NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 20, 2023
Recaps of Thursday’s games plus the latest on Patrik Laine, Kaiden Guhle, Craig Anderson and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The Calgary Flames nipped the Buffalo Sabres 4-3. Adam Ruzicka snapped a 3-3 tie in the third period while Dan Vladar stopped 24 shots for the win as the Flames improved to 2-1-1. Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens each collected two assists for the Sabres, who drop to 1-3-0 to start the season.
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves in a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist for the 2-2-0 Panthers. Mitch Marner scored for the 2-2-0 Leafs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi was bumped down to the third line to begin the second period as he’s playing through an injury.
The Nashville Predators defeated the New York Rangers 4-1. Cole Smith tallied twice, Filip Forsberg and Tyson Barrie each had two points and Juuse Saros turned aside 24 shots for the Predators (2-3-0). Adam Fox replied for the Rangers (2-2-0) while goalie Igor Shesterkin got the hook after giving up four goals in 18 shots.
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (NHL Images).
Nikita Kucherov scored two goals as the Tampa Bay Lightning improved to 2-2-1 by holding off the Vancouver Canucks 4-3. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos picked up an assist as he returned to action after missing the last two games with a lower-body injury. J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson each had two points for the 2-2-0 Canucks.
The Philadelphia Flyers got two goals from Cam Atkinson in a 4-1 upset of the Edmonton Oilers, dropping the latter to 1-3-0. Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett each had two assists while Carter Hart made 22 saves for the 3-1-0 Flyers, who sit atop the Metropolitan Division. Zach Hyman scored for the Oilers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers were outworked and outhustled by the Flyers in this game. It’s still very early in the season and the Oilers have plenty of time to recover from this poor start. For now, though, they look nothing like the Stanley Cup contender they were projected to be this season.
Los Angeles Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois scored two goals in 12 seconds in the second period to lead his club over the Minnesota Wild 7-3. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala each had two points for the Kings as they improved to 2-1-1. Connor Dewar, Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek replied for the Wild as they dropped to 2-2-0.
The Arizona Coyotes got power-play goals by Nick Bjugstad, Jason Zucker and Sean Durzi in a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Durzi, Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz each had a goal and an assist for the 2-2-0 Coyotes. Jakub Vrana and Sammy Blais scored for the 1-1-1 Blues.
A third-period power-play goal by Jack Eichel broke a 3-3 tie as the Vegas Golden Knights downed the Winnipeg Jets 5-3. Logan Thompson made 36 saves while Shea Theodore collected three assists for the 5-0-0 Golden Knights. Alex Iafallo netted two goals for the 1-3-0 Jets, who scratched defenseman Nate Schmidt from this contest.
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen broke a 2-2 tie to lift his club to a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks (1-2-0). Heiskanen finished the night with a goal and two assists while teammate Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist as the Stars improved to 2-0-1. Ducks rookie Leo Carlsson netted his first NHL goal while teammate Troy Terry had a goal and an assist.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks defenseman Jamie Drysdale missed this game with a lower-body injury.
The Seattle Kraken got their first win of the season by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 7-4. Vince Dunn and Oliver Bjorkstrand each had a goal and two assists for the 1-3-1 Kraken. Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists for the 3-2-0 Hurricanes.
Colorado Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 18 shots to shut out the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0. Logan O’Connor, Ryan Johansen, Devon Toews and Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche as they improved to 4-0-0. Petr Mrazek made 37 saves for the Blackhawks as they dropped to 2-3-0.
Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak extended his goal streak to three games in a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks. James van Riemsdyk and Brad Marchand also scored for 3-0-0 Bruins while Anthony Duclair replied for the 0-3-1 Sharks.
HEADLINES
DAILY FACEOFF: Columbus Blue Jackets star Patrik Laine isn’t impressed with his poor start to this season. “I feel like it’s overall been pretty awful, pretty awful so far,” he told The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. “Can’t hit the net if my life depends on it. Can’t make any plays. Can’t win a faceoff.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It could be down to the pressure of playing a new position. As the article noted, Laine is playing center this season for the first time after spending the past seven seasons as a left wing.
Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens followers were expecting the worst after losing center Kirby Dach for the season with a knee injury. They’re undoubtedly breathing a sigh of relief now.
