Morning Chirps: No Handshakes in Rockford, A New Name in Utah

The Rockford IceHogs will need at least one more game to advance to the Central Division Semifinals. Meanwhile, we have some updates on some potential candidates for the Chicago Blackhawks head coaching job. We’ll also update you on an exciting night in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let’s get to chirping!

Blackhawks Chirps

• Our Blackhawks Head Coaching Tracker has new updates on Brad Shaw and Rick Tocchet. The Blackhawks are keeping their search under wraps, but we’ll keep fishing for updates.
• Speaking of Tocchet, he and former Blackhawks forward Pat Maroon will join the TNT studio crew during their Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage.

• On this date in 1973, the Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens played the highest-scoring Stanley Cup Final game in NHL history. The Blackhawks won a wild affair 8-7, despite Hall of Famers Tony Esposito and Ken Dryden in their respective creases. Stan Mikita was the top dog with two goals and four points. The 15 combined goals remain the most scored in a Stanley Cup Final game.
• On May 8, 1992, Ed Belfour recorded his first postseason shutout with a 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 4 of the Norris Division Finals. Brent Sutter scored at 18:26 of the third period to complete the sweep of Detroit and get the Blackhawks into the Campbell Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers.
• Four years later, Belfour made 54 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Joe Sakic scored at 4:33 of the third overtime to even the series at 2-2.
• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, May 8: Herb Gardiner, John Mariucci, Cully Simon, Jack Price, and Casey Hankinson.

IceHogs Chirps

• Before the IceHogs dropped the puck, I wrote about three Blackhawks prospects who have raised their level of play since the Calder Cup Playoffs began.
• Game 3 didn’t go well for the IceHogs as the Milwaukee Admirals staved off elimination with a 6-2 win. Keifer Bellows was the offensive hero with a hat trick and four points for the visitors. The Admirals jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the IceHogs got on the board with a Zach Sanford shorthanded goal. Samuel Savoie scored for the second straight game early in the third period, but that was as close as Rockford could get. The wild and physical game featured 80 combined penalty minutes, including five misconducts. Aryton Levshunov was called for an illegal check to the head, so we’ll see if a suspension is coming.

• The IceHogs are 2-0 in the series when I’m in the building, and 0-1 when I’m not. Never fear! I will head to Rockford on Friday to cover Game 4 as the IceHogs look to close out the series and avoid returning to Milwaukee.

NHL Chirps

• The Utah Hockey Club is no more; long live the Utah Mammoth. I personally like the logo. It’s like the Nashville Predators logo of the Nashville Predators logo was good.

• The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford ponders if Jordan Kyrou fits into the long-term plans for the St. Louis Blues. His full no-trade clause kicks in on July 1, so if they want to trade him, it must happen soon. The 26-year-old forward has at least 31 goals in each of the last three seasons. If the Blues want to move on from Kyrou, they can send him north on I-55 to Chicago!
• Speaking of guys who would look good in a Blackhawks uniform, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post wonders if the Avalanche might trade Martin Necas this summer. Trading Necas would be an awful look, as he was the centerpiece of the Mikko Rantanen trade in January.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs were without goaltender Anthony Stolarz for Game 2 against the Florida Panthers. That didn’t matter as Joseph Woll was up to the task by making 17 saves in a 4-3 Maple Leafs win. Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled at the other end of the rink. He’s allowed nine goals on 50 shots in the series. If the Panthers only had a young and upcoming goalie to come in!

• The Dallas Stars look like geniuses for acquiring Rantanen from the Hurricanes at the trade deadline. He became the first player since Jari Kurri in 1985 to score a hat trick in consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff games. Rantanen scored all three goals in a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of the Second Round series. He has set an NHL postseason record for factoring on 12 straight Dallas goals.

• Tonight’s playoff schedule includes a pair of Game 2s: Hurricanes at Capitals (6 p.m.) and Oilers at Golden Knights (8:30 p.m.)