Morning Chirps: Seney's milestone night, Torts is back

The Chicago Blackhawks are back home after a 1-3-0 road trip. They will return to the United Center tomorrow night for possibly an old friend’s final game in the building. Meanwhile, start your work week with your Monday Morning Chirps.

Blackhawks Chirps

• The Blackhawks had three separate one-goal leads, including one with nine minutes to play, but lost 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils. Check out my postgame thoughts from another game full of teaching moments.

• The Winnipeg Jets are already in town ahead of their game at the United Center tomorrow night, and they spent their Sunday at Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs had former Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews throw out the first pitch. He did so wearing the jersey of fellow Canadian athlete Ryan Dempster.

• The Rockford IceHogs swept their weekend series with the Iowa Wild by beating them 4-3 in a shootout on Sunday. Brett Seney celebrated his 500th professional game with a goal and an assist in the second period. Samuel Savoie and Dillon Boucher also contributed to the IceHogs’ three-goal middle stanza. Rem Pitlick and Joey Anderson scored in the shootout to earn the extra point. Olivier Rodrigue made 33 saves for his second win since joining the team last month. Unfortunately, they were unable to gain any ground on the Milwaukee Admirals for the final playoff spot in the Central Division. They remain eight points out with eight games to play.

• All three Ontario Hockey League teams with Chicago Blackhawks prospects have a 2-0 series lead in the first round of the playoffs. After A.J. Spellacy and the Windsor Spitfires went up 2-0 on Saturday, the Kitchener Rangers and Brantford Bulldogs did the same on Sunday. Marak Vanacker scored an empty-net goal and an assist in the Bulldogs’ 4-2 win over the Sudbury Wolves. Jack Pridham didn’t find the scoresheet in the Rangers’ 4-0 victory against the Saginaw Spirit.

• Adam Gajan’s fantastic sophomore season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth ended in a 4-3 loss to the University of Michigan on Sunday. The Bulldogs made a game out of it after falling behind 3-0. Michigan moves on to the Frozen Four in Las Vegas. They will play Denver in one national semifinal, while Wisconsin and North Dakota face off in the other. Gajan finished the year 19-13-1 with a .908 save percentage (SV%), 2.25 goals-against average (GAA), and two shutouts.

• On this date in 1969, Pat Stapleton tied an NHL record by picking up six assists in a 9-5 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The six helpers made him the first defenseman in NHL history to record 50 assists in a season.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, March 30: Bill Watson and Adam Bennett.

NHL Chirps

• The Vegas Golden Knights fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and named John Tortorella as his replacement. When I saw the news come through, I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Tortorella’s contract with Vegas only runs through the rest of the regular season, and however far they go in the postseason. If I’m Stan Bowman, Cassidy is behind the Edmonton Oilers’ bench by lunchtime today.

• The Dallas Stars got Mikko Rantanen back in the lineup over the weekend. However, it sounds like Roope Hintz and Radek Faska are still over a week away from returning from their injuries. It’s likely that either will play again until the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  

• The Philadelphia Flyers signed 2025 first-round pick Porter Martone to his entry-level contract just one day after his season at Michigan State ended. He could make his NHL debut as soon as Thursday against the Red Wings. He had 25 goals and 50 points in his 35 games for the Spartans.

• Corey Perry scored the game-winning goal for the Tampa Lightning on Sunday. It was the 54th goal scored this season by a player 40 or older. Only three other seasons have seen more goals by graybeards: 2013-14 (60), 2010-11 (65), and 2003-04 (71).

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, March 30: Bob McCord, Pierre Jarry, Dennis Ververgaert, Randy Hiller, Doug Wickenheiser, Corey Millen, Dave Ellett, Jamie Heward, Ty Conklin, Michael Haley, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Egor Zamula, Jet Greaves, Juraj Slafkovsky, Rutger McGroarty, and Isaac Howard.