Morning Chirps: Frondell injured at Worlds, Pridham shines in Memorial Cup opener

The Chicago Blackhawks lone prospect still playing in the CHL had a big night to open their most prestigious tournament. Meanwhile, the Conference Finals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs still belong to the underdogs.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Frank Seravalli recently released his first list of NHL trade targets for the offseason, and I took a look at which players could make sense for the Blackhawks.

• Anton Frondell went from being Sweden’s 13th forward to their third line against Italy. He didn’t have a point in the 3-0 victory and left with an injury. Late in the game, he got his left hand caught in the door on Italy’s bench. He didn’t return after this, but it was late, and Sweden was up three goals. There was no update on his condition after the game.

• Other World Championship action on Friday saw Germany beat Hungary 6-2, Canada prevailing over Slovenia 3-1, and Finland blanking Great Britain 4-0.

• The Kitchener Rangers rolled over the Kelowna Rockets 5-0 in the opening game of the Memorial Cup. Jack Pridham was named the First Star of the Game for his goal and assist. They are off until Monday when they play the Western Hockey League champions, Everett Silvertips.

• On this date in 1968, the Blackhawks traded Hall of Fame defenseman Pierre Pilote to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Jim Pappin. Pilote played one season with the Maple Leafs before retiring, while Pappin became a valuable player in Chicago. He had four seasons of at least 30 goals, including a career-high 41 in 1972-73. He scored 216 goals and 444 points in 488 games with the Blackhawks.

• In 1995, the Blackhawks beat the Vancouver Canucks 2-0 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Jim Cummings scored the game-winning goal in the first period, and Patrick Poulin added an insurance goal in the final stanza. Ed Belfour made 17 saves to earn the shutout.

• In 2010, the Blackhawks completed their sweep of the San Jose Sharks with a 4-2 win, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1992. The Sharks jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Brent Seabrook and Dave Bolland evened things up heading into the second intermission. Dustin Byfuglien scored his third game-winning goal of the series with less than six minutes to go. Kris Versteeg iced the Western Conference championship with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

• In 2013, former Blackhawk Dan Cleary scored while Jimmy Howard made 28 saves in the Detroit Red Wings' 2-0 victory. The win gave the Red Wings a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Final.

• In 2015, the Blackhawks evened up the Western Conference Final at 2-2 by beating the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 in double overtime. Antoine Vermette, who was a healthy scratch in Game 3, was the overtime hero as he evened the series 2-2. Brandon Saad assisted on two of the three third-period goals after scoring the game’s opening goal. The Blackhawks became the first team in NHL history to win four overtime games in the same Stanley Cup playoff.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, May 23: Vic Stasiuk and Brian Campbell.

NHL Chirps

• The Vegas Golden Knights don’t care that most of the hockey world picked against them. They swept both games in Denver to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. Ross Colton put the Colorado Avalanche up 1-0 late in the first period, and that lead held until Jack Eichel tied the game midway through the third period. Two minutes later, Eichel set up Ivan Barbashev’s game-winning goal. Barbashev iced the game with a late empty-netter. He also had an assist on Eichel’s goal to finish with three points. Cale Makar missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

• Now that the Grand Rapids Griffins have been eliminated from the Calder Cup Playoffs by the Chicago Wolves, Red Wings prospect Michael Brandseeg-Nygard will be added to Norway’s roster at the World Championship.

• Elliotte Friedman reported that Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro is likely going to hit the free agent market on July 1. He could be a potential target for the Blackhawks, but I’m a little wary of a guy the defense-starved Sharks don’t want to bring back.

• Michael Russo says the Minnesota Wild “badly want to re-sign” center Michael McCarron. He fit in well after being acquired from the Nashville Predators. He’s exactly what the Blackhawks need in their bottom six: a big physical presence who can score a big goal.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, May 23: Bryan Hextall, Tom Rowe, Dave Babych, Gary Roberts, Curtis McElhinney, Esa Lindell, Jansen Harkins, and Ty Emberson.

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