NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 3, 2023
The Stars fall to the Kraken despite Joe Pavelski’s record-setting performance, the Panthers draw first blood against the Leafs, the Selke Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The Seattle Kraken blew a 4-2 lead to the Dallas Stars but emerged with a 5-4 overtime victory in Game 1 of their best-of-seven second-round series. Stars winger Joe Pavelski set an NHL record as the oldest player (38) to score four goals in a playoff game. Yanni Gourde tallied the game-winner and Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist for the Kraken. Game 2 is Thursday in Dallas.
Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The previous record was held by Maurice “Rocket” Richard, who was 35 when he scored four goals in a playoff game in 1957. It was Pavelski’s first game since being sidelined by a concussion during Game 1 of the Stars’ first-round series against the Minnesota Wild.
Six goals were scored in the first period with the Kraken taking that early two-goal lead. I don’t think we’ll see another period like that as both teams become more familiar with each other as this series rolls along.
Kraken winger Jared McCann did not make the trip with his teammates to Dallas. He’s expected to miss both games there. The Kraken’s leading scorer in the regular season, McCann’s been sidelined by an undisclosed injury after being hit by Cale Makar in Game 4 of the Kraken’s first-round series with the Colorado Avalanche.
Speaking of blown two-goal leads and recovering to win, the Florida Panthers doubled up the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening game of their second-round series. The Leafs overcame a 2-0 deficit with two second-period goals but Carter Verhaeghe tallied what proved to be the winning goal. Matthew Tkachuk collected three assists while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 34 shots. Leafs rookie Matthew Knies netted his first-ever NHL goal. Game 2 is Thursday in Toronto.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers had little time to rest and recuperate from their first-round upset of the Boston Bruins. Nevertheless, they showed plenty of jump in this game while the Leafs at times seemed to struggle to get up to speed. I expect we’ll see a better effort from the latter in Game 2.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier and Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner are this year’s finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as this season’s top defensive forward.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the 12th consecutive season that Bergeron has been a finalist for the Selke. He won it last season for a record-setting fifth time and could be the sentimental favorite given the uncertainty over whether he’ll return for another season. This is the first time Hischier and Marner have been finalists for this award.
New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar and Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point are finalists for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy awarded to the NHL’s most gentlemanly player.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kopitar is a three-time finalist who won the award in 2015-16. This is the first time that Hughes and Point are been named as finalists.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy said he dealt with minor injuries and didn’t give himself sufficient recovery time. He believes that affected his play down the stretch and in their first-round series against the Leafs.
TSN.CA: Speaking of the Lightning, Victory Hedman dealt with a hip impingement suffered in Game 1 against the Leafs. Brayden Point suffered a rib cage cartilage fracture in that series. Defenseman Erik Cernak is making progress in his recovery from a concussion suffered in Game 1 as a result of an illegal hit to the head by the Leafs’ Michael Bunting. Winger Tanner Jeannot was in and out of the lineup with a high-ankle sprain.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark played coy over a report suggesting that he suffered from a debilitating injury that affected his movement during his club’s first-round series against the Florida Panthers. Asked several times if he was hurt in that series, he replied, “No. Yes and no.” He said he wasn’t going to clarify his status until he completed his end-of-season physical.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Speaking of the Bruins, Dmitry Orlov expressed interest in returning to the Washington Capitals but isn’t sure if that’s possible given their salary-cap constraints. The 32-year-old defenseman is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He spent his entire career with the Capitals until acquired by the Bruins before the March 3 trade deadline.
TSN: Darren Dreger reported there’s a chance Joel Quenneville could return to the NHL coaching ranks if he receives clearance from the league this summer.
Quenneville stepped down as head coach of the Florida Panthers in 2021 after specifics were revealed of how the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled allegations that player Kyle Beach was sexually abused by a member of their coaching staff in 2010. Quenn3ville was the head coach of the Blackhawks at that time.
TWINCITIES.COM: The Minnesota Wild signed forward Marcus Johansson to a two-year, $4 million contract. He was eligible for UFA status on July 1.
