Morning Chirps: Memorial Cup semifinal set, Hurricanes roll to another road win

The quarterfinals at the IIHF World Championship are today, with Sweden and Team USA both in action. Meanwhile, the semifinal is set at the Memorial Cup, and we are one win away from having our Stanley Cup Final matchup.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Justin Lynch broke down the differing reports that have come out about Connor Bedard’s contract negotiations.

• Nestor Quixtan thinks the Blackhawks could land a generational talent in this year’s draft, even if they remain at No. 4.

• Jay Zawaski and I got to chat with draft prospect Carson Carels on yesterday’s CHGO Blackhawks Podcast.

• At the Memorial Cup, the Everett Silvertips beat the host Kelowna Rockets 4-0 to advance to the semifinal against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. The winner will play Jack Pridham and the Kitchener Rangers in the championship game on Sunday. Chicoutimi will be without defenseman Jordan Tourigny after he was suspended for the rest of the tournament for stomping on the foot of Kitchener’s Christian Humphreys.

• On this date in 1974, the Blackhawks drafted defenseman Bob Murray in the third round (52nd overall) of the NHL Amateur Draft. He spent his entire 15-season career with the Blackhawks, scoring 132 goals and 514 points in 1,008 games. He’s third in franchise history among defensemen in games played behind only Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

• In 1992, the Pittsburgh Penguins took a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final by beating the Blackhawks 3-1. Bryan Marchment tied the game midway through the second period before Mario Lemieux answered with a pair of goals less than three minutes apart.

• In 2014, the Blackhawks avoided elimination with a 5-4 double overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final. The Blackhawks built a 3-2 lead in the first period with goals from Seabrook, Johnny Oduya, and Brandon Saad. The Kings answered with two goals in the middle frame before Ben Smith tied the game early in the third period. Michal Handzus was the hero two minutes into the second overtime to force a Game 6 back in Los Angeles.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, May 28: Clarence Abel, Doug Hicks, and Todd Simpson.

NHL Chirps

• The Carolina Hurricanes are one win away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006. They cruised to a 4-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final to take a 3-1 series lead. Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, and Logan Stankoven all scored in a span of 2:47 late in the first period to put the game out of reach. Andrei Svechnikov added a late empty-netter to cap off the scoring. The Canadiens had another night struggling to get pucks to the net, as they finished with 18 shots on goal. Frederik Andersen earned his third shutout of the postseason and eighth in his playoff career. The Hurricanes can wrap up the series back on home ice on Friday.

• According to Pierre LeBrun, Corey Perry intends to play a 22nd season in the NHL. The former Blackhawks forward split the 2025-26 season between the Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring 17 goals and 37 points.

• Frank Seravalli reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs will interview Jay Woodcroft for their head coaching position. He’s already had an interview with the Kings since his run with the Anaheim Ducks ended.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, May 28: Red Horner, Terry Crisp, Errol Thompson, Jack Lynch, Mark Howe, Damian Rhodes, David Perron, Erik Cernak, and Ryan Suzuki.

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