Morning Chirps: Hot Mustard at Providence, Eagles coach returns the Halloween favor

Happy November! The Chicago Blackhawks kick off the new month with a tough matchup against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. Check back in later today for a full game preview and some late-night postgame musings after the final horn.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Scott Rogust stopped by yesterday to share his thoughts on Connor Bedard’s recent comments about representing Canada at the upcoming Olympics.

• I joined the Jason Gregor Show on 1440 AM in Edmonton yesterday to preview tonight’s game with the Oilers.

• Nick Foligno dressed up as Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni for the Blackhawks’ Halloween party earlier this week.  Sirianni returned the favor by dressing up as Foligno on Friday!

• John Mustard scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season for Providence College last night, as they beat UMass-Lowell 5-2.

• On this date in 1975, Billy Reay became just the second person to coach 1,000 games in the National Hockey League, leading the Blackhawks to a 3-1 win over the hated Detroit Red Wings.

• In 1990, the Blackhawks’ 6-2 victory over the Quebec Nordiques saw a pair of players hit personal milestones. Steve Larner scored two goals to reach 700 career points, while Jeremy Roenick’s goal and two assists gave him 100 points in his career.

• In 2021, Patrick Kane scored a hat trick and added an assist in the Blackhawks' 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. His four-point night gave him 1,097 in his career, passing Denis Savard for the third most in franchise history.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Nov. 1: Al Arbour.

NHL Chirps

• The New Jersey Devils signed goaltender Jacob Markstrom to a two-year, $12 million contract extension. The 35-year-old netminder has gone 28-18-6 with a 2.67 goals-against average (GAA) and .895 save percentage (SV%) since joining the Devils.

• John Gibson returned to Anaheim for the first time last night, and Ducks fans gave him a warm welcome. He played 506 games for the Ducks over 12 seasons after they selected him in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He went 204-217-63 with a 2.89 GAA, .910 SV%, and 24 shutouts. He won the Jennings Trophy in 2016 and represented the Ducks in three NHL All-Star Games. Unfortunately for Gibson, his old team wasn’t feeling sentimental, and they beat him and the Red Wings 5-2.

• The Los Angeles Kings and Adrian Kempe continue to negotiate a contract extension so he doesn’t hit free agency this summer. According to Elliotte Freidman on NHL Now, Kempe’s camp is looking to get somewhere in the neighborhood of the $11.5 million AAV Martin Necas just got from the Colorado Avalanche.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Nov. 1: Bill Lesuk, Phil Myre, Doug Halward, Tie Domi, Glen Murray, Matt Moulson, Zac Dalpe, Tyler Pitlick, Daniel Carr, Stuart Skinner, and Scott Morrow.