Morning Chirps: Moore finds the scoresheet, Soderblom earns the win

It’s Monday, and that stinks. But it’s a Monday with a Game 7! Get caught up on all the hockey news before tonight's big game in Buffalo with today’s Morning Chirps.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Jeremiah Lee wants to see Anton Frondell do what he’s expected to do next season. He has some ideas on how he should be used in his first full NHL season.

• Jeremiah also looked into a creative way general manager Kyle Davidson could improve the roster this offseason.

• Sunday was a busy day at the IIHF World Championship with six games. Team USA broke into the win column with a 5-1 win over Great Britain. Oliver Moore had the primary assist on the game’s final goal, a power-play tally by Isaac Howard, his second goal of the day. Mathieu Olivier and Paul Cotter each had a goal and two assists. Wyatt Kaiser was given the day off after being on the ice for all three goals against versus Switzerland on Friday. Team USA will play Finland this morning at 9:20 am CT.

• For the second straight game, Frondell was a healthy scratch for Sweden, as they beat Denmark 6-2. Arvid Soderblom made 14 saves to earn his first-ever tournament victory. The Swedes got goals from six different players, including Detroit Red Wings star Lucas Raymond, who led the team with three points.

• Other action on Sunday saw Slovakia beat Italy 4-1, Austria beat Hungary 4-2, Latvia shut out Germany 2-0, and Norway blanked Slovenia 4-0.

• The Blackhawks suffered one of their more crushing defeats in team history on this date in 1971, losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens. Dennis Hull opened the scoring on the power play during the final minute of the first period. Danny O’Shea doubled the advantage early in the middle frame. The game changed late in the second period when Jacques Lemaire scored from center ice. Four minutes after the fluky goal, Herni Richard tied the game. He scored the Cup-clinching goal early in the third period. Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden stopped all 12 shots he faced in the final stanza on his way to the Conn Smythe Trophy.

• In 1992, Chris Chelios tied a playoff record with three assists in one period, as the Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Campbell Conference Final. The victory was their ninth in a row, setting a new franchise postseason record.

• In 2010, the Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in another Conference Final, beating the San Jose Sharks 4-2. Dusting Byfuglien scored his sixth goal of the playoffs to go along with tallies from Andrew Ladd, Jonathan Toews, and Troy Brouwer.

• In 2014, the Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings began a Western Conference Final for the ages. The Blackhawks came away with a 3-1 victory after Duncan Keith scored the game-winning goal midway through the second period. Brandon Saad chipped in with a goal and an assist, while Marion Hossa recorded two assists.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, May 18: Tom Fowler, Bill Stewart, and Bob Janecyk.

NHL Chirps

• Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier proved that hockey players walk a fine line between toughness and stupidity. Zach Cavanagh reported that Gauthier suffered two fractured vertebrae on March 30 and returned for the playoffs.

• Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen will be in need of a new contract this offseason. With the way he’s played during the playoffs, the Hurricanes would be foolish to let him go. General manager Eric Tulsky said his plan is to wait until after the postseason to start extension discussions.

• The Calgary Flames are open for business this summer. According to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, anyone is available except goaltender Dustin Wolf, forwards Matvei Gridin and Matthew Coronato, and defenseman Zayne Parekh. We’ll take a look at their roster later this week and see if anything might interest the Blackhawks.

• The Toronto Maple Leafs made more changes to their front office. New general manager John Chayka announced that assistant general managers Brandon Pridham and Derek Clancey have been let go.  Pridham, the father of Blackhawks’ prospect Jack Pridham, is known for being a salary cap “guru,” so he shouldn’t be unemployed very long.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, May 18: Jay Wells, Jari Kurri, Jim Fox, Brent Ashton, John Chabot, Marty McSorley, Turner Stevenson, Darren Van Impe, Oleg Tverdovsky, Manny Malhotra, Jack Ahcan, Declan Carlile, and Lian Bichsel.

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