NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 13, 2021
Andre Burakovsky pots his first career hat trick, Max Pacioretty sets a Golden Knights record, Alex Pietrangelo has concerns about COVID protocols for the Winter Olympics, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.com: Colorado Avalanche winger Andre Burakovsky tallied his first career hat trick in a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers. Burakovsky broke a 2-2 tie in the third period as the Avs picked up their fourth straight win while snapping the Panthers’ five-game points streak.
Colorado defenseman Jacob MacDonald was stretchered from the ice in the second period following a hit by the Panthers’ Ryan Lomberg. He was said to be “alert, responsive and has full movement” and undergoing further evaluation. The Avs also played without captain Gabriel Landeskog as he’s sidelined for two weeks with a lower-body injury. Earlier in the day, they placed goaltender Jonas Johansson on waivers after recalling Pavel Francouz from their AHL affiliate.
Vegas Golden Knights winger Max Pacioretty (NHL Images).
Max Pacioretty pushed his goals streak to a franchise-record six games as the Vegas Golden Knights downed the Minnesota Wild 6-4. Pacioretty and Mark Stone each had a goal and two assists to extend their points streaks to eight games while teammate Chandler Stephenson picked up four assists. The Wild (39 points) still lead the Western Conference but have lost two straight games.
The Vancouver Canucks picked up their fourth win in as many games under new head coach Bruce Boudreau by holding off the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1. Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson scored for the Canucks. Martin Necas replied for the Hurricanes, who played without leading scorer Sebastian Aho due to a non-COVID-related illness.
Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros had a 32-save shutout to blank the New York Rangers 1-0. Philip Tomasino scored the game’s only goal in the Predators’ fifth consecutive win, bringing Rangers’ goalie Alexandar Georgiev’s three-game win streak to an end. Earlier in the day, the Predators placed center Ryan Johansen in COVID protocol.
The Anaheim Ducks defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on an overtime goal by Troy Terry, who also scored the tying goal in the third period on a penalty shot. St. Louis forward Nathan Walker had a goal and an assist. Blues forward Jordan Kyrou missed the game with an upper-body injury.
HEADLINES
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has expressed concern about the potential COVID-19 protocols in Beijing and is uncertain if he’ll participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics. Pietrangelo was already named to Canada’s roster along with the Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid and the Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby.
“I’ve got four kids that are under the age of 3 1/2. For me to be potentially locked up there for five weeks plus the Olympics, that’s a long time being away from my family,” said Pietrangelo. He indicated he won’t make a decision until the players receive further clarification on the COVID protocols for the Olympics.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chinese law states people who test positive for COVID-19 face a quarantine period of between three to five weeks. It remains to be seen if there will be exemptions for Olympic participants.
The NHL and NHLPA have until Jan. 10 to opt-out of Olympic participation without facing financial consequences. League commissioner Gary Bettman expressed concern last week over those protocols but said he’d leave it up to the players to decide if they’ll participate in the Beijing Games.
Other NHL players could share Pietrangelo’s concerns. A number of them could back out of participation rather than risk a lengthy quarantine in China without pay if they contract COVID-19 during the Olympic tournament.
THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline reports Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo faces a deadline to fulfill his mandatory military service in Finland before the end of the regular season. All Finnish males between 18 and 28 must serve a required number of days of compulsory service.
The Finnish government released a statement indicating athletes like Korpisalo, who turns 29 on Apr. 28, will begin their service on Apr. 11. However, the Blue Jackets regular season ends on Apr. 29. The required service is 165, 255 or 347 days depending on the assignment.
Korpisalo said he put off his service due to his offseason training schedule. His passport expires in a year’s time and the Finnish government won’t issue him a new one until he completes his service.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Portzline pointed out it was easier in the past for Finnish athletes to avoid service but the rules were changed several years ago. Korpisalo said he wouldn’t leave the Jackets to do his service while their season was ongoing. However, this could affect his chances of getting a new NHL contract this summer when he becomes eligible for unrestricted free agent status.
ESPN.COM: The Chicago Blackhawks placed forward Reese Johnson on injured reserve with a broken right clavicle.
4 kids under 3 1/2? Ain’t no dust gathering on the misses misses.
Gotta be some twins in the mix?
No, he’s just active around the crease.
Boom
Hi Chrisms …. We (Mrs Pengy and I ) had 4 kids in 3 1/2 years… no twins
Petro (and his wife) had the “pleasure” (if possible to say that) of having triplets … I say ouch BTW
Way to geterdone pengy.
The possibility of an Olympic athlete being detained in China because of a conflict between China and Taiwan may be more worrisome than that of being detained because of COVID, and the detention period would certainly be of greater duration.
Francis et al. As a Canadian, having watched the nonsense of the two Michael’s, I can not blame any athlete from anywhere taking a long hard look at a Olympic participation. Unfortunately, it would be exceedingly easy for China to claim a positive test and hold an athlete ‘hostage’ for some political gain. Deny countries access to the player AND the test is well within the CCP’s wheelhouse as demonstrated by very recent events. I understand athletes’ especially those who are true amateurs in sports that do not get a lot of attention except a Olympic time, taking the risk. I get, though, folk in the NHL who have a solid base to return to walking away.
Unless Xi Jinping comes out and publicly states that on his personal honor all athlete’s at the Games will be treat fairly AND transparently I would hesitate to go….
Can we trust that there is such a thing as personal honor in the makeup of a dictator? I wouldn’t want to ruin the Olympic promise of bringing the world together by excluding the Chinese, but at the same time, I wouldn’t want inclusion to mean my spending my life included in a Chinese prison.
Pietrangelo had triplets in 2018
Hi HF30
Sorry reading/responding late today; and reading down the page North to South…. So sorry re duplicating ur response re Petro trips
Re players and Olympics…. I fully support whatever decision they make…. Would love them to go but I certainly wouldn’t take the risk with small children at home
Hoping the Chinese gov’t allows exemptions…. Say 2 neg tests; 7 day quarantine with subsequent 2 neg tests; then can retrn home … so worst case is an extra week on top of currently “planned “ time for being there ; and that’s only IF (worst case) they test positive on last day of tournament
Note—— this decision also has to be individually weighed for team coaches; trainers; doctors etc
Pengy,
lol nothing to be sorry about
That’s the way the Avalanche need to play all the time, took some and gave it back, against a good Panther’s team. Burakovsky serious wrist shot and back hander was on top of his game minus Landeskog and Kadri. Good job boys, keep it going. GO AVS!!!!!!