NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 25, 2023
Recapping the “Frozen Frenzy” of Tuesday’s 16 games involving all 32 teams in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1. Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll made 36 saves while Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly each had a goal and an assist as the Leafs improved to 4-2-0. Alex Ovechkin replied for the 1-3-1 Capitals, scoring his first of the season and becoming the first NHL player to tally 300 career power-play goals.
Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson scored twice and collected an assist in a 6-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Jeff Skinner also netted two goals for the 3-4-0 Sabres. Senators goalie Anton Forsberg got the hook after giving up five goals on 18 shots as his club slipped to 3-3-0.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators honored Craig Anderson with a pregame ceremony. Anderson, 42, announced his retirement after 20 NHL seasons, half of those with the Senators. He signed a one-day contract with the Sens on Tuesday to officially end his playing career with them. He spent his final two seasons with the Sabres and will be working with them as a hockey liaison.
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson turned in a 32-save shutout to blank the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0. Brayden Point, Alex Barre-Boulet and Nick Paul were the goalscorers for the Lightning (3-2-2). Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 20 shots for the Hurricanes as they fell to 3-4-0.
New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes (NHL Images).
The New Jersey Devils (3-1-1) got a hat trick from Tyler Toffoli and Jack Hughes collected four assists in a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens (3-2-1). Defensemen Justin Barron and Mike Matheson scored for the Canadiens as Cayden Primeau made 29 saves.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes leads all NHL scorers with 10 assists and 14 points. Meanwhile, lousy special team play and costly turnovers cost the Canadiens in this contest. The Habs’ bad injury luck continues as they learned earlier in the day that defenseman David Savard will be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a fractured left hand.
Dallas Stars netminder Jake Oettinger kicked out 38 shots to down the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1, dropping the latter’s record to 2-4-0. Jason Robertson and Thomas Harley each had a goal and an assist as the Stars remained unbeaten in regulation (4-0-1). Bryan Rust scored for the Penguins.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penguins defenseman John Ludvig’s NHL debut was short-lived as he was knocked out after initiating a big hit on Stars forward Radek Faksa. Ludvig struck the ice face-first following the hit and had to be helped off the ice by his teammates. An update on his condition is expected at a later time.
Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart extended his goal streak to five games in a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. Matthew Tkachuk collected two assists and Anthony Stolarz stopped 27 shots for the 3-3-0 Panthers. Fabian Zetterlund replied for the Sharks, who are still seeking their first win after dropping to 0-5-1.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: An illness sidelined Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov from this contest.
The Colorado Avalanche set an NHL record with their 15th consecutive road win stretching back to last season as they downed the New York Islanders 7-4. Mikko Rantanen had a goal and three assists, Cale Makar a goal and two assists and Ryan Johansen two goals for the 6-0-0 Avalanche. Noah Dobson, Cal Clutterbuck and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each had two points for the 2-2-1 Islanders.
An overtime goal by Jordan Eberle lifted the Seattle Kraken to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings, snapping the latter’s five-game winning streak. Jaden Schwartz scored two goals for the Kraken (2-4-1) while Dylan Larkin and Shayne Gostisbehere each had a goal and two assists and Alex DeBrincat tallied his league-leading ninth goal of the season for the 5-1-1 Red Wings.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry missed this game with an undisclosed injury and is listed as day-to-day.
The Anaheim Ducks nipped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on an overtime goal by Frank Vatrano. Lukas Dostal stopped 35 shots for the Ducks as they moved to 2-4-0 on the season. Rookie Adam Fantilli had a goal and an assist for the 3-2-1 Blue Jackets.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks rookie center Leo Carlsson sat out his second straight game as part of a series of pre-planned healthy scratches designed to manage his workload as he transitions into the NHL.
Boston Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman stopped 23 shots to shut out the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0. Pavel Zacha, Matthew Poitras and Trent Frederic were the goal scorers as the Bruins remain undefeated at 6-0-0, matching their best start to their season in their history. Petr Mrazek made 40 saves for the 2-5-0 Blackhawks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins seem to be adjusting rather well through the early going to the offseason retirements of centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.
During this game, Boston winger Jakub Lauko left the game in the third period when he was accidentally struck in the face near his left eye by a skate. Following the game, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Lauko’s eye was ok but he needed stitches near the side of his eyeball. Meanwhile, Bruins winger Milan Lucic missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury.
