Morning Chirps: CM Punk wins in Blackhawks gear, Frondell scores impressive goal

The Chicago Blackhawks have a quick turnaround after last night's loss to the Colorado Avalanche, as they take on the Utah Mammoth this afternoon. Be sure to check back for a full game preview later this morning and some postgame thoughts after the final horn.

Blackhawks Chirps.

• While the Blackhawks need to figure out how to give Connor Bedard more support, at least two young defensemen made a pair of sound plays that will help earn more trust from Jeff Blashill.

• One of those young blueliners made Jeff Bloomer’s list of the three Blackhawks who are playing for their jobs down the final stretch of the season.

• Nestor Quixtan stopped by to analyze a recent trade rumor about defenseman Connor Murphy and how it can lead to bigger things.

• I spent my Saturday night in the press box at the United Center, which is nothing new. Instead of covering the Blackhawks, I got to cover my first WWE event as a member of the media. CM Punk made me feel at home by wearing Blackhawks-inspired gear for his world title defense against Finn Balor.

• The Hershey Bears completed their weekend sweep of the Rockford IceHogs by beating them 5-1 on Saturday night. Kevin Lombardi scored the IceHogs’ lone goal, with the assists from Dmitry Kuzmin and Ryan Mast. The two teams combined for 90 penalty minutes. Taige Harding racked up 30 by himself with two fighting majors, a 10-minute misconduct for abuse of officials, and a game misconduct for a second fight. Goaltender Olivier Rodrigue gave up five goals on 35 shots in his team debut.

• Anton Frondell scored for the second straight game on Saturday. This goal might be the most impressive of his 17 on the season. I love the way he used his big body to protect the puck and shield off a defender. Then he went right to the net after his initial shot to sweep home the rebound. The Blackhawks need more guys who can do this, and Frondell can’t get here fast enough.

• On this date in 2014, the Blackhawks hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field in a Stadium Series game. While the snow fell steadily throughout the night, Jonathan Toews led the way with a pair of goals. Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, and Bryan Bickell also found the back of the net in a 5-1 win, which remains as the Blackhawks’ only victory in seven outdoor games.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, March 1: Max Bentley, Allan Stanley, Mike Buchanan, and Anton Wedin.

NHL Chirps

• According to Elliotte Friedman, the Mammoth have shown interest in acquiring St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas. The NHL’s top insider added that Utah is a long shot to acquire him because he doubts the Blues would trade Thomas within the Central Division. With their reported interest in Thomas and New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton, it’s clear that the Mammoth don’t want a rental, but are seeking players with term beyond this season.

• The Los Angeles Kings thought their acquisition of Artemi Panarin ahead of the Olympic break would put them over the top for a postseason berth. However, they lost Kevin Fiala for the season during the Winter Games, and now Andrei Kuzmenko is out for the foreseeable future. The team announced he underwent successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus and is considered week-to-week.

• Patrick Kane scored in the Detroit Red Wings’ 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last night. His goal was the 239th on the road in his career, passing Keith Tkachuk for the third-most road goals by a U.S.-born player. He trails Mike Modano (259) and Blackhawks Hall of Famer Jeremy Roenick (249).

• Saturday Night Live paid tribute to the gold medal-winning hockey teams last night, with Megan Keller, Hilary Knight, and Jack and Quinn Hughes making cameo appearances during Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie’s opening monologue.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, March 1: Billy Coutu, Paul Haynes, Jocelyn Guevremont, Pat Boutette, Richard Mulhern, Marc Habscheid, Ron Francis, Marcus Nilson, Brad Winchester, Brian Sutherby, Alexander Steen, Victor Rask, Matt Roy, Tyler Tucker, and Matvei Gridin.