Morning Chirps: CHL playoffs in full swing, Brossoit back in the NHL

The Chicago Blackhawks have an off day after back-to-back blowout losses. They will close out their four-game road trips tomorrow night at the New Jersey Devils.

Blackhawks Chirps

• We were hoping to see a response from the Blackhawks after Thursday’s stinker in Philadelphia. While the first period was good, they laid another egg in a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers. Check out my postgame thoughts, including how they are missing their former leadership group.

• Ryan Donato’s first season of his new four-year contract has been a disappointment. As Justin Lynch writes, the reasons for his dip in production are crystal clear.

• The Blackhawks signed forward Jiri Felcman to his entry-level contract today. His three-year deal won’t begin until next season. He signed an amateur tryout with the Rockford IceHogs earlier this week and will finish out the season with them once he gets his visa.

• Marek Vanacker and the Brantford Bulldogs opened their Ontario Hockey League first-round series against the Sudbury Wolves. He had the primary assist on Caleb Malhotra’s game-winning goal in a 6-2 victory. Jack Pridham had three assists and seven shots on goal in the Kitchener Rangers’ 6-4 Game 1 win over the Saginaw Spirit.

• In the Western Hockey League, Nathan Behm and the Kamloops Blazers opened their postseason with a 3-0 loss to the Kelowna Rockets.

• On this date in 1944, Doug Bentley scored the first postseason hat trick in Blackhawks history. He added two assists to finish with five points in a 7-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals. He didn’t take very long to score the second hat trick in Blackhawks playoff history, as he scored three more goals just two days later to lead the Blackhawks into the Stanley Cup Final.

• In 1967, Stan Mikita broke his own NHL single-season record by recording his 60th assist of the season in a 7-2 win over the Red Wings. The legendary Gordie Howe assisted on Detroit’s opening goal to become the first player in league history to score 1,500 career points.

• In 2021, Patrick Kane moved past Bob Murray for sixth place on the Blackhawks all-time games played list with 1,009, in a 3-2 loss to the Nashville Predators.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, March 28: Joe Papike, Harry Taylor, Bobby Schmautz, and Colin Blackwell.

NHL Chirps

• TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that, even though the 2026-27 NHL schedule is not yet complete, the regular season will start on Sept. 29 and end on April 10. Of course, the schedule will jump for 82 to 84 games, as per the new CBA.

• Elliotte Friedman reported that Peter Chiarelli is a candidate for the Predators’ general manager position. Shortly after this report surfaced, Darren Dreger announced that Chiarelli was leaving his job as the St. Louis Blues’ VP of Hockey Operations to “pursue other opportunities.” Based on the job he did with the Edmonton Oilers, Blackhawks fans should hope he gets the gig in Nashville.

• The San Jose Sharks recalled Laurent Brossoit after starting goaltender Yaroslav Askarov was injured in Thursday’s game against the Blues. Brossoit allowed six goals on 23 shots to the Ottawa Senators in his only NHL start this season.

• The Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the best stories of the NHL season. They suffered a loss on their blue line in their defeat at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Head coach Rick Bowness announced that defenseman Damon Severson is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. He left the ice, favoring his left shoulder, after a hard hit from Zachary Bolduc.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, March 28: Dennis Owchar, John Anderson, Lou Franceschetti, Mike Allison, Alan Kerr, Jeff Beukeboom, Keith Tkachuk, Erik Rasmussen, Logan Couture, Ondrej Palat, Josh Morrissey, Jonathan Drouin, Jakub Lauko, and Lucas Raymond.