The Winnipeg Jets doubled up the St. Louis Blues 4-2. David Gustafsson and Mason Appleton got things rolling for the Jets (3-3-0) with two goals in 18 seconds in the second period. Pavel Buchnevich returned from injury with a goal and an assist for the 2-2-1 Blues.
Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman tallied a hat trick and two assists in a 7-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Kirill Kaprizov and Jake Middleton each collected three assists as the Wild improved to 3-2-1. Warren Foegele scored twice and Evan Bouchard had a goal and two assists for the 1-4-1 Oilers as they’ll be without captain Connor McDavid (lower-body injury) for one to two weeks.
Second-period goals by Phillip Di Giuseppe and Nils Hoglander enabled the Vancouver Canucks to hold off the Nashville Predators by a score of 3-2. Ilya Mikheyev also scored for the Canucks as they improved to 4-2-0. Colton Sissons and Kiefer Sherwood replied for the 3-4-0 Predators.
The New York Rangers improved to 4-2-0 in a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. Erik Gustafsson had a goal and an assist while Igor Shesterkin made 24 saves for the win. Blake Coleman replied for the Flames as they fell to 2-4-1.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the NHL announced that league commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the four-game suspension for Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson for elbowing Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine in the head last week. The Flames got more bad news as forward Adam Ruzicka left the game following a hit from Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey. An update on his condition has yet to be released.
Los Angeles Kings forwards Kevin Fiala, Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe and Blake Lizotte each had a goal and an assist to beat the Arizona Coyotes 6-3. Clayton Keller, Nick Bjugstad and Jack McBain replied for the Coyotes. The Kings rose to 3-2-1 on the season while the Coyotes dropped to 3-3-0.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the NHL announced it was backtracking on its ban on players using Pride Tape, stating that they now have the option to support social causes with their stick tape throughout the season. The decision came after Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott defied the ban in a recent game with several strands of Pride Tape on his stick.
The Vegas Golden Knights continued their historic start as they nipped the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 to extend their season-opening win streak to seven games (7-0-0). Jack Eichel had two assists, Shea Theodore scored the winner in the dying seconds of regulation and Logan Thompson turned aside 26 shots. Noah Cates and Cam Atkinson scored for the 3-2-1 Flyers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights hold the longest season-opening win streak by a defending Stanley Cup champion.
I’m happy to see the Bruins playing well this year considering the lack of experience at center. However I’m not convinced that they are on their way to another record setting season since they have not played any of the top teams in the league yet. I am hopeful of course…
Last night Again the Oilers D looked Just Horrible
Again,
Especaly the $9.M Dollar Man… ❗️Daniel Nurse…
Nurse looked Lost out there yet again,
He played bad, out of position, bad passes, an other Horrible game for Nurse
he is continuing his brutal play from last year
maybe they need to team him up with Elohim to get nurse sorted out…..🤔
Oilers need to address there d…is it Coach Manson defencive plan? do the even have one..?
Not even the best goaltender in the world can save them with at d core…❓
Now its the Hot NYR up on Thursday..😳
Anton Forsberg goes out to start the third period and Travis Hamonic has to go over and tell him he’s been pulled from the game. Really you couldn’t have done that during the intermission.
Flame fans what did you think of Nikita Zadorov interview? He said alot, “too many players playing for themselves and not as a team, can’t blame Darryl he’s not here, you don’t like a hard coach, you don’t like a soft coach.” Nikita wasn’t holding anything back.
I said i believe the bruins needed to be at minimum 6-3 after 9 games. Yes they’re 6-0 and you still have to beat the team you’re playing. Boston first 9 games only two game is against a team that was in the playoffs last year, LA who they beat and than Florida Oct 30th.
Still got to win the games but a soft schedule to start.
Caper, not only are back-to-back ugly offensive/shaky goaltending games at home cause for some concern, but that “last minute” decision on a goalie change points to some equal concern about the guy behind the bench. And you can bet there are those among the fan base thinking that way.
I, for one anyway, am not in that group. Yet. It’s October hockey …. but if the signs persist well into November I doubt the new ownership will waste time making changes – including a new GM.
You can’t win the cup in October/November, but you sure can hinder your chances of even qualifying for it with a poor showing in those first months.
For sure Shoreorrpark – holes dug in October/early November can – and have done – provide huge problems – especially the more teams you have to climb over coupled with those bloody 3-point games.
