Morning Chirps: Frondell looks good heading into WJC, Fleury return talk

Merry Christmas Eve! While the Chicago Blackhawks didn’t leave any presents under our tree last night, there are still plenty of reasons to be festive. Get caught up on the final night of NHL hockey for the next three days while you wrap your presents and sip your eggnog.

Blackhawks Chirps

• The Blackhawks were hoping for some holiday cheer last night, but instead they got coal in their stockings. Check out my late-night thoughts from the 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

• After the game, I hung out with my pals Jay and Chole on the CHGO Blackhawks Postgame Show to break down the Blackhawks’ sixth loss in a row.

• Rockford IceHogs captain Brett Seney will represent Canada at the Spengler Cup for the second straight year. He will be joined by teammate and Blackhawks prospect, defenseman Nolan Allen. The tournament takes place in Switzerland Dec. 26-31, so they will miss the next three IceHogs games.

• Staying in Rockford, the next time you go to the BMO Center, you’ll notice the new digital dasher boards around the rink. Just in time for the AHL All-Star Classic in February!

• Anton Frondell scored a pair of goals in Sweden’s 7-3 pre-tournament win over Switzerland. I think the Blackhawks’ top prospect is going to have a huge tournament. After spending the season playing against professionals in the Swedish Hockey League, he is going to feed on players his own age and younger.

• Team USA knocked off Finland 3-1 in their final pre-tournament tune-up. A.J. Spellacy was in the lineup but did not factor in any of the scoring. We should get word today on whether he made the final roster for the World Junior Championship.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call Dec.24: Red Sullivan.

NHL Chirps

• Could former Blackhawks netminder Marc-Andre Fleury return to an NHL crease before the end of the season? TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that a few teams have reached out to him to gauge his interest in coming out of retirement.

• Steven Stamkos played in his 1200th career game last night and ended it in style. He scored in overtime to lead the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. He joined Mike Fisher and Steve Sullivan as the only players in team history to score the game-winning goal in three straight games. His overtime goal was the 17th of his career, moving him into a tie for the seventh-most in NHL history.

• Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid continued to climb up the Edmonton Oilers’ franchise record book. Draisaitl netted a hat trick, while McDavid assisted on all Oilers goals in their 5-1 win over the rival Calgary Flames. The hat trick was Draisaitl’s ninth, and this was his 70th multi-goal game, tying him with Mark Messier for the fourth-most in team history. McDavid now has 45 games with at least four points, tying him with Jari Kurri for the second-most by an Oiler. He has a long way to go to catch Wayne Gretzky at 158.

• The Detroit Red Wings beat the Dallas Stars 4-3 in overtime. They lead the NHL with 10 wins in which the game-winning goal was scored in the third period or overtime. Goaltender John Gibson won his eighth straight game, the longest winning streak since Chris Osgood won eight in a row during the 2007-08 season.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Dec. 24: Herb Cain, George Morrison, Brett Maclean, and Matt Calvert.