirmed it wasn’t. However, the Golden Knights challenged the play for being offside, and the goal was removed from the scoreboard. Brett Howden was the hero just over four minutes into the extra time. The Wild will fight for their lives on home ice Thursday night.

• The Edmonton Oilers played their best game of the playoffs in beating the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 for their third straight win of the series. Former Blackhawk Mattias Janmark scored the game-winning goal early in the third period. Edmonton dominated the game, outshooting Los Angeles 46-22. If it wasn’t for Vezina finalist Darcy Kuemper, the Oilers could have easily won 6-1. The Kings will host Game 6 on Thursday.

• Two more Eastern Conference series can end tonight. The Washington Capitals can close out the Montreal Canadiens at 6 p.m., and the Battle of Florida drops the puck at 6:30 p.m. The Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues will play their pivotal Game 5 starting at 8:30 p.m.