NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 24, 2021

by | Nov 24, 2021 | News, NHL | 7 comments

The Flames expand their lead in the Western Conference, Connor McDavid’s point streak comes to an end, Steven Stamkos reaches a milestone and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Calgary Flames (29 points) opened a three-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers atop the Western Conference by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2. Matthew Tkachuk broke a 2-2 tie in the third period while Trevor Lewis and Johnny Gaudreau put the game out of reach. The Flames have won four straight.

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (NHL Images).

Speaking of the Oilers, they were beaten 4-1 by the Dallas Stars, snapping Connor McDavid’s point streak at 17 games. Stars defenseman John Klingberg collected three assists while teammate Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist. Oilers defenseman Duncan Keith left the game midway through the second period with an upper-body injury.

Andrei Vasilevskiy had a 34-save shutout and Steven Stamkos scored a goal and set up two others as the Tampa Bay Lightning blanked the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0. Stamkos became the seventh active player to tally at least three points in a game 80 times in their career.

HEADLINES

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning center Brayden Point will be sidelined for four to six weeks with an upper-body injury.

NEW YORK POST: The Islanders have seven players in COVID protocol as Zdeno Chara became the latest to receive a positive test. Chara joins Josh Bailey, Anders Lee, Ross Johnston, Adam Pelech, Andy Greene and Kieffer Bellows.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the third team to suffer a COVID-19 outbreak since late October. The San Jose Sharks also had seven players and a coach sidelined while the Ottawa Senators had three games postponed last week with 10 players and a coach waylaid by the coronavirus. All the players were fully vaccinated.

The Sharks didn’t have any games postponed and there’s no indication yet if the Isles’ schedule will require any changes. This will also stoke concern over the possibility of the NHL pulling out of participating in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The league has until Jan. 10, 2022, to make that decision.

The Islanders got additional bad news yesterday when they announced leading scorer Brock Nelson will be out two to four weeks with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

TWINCITIES.COM: Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon is listed as week-to-week following a lower-body injury suffered during a recent game against the Florida Panthers.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens defenseman Brett Kulak will miss the club’s upcoming three-game road trip with a lower-body injury.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Injuries will keep Red Wings defenseman Troy Stecher (wrist) and center Mitchell Stephens (lower body) on the shelf until after the February Olympic break.

NORTHJERSEY.COM: The New Jersey Devils officially unveiled their third jersey yesterday. Designed by former Devils great Martin Brodeur, it is a black jersey with the “Jersey” on the front.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The unveiling was spoiled when photos of the third jersey were leaked the day prior. The reaction seemed mixed on social media with some folks liking it, some hating it and some amused by the name on the front, sparking a good-natured reply from the Devils.

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME: Mike Gartner takes over as chair of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee while Cammi Granato joins the 18-member committee. Gartner replaces John Davidson, who is retiring from the position on Dec. 31.







7 Comments

  1. The NHL should 100% absolutely not be participating in these Olympics.

    • No self-respecting civilized country should! But butt-kissing prevails.

    • Don’t get me wrong, it is the right and ethical thing to do for any democracy. But..
      This isn’t up to the NHL, they have agreed to let the players go and they wanted an extension and the players wanted to go. Think Russia gives a crap?
      It is the countries, and if just Canada does it, it will have no impact.

      If this is about a political statement, or activism, which it is IMO, how about the athletes do something Tommie Smith and John Carlos did?
      Support for Hong Kong or the Uyghurs.

      Not sure they would as many of them are more concerned about the brands these days, maybe I’m wrong about that.

      Want to have a financial impact, look at the sponsors.

  2. You could always promote the
    -two thousand word games
    -progressive games
    -capitalist games
    -zeitgeist games
    -democracies who make reparations games
    – reactionary state games

    • Not surprised by this uneducated response in the least.

  3. Reactionaries on steroids.

    So is it just the NHL players who shouldn’t go?

    Is the women’s team ok to go?
    Curlers, skiers, bobsledders, lugers, speedskaters, the whole Canadian team maybe?

    The Olympics, various World Cups are not and never have been the purview of democracies, not that they are exemplars of ethically and morally upright.

    • None of them should go.