Morning Chirps: Frondell vs Nestrasil, suspensions, & a goalie fight

The Chicago Blackhawks are off today after winning back-to-back games over the weekend and extending their point streak to four games. They will be back on the practice ice tomorrow before hosting the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

Blackhawks Chirps

• While Tyler Bertuzzi gets all the glory for scoring a hat trick, the Blackhawks played a great team game in last night’s 3-2 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

• We had a great discussion about how last night’s win came together on the CHGO Blackhawks Postgame Show.

• The Rockford IceHogs did not have a great weekend in Pennsylvania, as the Hershey Bears completed the weekend sweep with a 5-2 win on Sunday. Gavin Hayes continued his improved play by scoring both IceHogs goals. Dominic Toninato closed out his big weekend with two primary assists. Laurent Brossoit allowed four goals on 26 shots.

• Anton Frondell had another big game in Sweden’s 4-3 shootout win over Finland in the World Junior Championship. He picked up the primary assist on the game’s opening goal, then won the game in the eighth round of the shootout.

• We’ll get a Blackhawks prospect on each side of tonight’s World Junior Championship gold medal game as Czechia beat Canada 6-4. Vaclav Nestrasil picked up the primary assist on Czechia’s fourth goal. This is the third straight year that Czechia has knocked Canada out. Frondell vs. Nestrasil for the gold medal at 7:30 pm tonight. Enjoy!

• On this date in 1957, CBS broadcast the first NHL game in the United States, featuring the Blackhawks and New York Rangers from Madison Square Garden. Glen Skov had the lone goal in a 4-1 loss.

• A decade later, Gordie Howe scored in the Detroit Red Wings' 6-4 win over the Blackhawks. He became the first player in NHL history to score 700 goals in the regular season and playoffs combined.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Jan. 5: Fred Glover, John Brenneman, Basil McRae, James Camazzola, Kyle Calder, Alexander Salak, Matt Grzelcyk, and Filip Roos.

NHL Chirps

• The San Jose Sharks signed forward Alexander Wennberg to a three-year, $18 million contract extension. The 31-year-old forward has seven goals and 26 points in 41 games this season. This feels like the Sharks overpaid to keep him on the team because the 2026 free agent market is so thin.

• It was a rough weekend for the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche. After losing defenseman Devon Toews to injury on Saturday, captain Gabriel Landeskog left Sunday’s loss to the Florida Panthers. Early in the second period, he took a hard fall into the goal post after he lost an edge. After the game, head coach Jared Bednard said Toews and Landeskog will “miss some time” with upper-body injuries. In the last five days, the Avalanche have lost Toews, Landeskog, goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, and forwards Joel Kiviranta and Gavin Brindley to injury.

• Matthew Tkachuk will join the Panthers on their upcoming six-game road trip. There is no set date for his return to the lineup, as he has yet to take full contact in practice. However, it certainly feels like he’ll be playing when the Panthers come to the United Center on Jan. 25.

• Speaking of Tkachuk’s, Winnipeg Jets forward Logan Stanley has been suspended one game for sucker punching Brady Tkachuk.

• The ECHL went from a player strike to a goalie fight in just over a week!

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Jan. 5: Jiri Hrdina, Tim Kerr, Kevin Maguire, Joe Juneau, Mike Grier, Anthony Stewart, Mathieu Perreault, Eddie Lack, Dakota Mermis, Zemgus Girgensons, Cam York, Brennan Othmann, and Shane Wright.