I guess what I’m getting at is more the tendency of some eventual also-rans to often play above their heads in the early season and for some among the top echelon to stutter out of the gate.
For example the following picked to be somewhere in the playoff structure
Edmonton – 1 4 1 -5 31st
Washington – 1 3 1 -12 30th
Seattle – 2 4 1 -9 26th
Carolina – 3 4 -5 22nd
At the other end you have
Detroit – 5 1 1 +14 4th
Vancouver – 4 – 2 +8 6th
Philadelphia – 3 2 1 +2 12th
Maybe some of the stuttering teams will pick it up in time to get back into the playoff structure … then again, some could continue to fade. But with the exception of Washington, I figure the other 3 to pick it up. At the other end, I can see Detroit becoming this season’s NJ and continue to impress – but not Vancouver or Philadelphia.
Philly makes me curious. Like him or not (and I love him), Torts has a way of getting the most out of a team for a couple/ few seasons. He just might get the Flyers in there, especially given the starts by Pittsburgh and Washington. This is going to be a fun season with some changing of the guard. At least, I think so.
Good on dermott for forcing the league to back off a stupid decision. Now it’s where it should be. With the players and teams.
In the Detroit-Seattle game, the Jaden Swartz stick throw in the 2nd breaking up a good scoring chance, was a brutal non-call. Terrible refs and bad iffy calls all game. It’s Jake Brenk and Mitch Dunning. They’re not good referees. One has never worked a playoff game and the other has worked nine in nine years. Detroit did good to come back in the 3rd from down 2-goals to force OT.
Agreed. It’s tough to be a ref, but in egregious situations like that, Toronto needs to be able to call in and make it right. The Wings deserved a penalty shot there.
Let’s not forget the important news. Adam Fantilli is now tied with Connor “Golden Boy” Bedard for most goals by a rookie. Not that it will make a difference in the Calder voting.
(Yes, this is sarcasm.)
Bedard may be the “Golden Boy” but he’s no lock for the Calder. Remember, Alex Ovechkin won over Sidney Crosby in 2005-06. If Fantilli outplays Bedard he’ll win the Calder.
Very Early for this conversation..
Re; Calder Voting Bedard & Fantilli
Dont forget the Leafs Young Back up goaltender Joseph Woll…. Watched him last night he played really well and some Great Saves (13) on Supperstar OV…❗️
Caps look like they are really struglining
JW in his first 3 games he is GA 1.44 SV% 0.957
he is looking very good…
Jonathan Quick is currently #1 in gaa and sv%. I wonder if locked up the Vezina on the first 6 games?
Sorry Paul, the most goals by a rookie is Matthew Poitras of Boston with 3
“Frozen Frenzy” is a joke! I would rather have the games spread out evenly through out the week so as to have a choice of games to watch EVERY night. Stupid gimmick!
Turk, the NHL does schedule games every night. Okay, only one game tonight, but that is a rare occurrence. Some nights have more games than others. Any fan who needs to watch multiple games every night should probably find a hobby or take in some games in other sports (NFL, NBA, MLB).
Or pay attention to their wives, husband, partner or significant other…..
Good for Bettman not buying the appeal for Rasmus Andersson. the ploy was to get it reduced to 3 games so he could play in the Heritage Classic and it didn’t work. What would have worked would have been to not make a meaningless hit in the first place. Jackets lost last night in OT They played hard and so did the Ducks. Had 7 power plays. Gee I wonder if Patty could have made a difference on the power play if he wasn’t on the IR?
NHL Frozen Frenzy…what’s the big deal? So ESPN throws a bone to NHL fans by
pre-empting their “prime-time” schedule of Cornhole Championships and World Ax-Throwing events. They still treat Our game like a 3rd class sport!
The Orlov signing by Carolina this summer is starting to remind me of the summer they signed Gardiner. A defenseman’s lack of speed gets exposed in Carolina’s style of play.
One thing about the Avalanche, if they are skating and mentally dialed in to make good decisions with the puck, they are a juggernaut coming at you in waves! GO AVS!!!!
Given the parity in the league October hockey is in some ways more important than ever.
It’s the time to bank some points or fall back before all teams get it together.
A few points makes the difference between getting into the playoffs or missing them.
October hockey is meaningless only in the sense of looking to end of the year outcomes.