Morning Chirps: David Carle Extended, Scary Night For Anthony Stolarz

It was a busy night across the NHL with the Draft Lottery and the start of the Second Round. There was even some news from the American Hockey League that will affect the next Rockford IceHogs playoff game. Let’s get to all the news with your Morning Chirps!

Blackhawks Chirps

• The Chicago Blackhawks will have the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. This draft differs from the past couple of years as there is no consensus No. 1 pick. There will be plenty of mystery before the Blackhawks are on the clock on June 27. I started the debate and speculation by looking at the top five prospects heading into the draft.
• David Carle used some NHL inquiries to his advantage and signed a multi-year contract extension with the University of Denver. He’s built quite the college empire in Denver with four Frozen Four appearances and two National Championships since taking over in 2018.
• On this date in 1971, the Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final by beating the Montreal Canadiens 5-3. Lou Angotti was the hero with a pair of third-period goals. He had two assists earlier in the game to finish with four points.
• Two years later, the Canadiens beat the Blackhawks 4-0 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Goaltender Ken Dryden made 19 saves to earn the first of 10 playoff shutouts in his Hall of Fame career.
• On May 6, 1982, the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history by beating the Blackhawks 6-2 in Game 6 of the Campbell Conference Finals.
• Sergei Krivokrasov scored the biggest goal of his career on this date in 1996. He struck 46 seconds into overtime to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Blackhawks erased a 3-1 deficit with goals by Joe Murphy and Jeremy Roenick. The Blackhawks took a 2-1 series lead with the win, but it would prove to be their final one of the season.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call: Jack Stewart, Harry Watson, Keith Brown, Bob Bassen, and Anton Babchuk.

IceHogs Chirps

• The Milwaukee Admirals will be without defenseman Jake Livingston for tomorrow night’s Game 3 against the IceHogs. The AHL suspended him one game for his knee-on-knee hit on Zach Sanford. Livingston had seven goals and 16 points during the regular season.
• The Texas Stars are in the same position as the IceHogs: heading home with a 2-0 series lead. They beat the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-2 in Game 2 for their second straight road win. Their first of three chances to clinch the series on home ice is on Friday night.

NHL Chirps

• The NHL announced the three finalists for the Calder Trophy: Canadiens defenseman Lane Hudson, San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini, and Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf.
• According to his agent Alan Walsh, Marc-Andre Fleury will play for Canada at the World Championships.
• The Los Angeles Kings and general manager Rob Blake mutually agreed to part ways on Monday.
• The Nashville Predators will not join the list of teams looking for a new head coach, as general manager Barry Trotz confirmed that Andrew Brunette will return next season.
• Russ Macias of NYI Hockey Now gave his thoughts on who the Islanders might take with the first overall pick.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs took a 1-0 lead in their Second Round series with the Florida Panthers. In typical Maple Leafs fashion, they took a 4-1 lead into the third period, but had to sweat out a 5-4 victory. Former Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones scored a power-play goal in the loss.

• The game’s biggest story is the health of Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz. He left the game midway through the second period after two hits to the head. The first came on a shot from Sam Reinhart in the first period, and the second was contact with Sam Bennett’s arm in the second period. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube called it a clear elbow from Bennett. Stolarz was seen throwing up on the bench during a television timeout before he was removed. TSN’s Chris Johnston reported that Stolarz left the arena on a stretcher and was being evaluated at a local hospital. If you go by what Dr. Chris Nowinski said, a neuroscientist and concussion expert, he showed signs of a concussion after taking the shot to the mask in the first period.

• The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue tonight with the series-openers between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes (6 p.m.) and the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers (8:30 p.m.).