NBC SPORTS WASHINGTON: The Capitals signed defenseman Alex Alexeyev to a two-year, $1.65 million contract extension. He was due to become a restricted free agent on July 1.
NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers signed defenseman Egor Zamula to a one-year, $775K contract.
DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson underwent surgery on his left shoulder on Monday. His recovery time is four-to-six months.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Former first-round draft pick Henrik Borgstrom has signed with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chosen 23rd overall by the Florida Panthers in 2016, the 25-year-old Borgstrom struggled to earn a regular roster spot in the NHL. He bounced between the big league and the minors with the Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks and the Capitals since 2017-18, netting 13 goals and 26 points in 111 NHL games.
And there goes home-ice advantage in the first two series to get under way.
Hey George do you see why Dubas wanted Knies out last year.
Everyone said he was NHL ready looks like they were right.
Tough start for the Leafs but the way the playoffs are going losing the first game doesn’t mean much.
So very true. And they did lose the first at home to Tampa as well.
Yeah, but this time Trono did not knock out one of their starters and hobble 2 other stars!
The Leafs are full soft players that don’t play hard Johnny.
That Knies kid looks pretty tough and hard to knock off the puck. He was determined to get the puck in the next on the goal he scored last night.
Whether or not he’s the best candidate… and he might well be… Bergeron will get selke cause of his pending retirement.
sure Marner plays a complete game now but telling me he is even top 15 defensive forward in the league…so many homer votes. now it becomes the top tier forwards who still backcheck voting?
I really think that Toffoli is underrated when it comes to the Selke.
It must all be a conspiracy to get Marner or Bergeron the Selke!
Or, just maybe, they will give it to who the majority think is the best defensive forward.
All 3 are good candidates IMO, but C’s do have a tougher role defensively that wingers.
One thing I have never been interested in are individual awards
For the most part, George, I am with you. They often devolve into media popularity contests. Or worse, ‘lifetime achievement awards’ masquerading as an annual award. (as Chrisms notes)
However, in some sports, there are some awards that are voted on by the other players. Those interest me much more. Even unofficial player polls, which pop up from time-to-time, interest me way more.
I want to know who McDavid thinks is a good defensemen, not who some suit from TSN/ESPN, or the league thinks is the best.
Whalercane, I’ve been thumping that tub for years – let the players choose who they feel is the best, with the only proviso being they can’t vote for their own teammate.
Otherwise, the ballot-stuffers prevail.
I’m more interested in who wins the Ted Lindsay than the Hart. The Lindsay is voted on by the players. It will never be hyped up as much as the Hart because the media likes the awards that they vote for, not the players.
The Norris is another award that really annoys me. The Norris is supposed to go to the best ALL AROUND d-man. Not the d-man who leads the league in scoring. What Karlsson did this season is amazing, but as good as he was offensively this season, he was equally bad in his own end, and there is a lot of video out there to prove my point.
I’m not sure that’s the answer either. Last year players picked Carey Price as “the best goaltender “.
When is the last time Carey Price was even in the top 5 in any category? 2014?
Apparently, players can also fall to sentiment.
True that Captain.
All humans have bias, conscious and unconscious. Look at the results of fan voting in multiple sports for all-star games.
Heck look at who we vote for in elections? Folks don’t always vote for who is the best candidate for their personal situation and it is often an emotional decision vs a logical or policy based one.
Having said all that, the players, coaches and GM’s are the best judge of who is the best IMO.
12 straight years being a Selke finalist …. Just another reason he’s first ballot HHOF . Good on ya PB
Beware the Wild Cards…. Ouch
Little Joe…. Very impressive 👍👍👍👍
Re Quenville potential return…. Betman has to tread carefully on how he handles this; if/when Quenville asks to be available
Setting aside the above re BlackHawks failures re abuse…. Love Quenville as a coach
I think he would be very good as a replacement to Sully (if new GM decides to move him). Sully has a great pedigree but this year and much of last; he put personal (sentimental) roster choices ahead of what was in the best interest of the team (cite Carter/Kappy/McG as 3rd line for so long; Dumo in and for large minutes when he was costly to team; and for every game he played Ruhweedel if either of Friedman or Smith were healthy…. Basically almost every game he played CR)
Not likely there is a coaching change for Leafs; but if there is (and it won’t happen if the get past Cats) then Quenville as Leafs bench boss would be welcomed
Coach Q goes to NYR
Very likely
But hoping not
Pengy….The Penguins have $20 plus million to retool around Crosby Malkin and Letang…well $ 24 million if they buy out Granlund…which they should do..
