Morning Chirps: More OHL playoff success, Kane sets U.S. mark

The Chicago Blackhawks are off today before they continue their final road trip of the season at the Seattle Kraken tomorrow night. We’ve nearly made it to the weekend! Start your Friday with a fresh batch of Morning Chirps!

Blackhawks Chirps

• That sound you hear is the Blackhawks shooting wide and hitting the end boards again. Check out my postgame thoughts from last night’s 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in case you missed them.

• All three Ontario Hockey League teams with Blackhawks draft picks completed the sweep of their first-round series last night. A.J. Spellacy had an assist in the Windsor Spitfire’s 11-3 win over the Guelph Storm. He had a goal and four points in the four-game series, which saw Windsor outscore Guelph 21-5.

• Jack Pridham had two assists as the Kitchener Rangers rolled over the Saginaw Spirit 5-1 to close out their series. He has yet to find the back of the net in the postseason, but has five helpers in four games.

• Marek Vanacker had four shots on goal as the Brantford Bulldogs’ 2-1 series-clinching win over the Sudbury Wolves. The OHL’s regular-season goal leader has three goals and six points to start his playoff run.

• On this date in 1966, the Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 in their regular-season finale. Bobby Hull recorded an assist to finish the season with 97 points, the most ever in NHL history, breaking Dickie Moore of the Montreal Canadiens’ previous record of 96.

• In 2019, Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 shootout win against the St. Louis Blues. The two points gave him a career-high 107 on the season. Jonathan Towes also scored in the victory to give him a new career-high of 35. Despite these two franchise legends having career seasons, the Blackhawks still missed the playoffs.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, April 3: Amby Moran, Billy Dea, Steve Ludzik, T.J. Brennand, and Vinnie Hinostroza.

NHL Chirps

• Kane made more history last night. His goal and two assists in the Detroit Red Wings’ big 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers gave him 1,393 points. He moved ahead of Brett Hull for the most points by an American-born player and 26th on the NHL’s all-time scoring list. The first 1,225 points of his Hall of Fame career came with the Blackhawks. Kane’s first assist set up the first of two goals for Alex DeBrincat, who has his first career 80-point season. With the win, the Red Wings are tied with the Ottawa Senators for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators hold the tiebreaker because they have more regulation wins.

• The Minnesota Wild punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov both scored their 40th goals of the season, marking the first time in franchise history the Wild have had two 40-goal scorers. With the loss, the Canucks have clinched the NHL’s worst record and the best odds for the number one overall pick at next month’s Draft Lottery.

• The Carolina Hurricanes became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a postseason berth after their 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is their eighth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are the only team in the past 30 years to win a round in at least seven straight postseasons.

• Cole Caufield scored his 48th and 49th goals of the season in the Montreal Canadiens’ 3-2 win over the New York Rangers. He scored his 12th game-winning goal of the season, putting him one shy of Guy Lafleur’s franchise record set in 1978-78.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, April 3: Ray Getliffe, Bernie Parent, Brent Gilchrist, Shawn Bates, Deryk Engelland, Stephen Weiss, Joey Crabb, and Steve Downie.