NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 13, 2022
Evgeni Malkin achieves a Penguins franchise milestone, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington reach career milestones, the three stars of the week are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin scored with 35 seconds left in the third period to down the Dallas Stars by a score of 2-1. It was Malkin’s 79th career game-winner, moving him past Jaromir Jagr into second place on the all-time franchise list. Sidney Crosby is the current leader with 83 game-winning goals. Pierre-Olivier Joseph also scored for the Penguins (17-8-4) while Roope Hintz tallied for the 16-8-5 Stars.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (NHL Images).
Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 20 shots while Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Fleury recorded his 18th season with at least 10 wins, making him the fourth goaltender in NHL history to achieve that feat. Zach Hyman replied for the Oilers (16-13-0) as Connor McDavid’s points streak ended at seven games. The Wild improved their record to 15-11-2.
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington turned in a 25-save shutout for his 100th career victory in a 1-0 win over the Nashville Predators. Brayden Schenn tallied the winner in overtime as the Blues improved to 13-15-1. The Predators have lost three straight and fall to 12-11-3.
An overtime goal by Filip Chytil lifted the New York Rangers over the New Jersey Devils 4-3. Third-period goals by Vincent Trocheck and Kaapo Kakko seven seconds apart rallied the Rangers (15-10-5) and set the stage for Chytil’s game-winner. Dawson Mercer had two points for the Devils (21-5-2), giving them 44 points. They sit one point behind the first-overall Boston Bruins.
Shootout goals by Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach gave the Montreal Canadiens a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. Josh Anderson scored the game-tying goal for the Canadiens as they move to 14-12-2. Jonathan Huberdeau opened the scoring for the Flames (13-11-5) and also tallied in the shootout.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Injuries took a toll on both teams in this game. Canadiens winger Cole Caufield left this contest in the second period with an upper-body injury following a hit from Calgary’s Trevor Lewis while Flames defenseman Chris Tanev was struck in the head by a Suzuki slap shot while killing a penalty. The Flames were also without forward Elias Lindholm (upper-body injury) and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar (non-COVID-related illness).
Ottawa Senators goaltender Cam Talbot kicked out 32 shots to blank the Anaheim Ducks 3-0. Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Parker Kelly also scored for the Senators (12-14-2). The Ducks fall to 7-19-3.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ottawa center Tim Stutzle left this game in the first period with an upper-body injury following a collision with the Ducks’ Brett Leason. Senators forward Tyler Motte was also sidelined by an upper-body injury in the first period. Before the game, the Senators formally inducted former defenseman Wade Redden into their Ring of Honour.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren, Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson and Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Dec. 11, 2022.
TSN: The Vegas Golden Knights placed center Jack Eichel on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and placed defenseman Zach Whitecloud (lower body) on long-term injured reserve.
THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken claimed winger Eeli Tolvanen off waivers from the Nashville Predators.
ESPN.COM: Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said his team won’t rebuild with Alex Ovechkin on the roster. He said he promised his captain that the club will remain competitive while the winger chases Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record of 894. Ovechkin currently has 797 career goals. The Capitals have just 10 players under contract for 2023-24 with John Carlsson as the only defenseman signed beyond this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise there. Leonsis wants to ensure Ovechkin has the roster support to help him reach the record. The Capitals captain’s contract expires in 2026, after which he’ll likely retire. The club could then commence a rebuild depending on the caliber of younger players they bring into the roster through trades and the draft.
SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: The Sharks activated goaltender James Reimer off injured reserve. He’d been sidelined since Nov. 25.
NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi received 50-100 stitches after being struck in the face by the skate of Winnipeg Jets forward Michael Eyssimont on Friday. He returned to that game in the second period wearing a face shield.
OTTAWA SUN: The Senators settled a lawsuit launched by Capitals Sports Management Inc against former partners in the LeBreton Flats arena project. League sources said the lawsuit would not affect the sale of the Senators.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Recent reports indicate there is considerable interest among several groups in purchasing the club.
This article appears in The Athletic re Tolvanen being taken off waivers by Seattle:
” • The 23-year-old Tolvanen has two goals and two assists in 13 games played. He was a Predators first-round pick (No. 30) in 2017 and was highly regarded for his scoring ability.
• Last season, Tolvanen scored 11 goals in 75 games. The year before he scored 11 in 40 games for a 0.28 goals-per-game average — an 82-game pace of just under 23 goals.
As a prospect, Tolvanen’s skill, hockey IQ and especially his shot were all excellent. Scouts considered him a premier goal scorer and power play asset.
However, Tolvanen’s skating and his compete level have always been a concern with scouts. The fear was that Tolvanen’s offense wouldn’t translate to the NHL, despite being a good pro at other levels.
Tolvanen likely starts somewhere in Seattle’s bottom-six, but could obviously move up if his play warrants it. Sometimes it’s tricky for a player to shine if they’re in that depth role, whether they’re weighed down by lesser teammates or simply don’t have enough ice time to make a difference.
That could be seen as the case in Nashville; at the NHL level, he has yet to average more than 14:48 minutes, and this year was about two minutes lower than that career high.
In Seattle, the ice time distribution is a lot more even for the top three lines. If Tolvanen plays above the fourth line, there may be more opportunity for him. What also helps is that the Kraken are a deeper team with their forward depth throughout the lineup. Having play drivers on the third line, if Tolvanen slots there, gives him a better chance to succeed considering the linemate support versus what he was accustomed to in Nashville where the team is pretty thin below their top forwards. “
I think the problem is Nashville, I can’t think of one good forward that was developed / drafted in that system.
Not one comes to mind.
D-men they’re all over, but they just have zero luck with forwards.
Am I missing someone?
I did some checking and, by and large, you’re right. Going back to their beginning, when it comes to forwards these have to rank as their best picks, with several unfortunately doing their best work after being moved/allowed to leave: David Legwand, Scott Hartnell, Scottie Upshall, Alex Radulov, Kevin Fiala, Viktor Arvidsson (in 2010 they also picked Austin Matthews 18th overall, and while he’s been an OK 4th liner since joining Ottawa, he’s done nothing to suggest taking him that high was a good choice
With “in 2010 they also picked Austin Matthews 18th overall” you had me do a double take. LOL
I had to look and I think you mean Austin Watson. LOL
Austin Mathews would have been an okay pickup for Nashville. Lol
LOL. Brain fart. I WISH Matthews was now in Ottawa.
Correction with McDavid’s point streak. His 7 game-goal streak ended. His point streak is now at 9 games with an assist on the Oilers only goal.