The Winnipeg Jets aren’t the only club suffering at the gate early in this season. The Buffalo Sabres are at 83 percent capacity through their opening home games while the Washington Capitals sellout streak of 588 games ended on Monday. The San Jose Sharks drew just 10,000 for their third game of the season while the Calgary Flames didn’t sell out their home opener.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Several factors are likely behind this. The rising cost of living caused by inflation can make it difficult for fans to afford the cost of attending NHL games. As the piece also noted, the start of the NHL season also coincides with Major League Baseball playoffs and in some markets that’s going to draw away eyeballs from hockey. Meanwhile, teams like the Sharks are in the middle of a rebuild while the Flames, Jets and Capitals are coming off a disappointing 2022-23 campaign.
The Ottawa Senators will sign goaltender Craig Anderson to a one-day contract so that he can officially retire as a member of the club. He’ll join the Sabres as a hockey liaison.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Anderson spent half of his 20-year NHL playing career with the Senators. The high-water mark of his tenure in Ottawa was backstopping them to the 2017 Eastern Conference Final.
San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek, Ottawa Senators forward Zack MacEwen and Pittsburgh Penguins center Jansen Harkins were placed on waivers yesterday.
Nice to see that move by the Senators to bring Craig Anderson back to the organization.
I guess the Sabers can bring in Halak now to save the season, since Anderson is going to the Sens……
Agreed on that one George , he deserves it as does his family. I am sure his wife will enjoy the night as well she received a lot of support in Ottawa when she was ill.
Fergy22, I always felt it was Dorion’s biggest mistake to drop Anderson followed by an extended stretch of searching for the “answer” in goal in Murray and then Talbot.
Not that it was a bad idea to perhaps find a younger netminder who could solidify that key position, but rather to bring in two veterans whose histories of repeated – and varied – injuries were already well-documented.
Top 3 centers on the Bruins after 3 games … 0 goals … 3 assists & 3-0 in standings, guess they don’t need a 1st line center
Still 79 games to go, Joe.
🤩
Joe, the bruins have a very favorable schedule for the month of October
Chi, nash, SJ, LA, Ana, Chi ,Ana, Det, Flr
They need to come out of October with at worst a 6-3 record
They didn’t look good last night. Their best line was Coyle, JVR and Frederick. Play like that against LA they won’t be coming away with a win.
Ya, it’s been a pretty easy start start Caper, but hey they have won all 3. Could be the Oil with an easy start and be 1-3.
Their underlying #’s look good, PP has been OK and their PK is pitching a shutout. Goaltending has been great, again. Guys who get paid to produce offence are for the most part.
Kind of winning the way we thought they had to, to be successful. Batten down the hatches when you need to, with opportunistic scoring. Win special teams.
Just started a 3 game in 4 nights road trip with a win, and a test with LA in the middle. If they finish 2-1, all good IMO. 3-0, outstanding.
Go B’s.
Boston do need to fill that 1st line centre position for sure. after the first 12/15 game we should see some moves, Or they could wait for the UFA season to start❓
the #1 centre in the UFA market is a 28 yr old flames
Elias Lindholm, im sure he will test the UFA market and chose where he wants to go….🤔
he is going to be in the $9.M to $10.M Range
If…. his buddy A local boy gos back home to Boston…❓
The Flames other UFA Big 26 yr old LD man
Noah Hanifin… Boston would have a Great top 4 d…..
he is probly looking at $7.M range….
Zacha is a 2nd line Centre at best
&
Charlie Coyle is more of a low scoreing defencive 3rd line centre getting about 30-35 point a year
maybe they trade him as part of a package for Lindholm………🤔
Would really like to see #37 walk into that Bruins dressing room and say to all let’s give it one more try at the SC …
Lyle, re Anderson in your blurb above you write “He’ll join the Senators as a hockey liaison.”
Now, reading the column in the Ottawa Sun it’s indicated that he’s joining the Sabres in that position – not Ottawa, although he will be signed for one day by Ottawa on Tuesday so he can retire as a Senator.
https://ottawasun.com/sports/hockey/snapshots-the-ottawa-senators-will-be-without-defenceman-artem-zub-saturday
I saw that too George. It works well for him. He loves Ottawa and Buffalo and they’re not super far geographically. He’s supposed to make sure the goalie tandem for the Sabres keeps moving forward. I was hoping he’d be hired to take Lance Stroll’s spot in F1. Craig is a huge racing fan, pretty sure most of us could drive better than “No Pole Stroll”