The Penguins if they hire a competent GM the Penguins will be right back next year in the playoffs… no doubt.
Not like they missed the playoffs by 10 points.
They had no Third line, no fourth line, no consistent goaltending and inconsistent/injuries to Petry/Rutta/Letang
Hextall/Burke did nothing last off season or at this years trade deadline to make this a whole and more balanced team and not just two lines.
All the haters ON HERE Captain Obvious AND OTHERS and the doubters they will see next year come soon enough……..
You really are a sensitive bunch aren’t you?
Lol.
Missed playoffs
1st round exit
1st round exit
1st round exit
1st round exit
2nd round exit
Yeah, nothin to see here folks! This team is headed in the right direction! Aging / same core, zero in the pipeline. Looks like a solid contender to me! If I put on those black and yellow glasses some Pens fans have glued to their heads!
Good luck with that!
Haters? You mean people in touch with reality?
https://www.zazzle.com/penguin_party_glasses-256426600971232137?srsltid=AR57-fCANBqUba01QlkM0_bbTruS8BIzqQtzttPomz8LEIUVby2yAYN_cmc
1st round exit
1st round exit
1st round exit
1st round exit
2nd round exit
Stanley Cup Winner
Stanley Cup Winner
There, I corrected your list to provide context. Tell us more about how great your team’s record is.
“Hextall/Burke did nothing last off season or at this years trade deadline to make this a whole and more balanced team and not just two lines.”
Nor do the fanatics tip to the fact that Hextall/Burke did nothing at the trade deadline probably because no one wanted what they were trying to peddle.
Which, considering they’re at the bottom of the prospect pool and by their own admission have nothing of consequence on the 3rd and 4th lines, D-men they’d like to peddle but who are perpetually injured, and goalies who are “inconsistent”, shouldn’t come as a surprise.
And finally, maybe they should climb off the high-horse, over-used “haters” accusation when debating the situation with those who are simply looking at the Penguins situation pragmatically.
Lol. So sensitive!
See which direction they’ve headed including those Stanley Cups? Hmmmm if the order was flipped I’d understand your enthusiasm.
I mean, I’m all for the direction. To the contrary of being a “hater” I’m I. Love with what Pittsburgh is doing!
Please, hire Lou, sign every 35 year old free agent you can! Bring back MAF for sentimental reasons! That’s paid off handsomely with other aging players!
20 million in cap space to “retool “ with 15 players under contract next year and nothing in the prospect pool! Looks awesome to me!
How could that possibly go wrong? Just look at how it worked for Detroit, Chicago etc.
Brilliant!
I seriously don’t understand how an entire fan base can be so blind and sensitive.? It’s really bizarre.
As a Ranger fan, when they decided to blow it up years ago 1 point outside the playoffs at the trade deadline, it wasn’t exactly a banner moment but I understood why they did it!
Why did they do it? They simply were not good enough to truly compete for a cup.
Why does this entire fan base just not see the writing that’s clearly on the wall?
Bizarre to say the least.
Well, good luck with that! Here’s hoping Lou is on his way! Lou on a 10 year deal would be awesome!
So you think you are looking at it pragmatically? I beg to differ.
And Randino, you seemed to have missed the latest one on your list.
Missed playoffs
And what’s your opinion Chrism? Stay the course? How’s that been working out?
How is Pittsburgh immune to what every other similar team has gone through? Chicago, LA, Detroit, And I’m adding Tampa to the list because they also look like a team that spent the future to win those cups.
Heavy price but worth it. Reality is reality. Some people just struggle with reality.
