Morning Chirps: Gajan earns a win, Canucks fire coaching staff

The Western Conference Final gets underway tonight with the Colorado Avalanche hosting the Vegas Golden Knights on ESPN. Before the puck drops in Denver, get caught up with all the news from around the world of hockey.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Arvid Soderblom had another inconsistent season, ending with numbers that just aren’t good enough if this team wants to jump into contention next season.

• I got to preview the Conference Finals with my pals Jay Zawaski and Steve Peters yesterday. Jay and I also compared the Montreal Canadiens’ path back to contention to what the Blackhawks are doing.

• The Rockford IceHogs signed forward Marcu Joughin to a one-year AHL contract. He had two goals and six points in 11 games for the Indy Fuel after his college career ended last season. In 150 games for Sacred Heart University, he had 27 goals and 100 points.

• Adam Gajan became the second Blackhawks goaltender this week to win at the IIHF World Championship. He made 19 saves in regulation and overtime before stopping three out of four shootout attempts in Slovakia’s 5-4 win over Slovenia. Slovakia has eight points, one behind Canada for first place in Group B.

• Team USA plays Germany at 1:20 pm CT, as they look to get back in the win column. We’ll see if Wyatt Kaiser gets a shot at redemption after being a minus-6 in two games. Sweden plays Slovenia at 1:20 pm CT, as well. Their only win of the tournament came with Soderblom in net, so perhaps he will start today. Maybe, just maybe, Anton Frondell makes his tournament debut for Sweden.

• On this date in 1992, the Blackhawks took a 3-0 series lead in the Campbell Conference Final by beating the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in overtime. The Blackhawks fell behind 2-0 before staging a comeback, completed by Jeremy Roenick’s overtime goal. The win was their 10th in a row, tying the Boston Bruins’ league record for the most consecutive wins in a single playoff, set in 1970.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, May 20: Stan Mikita, Bruce Cassidy, and Stu Grimson.

NHL Chirps

• New Vancouver Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson is wasting little time making changes. On Tuesday, he fired head coach Adam Foote, as well as assistants Scott Young, Kevin Dean, and Brett McLean. Foote went 25-49-8 in his first season behind the bench, the worst record in the NHL.

• The New Jersey Devils announced they are parting ways with goaltending coach Dave Rogalski, while assistant coach Sergei Brylin will take on a new role within the organization. Head coach Sheldon Keefe appears to be safe, as he still has two years left on his contract.

• The Golden Knights met with league officials to appeal their penalty for not meeting the media following Game 6 of their series against the Anaheim Ducks. The discussions had no effect on the penalty, as the team will still forfeit their 2026 second-round pick, and head coach John Tortorella’s $100,000 fine will be paid.

• Many felt that Alex Tuch would not hit free agency on July 1 by re-signing with the Buffalo Sabres. However, according to The Hockey News, that might not be the case. Michael Traikos reported that the chance to strike it rich on the open market could be too tempting to pass up. If he does head to free agency, he will have plenty of suitors, including the Blackhawks.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, May 20: Craig Patrick, Yvon Lambert, Bob Beers, Jason York, Vesa Toskala, Jacob de La Rose, Carl Lindbom, and Easton Cowan.

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