Morning Chirps: Kantserov & Frondell score, more Panarin rumors

The Chicago Blackhawks will get back on the practice ice today as they prepare for their final two games before the Olympic break. They will host Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks tomorrow night before traveling to Ohio for a rematch with the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

Blackhawks Chirps

• The Rockford IceHogs started their two-game weekend series at the Manitoba Moose yesterday afternoon. The Moose scored in the first and last minute of the opening period, and that was all they needed in a 4-1 win. Gavin Hayes scored his seventh goal of the season for the IceHogs’ lone tally. Kevin Korchinski was on the ice for all four Moose goals. Dmitry Kuzmin and Martin Misiak led the way with three shots on goal. Nick Lardis made his return to the IceHogs and had a shot on goal and two penalty minutes. Stanislav Berezhnoy gave up four goals on 27 shots. Rockford is in sixth place in the Central Division and is six points out of a postseason spot with less than 30 games to play.

• Roman Kantserov scored his KHL-leading 29th goal of the season on Saturday. He is fourth in overall scoring with 52 points in 48 games. Mettallurg Magnitogorsk sits atop the KHL standings with 82 points, 10 more points than the next best team.

• Anton Frondell showed how dangerous he can be in close with his 14th goal of the season, as Djurgårdens IF beat Malmö 5-2.

• Nathan Behm scored this beauty of a goal to open the scoring for the Kamloops Blazers last night. He had 28 goals in 47 games and leads all Blackhawks prospects with 65 points.

• On this date in 1990, the Blackhawks set a franchise record during the second period of this 7-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings by scoring five goals in 5:38. Duane Sutter, Dirk Graham, Doug Wilson, Mike Hudson, and Jocelyn Lemieux set the record for the fastest five goals in team history. Hall of Famer Larry Robinson recorded two assists for the Kings to give him 917 career points, moving him past Bobby Orr for the second-most points by a defenseman in NHL history.

• Four years later, the Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers 7-0 with Jeremy Roenick recording four assists. Ed Belfour earned his 24th career shutout and became the third goaltender in franchise history to win 150 games, joining Glenn Hall and Tony Esposito.

• In 2019, Patrick Kane became the fifth-fastest U.S.-born player to rack up 900 career points by scoring two goals and adding two assists in a 7-3 victory against his hometown Buffalo Sabres. He also became the youngest American player to score 900 points, doing it in 230 fewer days than Roenick.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Feb. 1: Charley Mason, Mike Kitchen, and Ivan Droppa.

NHL Chirps

• Elliotte Friedman gave his latest insight on the Artemi Panarin sweepstakes last night. He reported that the Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, and Kings are all interested in acquiring the Russian star with a contract extension. The Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars are attempting to convince Panarin to join their teams as a rental.

• Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will be out at least four weeks due to a fractured foot. He likely will miss only a handful of games because of the Olympic break.

• The Toronto Maple Leafs activated William Nylander from injured reserve yesterday. He scored the shootout winner in a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. He missed all but four games in January with a groin injury, but should be good to go for Team Sweden at the upcoming Olympics.

• Roman Josi netted the game-winning goal in the Nashville Predators' 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders. He became the 24th defenseman in league history to score 200 career goals. He’s the fifth European blueliner to hit this milestone, joining Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Gonchar, Zdeno Chara, and Erik Karlsson.

• Linus Ullmark made his first start for the Ottawa Senators since Dec. 27, and made 26 saves in a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Feb. 1: Mark Hardy, Mark Recchi, Tommy Salo, Geoff Sanderson, Patrick O’Sullivan, Ladislav Smid, Tyler Myers, Kyle Palmeri, Jusso Parssinen, Egor Chinakhov, Seth Jarvis, and Josh Doan.