Morning Chirps: Teravainen's big day, NHL throws the book at Golden Knights

There were no Stanley Cup Playoff games on Friday, but it was a busy day on the international stage. One member of the Chicago Blackhawks played a pivotal role in his country’s victory. Meanwhile, the NHL threw the book at one of the remaining teams.

Blackhawks Chirps

• The Vegas Golden Knights are back in the Western Conference Finals, but their roster might go through some serious changes this summer. I explored whether the Blackhawks could benefit from the inevitable salary cap crunch in Sin City.

• The Blackhawks all talked a big game about competing for the playoffs next season, but a lot will have to go right for that to happen. Justin Lynch gave us five X-factors to their success in 2026-27.

• The IIHF World Championship began on Friday with a full slate of games. Teuvo Teravainen had two primary assists in Finland’s 3-1 win over Germany.

• Canada opened its tournament with a 5-3 win over Sweden. Anton Frondell did not dress for the game, while Arvid Soderblom served as the backup goaltender behind Magnus Hellberg. Czechia had an impressive showing in a 4-1 victory against Denmark. Former Blackhawk Dominik Kubalik scored the fourth and final goal.

• Team USA’s defense of their gold medal got off to a rocky start with a 3-1 loss to Switzerland, the team they beat for gold a year ago. Another former Blackhawk, Pius Suter, had a goal and an assist for the Swiss. Oliver Moore got the most ice time of all the Blackhawks, at 15:37, and finished with two shots on goal. Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser was on the ice for all three Switzerland goals.

• On this date in 1971, the Montreal Canadiens forced Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final by beating the Blackhawks 4-3. The legendary Jean Beleveau recorded a pair of assists, the final two points of his Hall of Fame career. When he retired shortly after Game 7, he had 176 playoff points, the most in NHL history. Chico Maki sandwiched his goal between two Jim Pappin tallies.

• In 1985, the Blackhawks' season ended with an 8-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Campbell Conference Final. Jari Kurri led the Edmonton attack with four goals to become the first player in league history to have three hat tricks in the same playoff.

• In 1992, the Blackhawks and Oilers opened another Campbell Conference Final. Jeremy Roenick and Steve Larmer scored twice to lead the way in an 8-2 victory. Twelve of the 18 Blackhawks skaters registered at least one point.

• In 2010, the Western Conference Finals began with the Blackhawks edging the San Jose Sharks 2-1. Patrick Sharp tied the game midway through the second period before Dustin Byfuglien scored the game-winner with less than seven minutes to play.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, May 16: Tomas Fleischmann and Corey Perry.

NHL Chirps

• John Tortorella did not make himself available after the Golden Knights’ Game 6 victory. He also didn’t open the locker room to the media; instead, he just sent two players to the podium. This was a costly decision as the NHL came down hard for what they call “flagrant violations” of media regulations. The Knights will forfeit their second-round pick in the upcoming draft, while Tortorella has been fined $100,000. The team offered no comment after the punishment was handed out.

• The Minnesota Wild held their exit interviews, and Quinn Hughes’ future was at the forefront. He has one year left on his current contract and is eligible to sign an extension this summer. When asked about this, he said he was open to re-signing with the Wild.

• Former Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno said he would love to return to the Wild, but must first decide if he wants to play another season.

• Manon Rhéaume was named the first general manager of the PWHL expansion team in Detroit. The former goaltender became the first woman to play in any North American professional league when she appeared in a preseason game for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, May 16: Floyd Smith, John Stewart, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Kyle Wellwood, Jeff Skinner, Mikhail Grigorenko, Jonathan Aspirot, and Cole Sillinger.

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