Morning Chirps: Teravainen heads to Worlds, Kitchener closes in on OHL title

The Chicago Blackhawks will have another representative on the international stage starting on Friday, while two former players might stay in their new homes.

Blackhawks Chirps

• I continued my player reviews yesterday with Ryan Greene, whose rookie season went better than anyone had expected.

• Team USA named Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Faulk as its captain for the IIHF World Championship. Seattle Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Oliver will serve as alternate captains. They hit the ice on Sunday for a pre-tournament game against Germany and beat them 5-2. Sam Lafferty scored the Americans’ second goal. Oliver Moore was on the top line with Tommy Novak and Ryan Leonard. Wyatt Kaiser formed the second pairing with Will Borgen. Drew Commesso didn’t dress as he’s third on the depth chart behind Joseph Woll and Devin Cooley.

• Speaking of the World Championships, Teuvo Teravainen will play for Finland after helping them win a bronze medal at the Olympics. It’s a bit surprising that he’s playing after a long season that included multiple injuries. Aleksander Barkov will join the team after missing the entire season for the Florida Panthers. Former Blackhawks defensemen Henri Jokiharju and Olli Maatta are also on the roster.

• In the Ontario Hockey League’s Championship Series, Kashawn Aitcheson was the late-game hero again for the Barrie Colts. After tying Game 2 with 3.4 seconds left in regulation, he did the same in Game 3 with only 13 seconds left. Dylan Edwards won the game 5:24 into the second overtime with his second goal of the game to give the Kitchener Rangers a 3-0 series lead. Jack Pridham had five shots on goal, but no points. He’s gone pointless in his last two games after going seven in a row with at least one.

• On this date in 1971, the Montreal Canadiens evened the Stanley Cup Final at two wins apiece by beating the Blackhawks 5-2 in Game 4. The legendary Jean Beliveau scored his final postseason goal in the victory. Stan Mikita factored in both Blackhawks’ goals, scoring the first and assisting on Dennis Hull’s third-period strike.

• In 1995, after losing the first two games of the series at the United Center, the Blackhawks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Blueliners provided all the offense, with Gary Suter scoring the first two goals before Chris Chelios netted the game-winner while on the penalty kill late in the third period.

• In 2009, the Blackhawks beat the Vancouver Canucks 7-5 in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Patrick Kane led the way with his first career postseason hat trick, while captain Jonathan Toews had two goals and an assist.

• One year later, the Blackhawks ended the Canucks season again with a 5-1 win in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Troy Brower, Kris Versteeg, and Dave Bolland all scored in the second period. Kane and Dustin Byfuglien scored 25 seconds apart in the third period to put the nail in Vancouver’s coffin.

• In 2014, the Blackhawks took a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference Semifinals with a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. Bryan Bickell tied the game with a second-period power-play goal before Toews scored the game-winning tally early in the final stanza. Patrick Sharp recorded assists on both scoring plays, while Corey Crawford stopped 27 of 28 shots.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, May 11: Jean Marois.

NHL Chirps

• Things started off well for the Buffalo Sabres, as Tage Thompson opened the scoring by finding the back of the net for the first time since scoring two goals in the first game of the playoffs. However, the Montreal Canadiens scored the next four goals on their way to a 6-2 win and 2-1 series lead. Alex Newhook scored the Habs’ first goal and iced the game with a late empty-netter. He has four goals in the last two games. Cole Caufield snapped his five-game point drought with a second-period power-play goal. You’ve got to think we see Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the Buffalo net in Game 4. Alex Lyon hasn’t played poorly by any stretch of the imagination, but he has allowed nine goals in the last two games.

• As we learned in Chicago, the deeper a series goes, the better Joel Quenneville gets behind the bench. He made a handful of lineup changes heading into Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights. He pushed all the right buttons as the Anaheim Ducks evened the series at two wins apiece with a 4-3 victory. Defenseman Ian Moore, a healthy scratch the last two games, scored the eventual game-winning goal in the third period. Owen Zellweger picked up the secondary assist in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut. Vegas made a late push, as Tomas Hertl snapped his 29-game goal drought with just over a minute to play. The Golden Knights were without captain Mark Stone, which, let's be honest, they have a lot of experience without over the past couple of years. Former Blackhawk Brandon Saad drew in for the first time in these playoffs. Game 5 is back in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.

• Team Canada named its leadership group for the World Championship. San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini is captain, with Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators and John Tavares of the Maple Leafs serving as alternates. Celebrini had a goal and three assists in Canada’s pre-tournament 6-1 victory over France.

• According to a report by The Fourth Period, the Edmonton Oilers will explore re-signing Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy this offseason.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, May 11: Dutch Hiller, Colin Patterson, Mike Rathje, Brad Marchand, Bryan Rust, Adin Hill, Adam Ruzicka, and Konsta Helenius.

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