Morning Chirps: Hurricanes take Game 5, another big trade request

We didn’t get the high drama last night that we saw in the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final, but Game 5 was still an excellent contest. Meanwhile, we have plenty of content on the Chicago Blackhawks’ top star.

Blackhawks Chirps

• We had a lot of Connor Bedard content on Thursday. First, Frank Seravalli had some interesting comments on Bedard’s contract negotiations, or lack thereof.

• Our Ryan McGregor has been checking in on Bedard’s offseason workouts in Vancouver and will have more on his training direct from the Blackhawks star forward!

• Justin Lync gave us the pros and cons of splitting up the Blackhawks’ trio of young centers: Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Anton Frondell.

• Charlie Roumeliotis joined Jay Zawaski and me on the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast, and you’ll never believe it, but we talked about Bedard!

• On this date in 2013, the Stanley Cup Final opened at the United Center with the Blackhawks hosting the Boston Bruins. The Blackhawks came back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits with goals from Brandon Saad, Dave Bolland, and Johnny Oduya. The legend of shin pads was born at 12:08 of the third overtime when Michal Rozsival’s shot hit off Bolland’s stick, then Andrew Shaw’s leg on its way to the back of the net, ending the fifth-longest game in Stanley Cup Final history. Jaromir Jagr made history with the longest game between Final appearances, 1992 to 2013. He also became the first player to play in the Final as a teenager and a 40-year-old.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, June 12: Michal Barinka and Gustav Forsling.

NHL Chirps

• For the first time in the Stanley Cup Final, a two-goal lead wasn’t a curse, and the Carolina Hurricanes showed up for the second period. In the end, they beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 to move within one win of their first championship in two decades. Pavel Dodofeyev scored a power-play goal on the shot of the game for the Golden Knights. It was his first of two power-play goals while Nikolaj Ehlers sat in the box for delay of the game. Ehlers made up for those errors by picking up three assists. Jordan Staal tied the game late in the first period to extend his goal streak to five games. The Hurricanes have been waiting for Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho to heat up, and they led the way over the final 40 minutes. Aho sandwiched his fifth goal of the playoffs in between two Svechnikov power-play tallies. Brandon Bussi made 22 saves for his second straight win. Game 6 will be back in Vegas on Sunday.

• Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov won his second Hart Trophy, edging out Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon in the third-closest vote ever. Kucherov finished with 1,436 points, just 10 ahead of McDavid. The only votes that were closer were when Jose Theodore and Jarome Iginla tied in 2002, and Chris Pronger beat Jagr by one point in 2000.

• This is starting to shape up to be the “Summer of Trade Requests.” After Dylan Larkin asked to be shipped out of Detroit, Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse has asked for a trade. The 31-year-old blueliner has four more years on his contract with a $9.25 million cap hit. David Pagnotta reported that Nurse has submitted a three-team trade list that he believes includes the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins. You’d have to think the San Jose Sharks would be interested in acquiring him, but might not have what the Oilers are looking for in a return. You’d think they’d want an established player in returns since they aren’t rebuilding, and the Sharks might not have one they’re willing to trade.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, June 12: Bill Cowley, Paul Ronty, Marc Tardig, Doug Brown, Mathieu Schneider, and Wade Redden.

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