I don’t think anyone said the Pens are immune. This is the price you pay for winning. Most fans realize that and are grateful for the good years. I don’t think it’s ridiculous for some fans to be nostalgic. Me personally, I don’t mind a few years of first round playoff exits and missed playoffs here and there to see sid and geno play another couple years. I also don’t think that a quick retool is out of the question. Who says the next guy can’t put together a team that utilizes its aging core?
Fine Chrisms … that’s the way you see it. Some of us see it differently. C’est la vie. I don’t “hate” the Penguins …. in fact, I really don’t give a rat’s ass what they do or don’t do in the off-season. Hence the “pragmatic” use (dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations).
However, if they are part of the subject matter, and since I watch a lot of NHL hockey involving a lot of teams, I will feel free to state my opinion as and when the occasion arises. And that does not make me a “hater.” Missed by 1 point? So what? When the Penguins won the Cup in 2017, they got there by beating Ottawa in double OT of game 7. Looked promising for Ottawa right? They missed the playoff the next year and haven’t been back since. Being “close” did little for them. And there have been all sorts of similar examples over the years.
And I thought some Leafs fans had thin skin. Jaysus!
History says so.
It’s surely optimistic bias, but, as a fan, I can live with it. What do you think is more likely to happen first? The Penguins win a playoff round or the Sens make the playoffs altogether?
Where are the Senators part of today’s discussion?
Well, since you asked, Dorion has made as many gaffes over the course of his career as GM as he has good/decent moves. Unfortunately those gaffes have been at the root cause of their playoff drought. Are they getting close?
Mmm … yeah … but I’ll withhold judgement on their playoff chances until I see what – if anything – he does this off season.
One thing is certain. He has more with which to deal than do the Penguins when it comes to assets to peddle. Or should I say – prepared and willing to peddle.
Oh, and before I forget, I have a question of my own.
Is the position of Penguins fans in here such that, if and when non-fans post an opinion on the team it must never be negative in scope … only complementary … or, if negative, only in agreement with the negative posts submitted by Penguins fans? Such as criticism of Hextall-Burke?
So in response to two different posts from you George the game 7 and one game out thing shows how close this league is. It’s a bounce away. You don’t trade a chance for a playoff run by trading away star assets, that also sell lots of merch btw, for a chance that the assets returned will keep you competitive… when you are already competitive.
And speaking personally. Your argument isn’t touching a nerve as a pens fan. It’s just a poor argument overall for any nhl team. It has nothing to do with the pens. It’s just a fundamentally flawed position. You are saying competitive teams should shed star players while they remain competitive for future assets. Because they May decline in the near future. The pens to use them as the example proved this argument wrong. The stars played to their potential. It was the failure of the gm to put a solid team around them.
George, I only brought the Sens into the discussion because I know they are your team. Trying to evoke feelings from a fan perspective.
As far as being over sensitive to negative comments. I don’t feel like it’s being over sensitive to defend your team and some of the majority of the decisions made by the organization. There will always be some you disagree with. However, the Hextal/Burke years are fair game for criticism imo. Those guys sucked.
On this site, I don’t think being nice or pulling punches is necessary. Feel free to fire away. But, a fiery response should be expected.
And Chrisms, at the risk of repeating myself, when you say “The stars played to their potential. It was the failure of the gm to put a solid team around them.” that was because, other than the “stars” they had nothing that any other team wanted – certainly not anything for whom they’d relinquish BETTER assets.
And as far as I can see, that was thanks to their predecessor.
Florida is going to be a tough team to beat, they just might be the best team in the East right now. Last season’s best team, underachieved all this season. They are looking like they have figured things out and are peeking at the right time. It’s not like we haven’t seen this before from an 8th seed. The 2011/12 LA Kings were an 8th seed and won. The 2005/06 Oilers were an 8th seed and went to the SCFs. It’s looking like it just might happen again.
When the Panthers were healthy they played at a 110 pt clip. Like I said during their first round, it’s not like Boston was playing against a team that shouldn’t be there, it’s a 1A vs 1B with very little between them.
The cats will be just as hard to send packing as any other team. To think otherwise is foolish.
It is only one game, but there is a lot to like about Florida…very good on the forecheck.
No, Iago, they are not just good on the forecheck … they are relentless and all 4 lines have wheels.
Difference is that their goaltending was excellent in the first game.
Bob was stellar.
Tkachuk, love him or hate him the guy is an absolute beast. He had under 18 minutes TOI yesterday and I swear, it seemed like he played the whole 60.
If Brodie doesn’t make a terrible decision on that third goal I feel this game was definitely going to the Leafs.
Brodie and McCabe had some mental gaffes in that game, the good news is that those are fixable.
Another of the great, Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s records was broken last night. Great showing by Pavs.
I haven’t kept track of exactly how many old records fell this year, but man, what a season to watch hockey.
As for the Selke, the players all know. It was Bergeron(Bos), Hicsher(NJ), Petterson(Van)
Marner(Tor) is a great choice for finalist as well. He plays a good game, but he cheats often.
Hicsher never cheats. Petterson is almost there.
Bergeron does Bergeron stuff, and he’s still best in the league doing it.
Petterson did have a great season this year. Apparently, he put on some muscle this past off-season and was able to stay pretty healthy all season long. This was one of the criticisms I had of him for the past few years. This season he wasn’t bumped off the puck as easily as he was in the previous seasons. He was able to stay in the battle and win. He also looked quicker this year.
A Vegas Seattle WCF would be something.
Sticking with Oilers to get to cup final, but that series could easily go either way. May come down to Skinner vs Brossoit. Edmonton native vs ex Edmonton Oil King. Good for Brossoit, he’s been fighting injuries for a couple years and is healthy again. Word is he can still play, and the guy was a gamer in in Jr when playoffs came around. Some long runs and WHL champ.
UFA after the season as a solid backup or even 1B guy.
Quenville does not deserve to ever coach again in the NHL. A young man was sexually abused and he and his staff basically did nothing. Men like that have no conscience. Just because he was a good coach means crap. A young man had his life ruined and Quenville did nothing. Not only that but he said he knew nothing about the case which was a lie as confirmed by multiple witnesses.
This!
We tend to overlook how teams get into the playoffs in favour of overall points and standings.
The Panthers coasted in last year and couldn’t handle the tempo of the playoffs.
This year they fought their way and played playoff hockey down the stretch.
It’s a possible explanation for the success of lower seeded teams.
HF30, yep.
Very good point.
Re;
Darren Dreger reported there’s a chance
Joel Quenneville could return to the NHL coaching ranks if he receives clearance from the league this summer.
He would be a Great Next Coach for Ottawa….👍
No thank you.
As a Leafs fan, I’ve never disliked the Sens, I was even cheering for them on their run a few years ago. This hire would change that, and I feel a lot of sens fans would feel the same way.
Allegedly, the two top bids have Ryan Reynolds and Snoop Dogg involved, there is zero chance they want anything to do with JQ.
You got that right.
If the Snoop Dog bid wins, do they call the Arena, The Joint?
LOL. Good one. If he does win the bid, you can bet a lot will call it that regardless of the “official” name.
Captain Obvious…You really are an idiot… Pittsburgh isn’t falling apart like Chicago did and like the Kings did for a while did they.
Yes the Penguins are aging as you obnoxiously point out over and over and over …you are like a bad pimple that just wont go away.
Look if Crosby and Malkin struggled mightily and they missed the playoffs by 10 points…ok I would agree with you. They didn’t infract Crosby Malkin Zucker carried the team.
If they get a competent GM in there who will not shy away like Hextll and Burke did they can retool and be super competitive next year. I would love Dubas who isn’t afraid to add to his team if it makes sense..
They will have (if they buyout Granlund) which they will $24 million in cap space that can fix a lot of issues that Hextall/Burke didn’t address last year.
This years playoffs should be proof evident that once you are in who knows. I would be more worried about Washington who is aging more and has a lot less cap space to improve.
Mark my word Captain Obnoxious they Penguins will be back..
BnG, all good to argue and debate the topic, but the name calling should be left out of it.
Not a good look.
Agreed. But… captain obnoxious wasn’t terrible…🤷♂️
I was referring to the idiot part chrisms
He is overly fond of that epithet.