NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 14, 2023

by | Nov 14, 2023 | News, NHL | 30 comments

The Oilers get their first win under new head coach Kris Knoblauch, Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, Mike Vernon and Pierre Turgeon are inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Third-period goals by Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid and Evander Kane lifted the Edmonton Oilers over the New York Islanders 4-1, giving new head coach Kris Knoblauch his first NHL victory. Leon Draisaitl scored the tying goal for the 4-9-1 Oilers and finished the night with a goal and three assists while McDavid had two points. Mathew Barzal tallied for the Islanders (5-6-3) as they’ve lost four straight games.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speaking of McDavid, he denied having anything to do with the club’s decision to replace Jay Woodcroft as bench boss with Knoblauch, who coached the Oilers captain during his Junior A days with the OHL’s Erie Otters.

McDavid said he’s aware of a perception that he’s had a hand in the decision to make the coaching change but insisted nothing could be further from the truth. “I woke up to a text, like probably a lot of you guys as well,” he said.

The Colorado Avalanche scored five unanswered goals as they rolled to a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Nathan MacKinnon collected three assists while Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Tomas Tatar each had two points as the Avalanche improved to 9-5-0. Brandon Tanev netted his first of the season for the 5-8-3 Kraken.

HEADLINES

HHOF.COM: Former NHL stars Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso, Mike Vernon and Pierre Turgeon were officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.

Joining them were former Colorado Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix, former NHL coach Ken Hitchcock and Canadian women’s star Caroline Ouellette.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Class of 2024 for their well-deserved induction into the Hall of Fame.

NHL.COM: Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart, Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor and Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander are the league’s three stars for the week ending Nov. 12.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: The Golden Knights visited the White House on Monday where they were honored by President Joe Biden on their Stanley Cup win.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy practiced with his teammates yesterday for the first time since undergoing back surgery in late September. He indicated that he’s at least two weeks away from coming off the injured reserve list.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a big step forward for Vasilevskiy and a promising sign that he could be back in action by the end of the month at the earliest.

THE ATHLETIC: Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov’s absence from practice on Monday sparked speculation he’s been nursing an injury. The 26-year-old winger has 15 points in as many games but hasn’t looked like himself for much of this season. Head coach Dean Evason said Kaprizov was a “little banged up” but was vague as to whether it’s been something that’s been bothering him for a while.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Having their best player hampered by an injury could in part explain why the Wild are off to a 5-8-2 start to this season.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Wild, they placed forward Frederick Gaudreau on long-term injury reserve retroactive to Oct. 24. The move makes him eligible to play for the Wild against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Sweden this weekend. It also allows them to add Jesper Wallstedt to the roster as their third goaltender.

WGR 550: Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo will play in his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Anaheim Ducks placed center Trevor Zegras (lower body) on injured reserve. He has just two points in 12 games and was sidelined for their last two contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zegras missed training camp and preseason play due to a contract dispute that wasn’t resolved until Oct. 3. That could account for his slow start and his lower-body injury.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Blue Jackets center Jack Roslovic is out for four to six weeks with a fractured ankle suffered during Sunday’s game against the New York Rangers. The club has recalled defenseman David Jiricek from their AHL affiliate in Cleveland.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A big blow for Roslovic and the Jackets. He had eight points in 14 games before his injury.

THE SCORE: Speaking of the Blue Jackets, rookie Adam Fantilli isn’t happy with his club’s losing skid. The 19-year-old rookie acknowledged they have a young team “but that does not matter,” he said. Fantilli added that he hates to lose and doesn’t want to get used to it. “I’m not happy about the series of losses we’ve had,” he said.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It hasn’t taken long for Fantilli to become a key player for the Blue Jackets. He’s tied for the club lead in scoring with nine points and sits fourth among this season’s rookie scorers.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins winger Milan Lucic suffered a setback rehabbing his injured ankle which has delayed his return to the lineup by a week. He’s been sidelined since Oct. 21 and was placed on long-term injury reserve on Oct. 27.

CBS SPORTS: Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: NHL Players Association Executive Director Marty Walsh expressed his frustration and concern on Monday over the Arizona Coyotes’ search for a new arena.

Walsh cited rumors of the NHL adding two more expansion clubs but felt the Coyotes are like an expansion club because of their arena woes.

They’re playing right now in a college arena, 5,100 fans that go to those games, and they don’t sell out. I think that’s the first thing we have to do – figure out what is the long-term play on Arizona.”

Walsh said the NHLPA would support a plan for a new arena but noted there is currently no plan or conversation on the matter. “So that, to me, is showing that there’s no urgency on their side.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently reassured fans that he and the league are committed to keeping the Coyotes in Arizona. He expressed the hope that the club could announce its new arena plans later this season.

In mid-October, Coyotes president Xavier Gutierrez said the team is hoping to announce a new arena plan within the next 60 days. That suggests they should have something in place by mid-December.







30 Comments

  1. “NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently reassured fans…”

    What the hell is reassuring in keeping the Coyotes in Arizona?

    • He was reassuring them that his HQ staff CAN walk and chew gum at the same time. They’ve been practicing!

      • It’s not going well. Bettman’s shoe is stuck to the sidewalk. Stepped in gum.

    • It’s reassuring to the fans in Arizona! And don’t think that Bettman doesn’t know that the Phoenix area has a huge TV market. They will be announcing an arena plan soon, so hold all your bad mouthing,

  2. Lots of “gossip” surrounding Connor and his influence on management

    Maybe he has a connection with Klingberg

    Wishful thinking of course

  3. Bruins Looch …setback with injury to ankle which hurts trying to keep in Hockey shape thinking he will end up long term … he’s not a goal scorer or assist man but he serves a purpose in this team B’s might need to find a replacement

  4. Weird. I would have initially said “the nerve of a reporter to ask McDavid that”.

    But. The new coach is his “old coach”. So, there’s enough reporter smoke there to ask about the fire that’s smoldering.

    Some interesting injuries out there for sure. Quite amazing how a stay-at-home D man like Zub is so important to Ottawa’s team defense strategy.

    • He’s out – they lose. At least so far this season anyway.

  5. Congrats to Barrasso and Turgeon, but Mogilny still hasn’t been voted into the Hall?

    Seriously?!

    • Yeah, Wally – 1032 pts in 990gp for 5 different teams would indicate he’d be as worthy as some that have been inducted.

      • All those points, plus he was electric on the ice, plus he was reportedly a “good in the room”. I can’t figure out why he’s being snubbed. It’s truly baffling.

      • Yeah, Matts Sundin is one of those inductees.

      • Rod Brind’Amour not in with 1184 pts is BS as well.

  6. its Mid November and Stuart Skinner starts to get Hot……🔥
    This is his 4th year in a Row this has happened…

    Ken Holland and Jeff Jackson Press conference was a s**t show…❗️
    they did not get there Storys Right…😩 thats very enbarising

    Ken Holland needs to go he is just making a mess of things with the Oilers right now….
    He should have been Fired & not Woody…..

  7. I’m happy Barrasso got in. He was basically shunned for being a jerk. Kinda not fair.

    The Mogilny thing is baffling. He actually was one of the first that defected wasn’t he? Isn’t his story some kind of crazy hockey story even before he started getting all those points?

    • So true. If being a jerk was a criterion for not getting into a HoF Ty Cobb would still be on the outside looking in.

  8. Been away travelling for work during this whole Oiler coaching change.
    Cue the assumptions that McDavid is pulling the strings. This AM I read the posts by some yesterday like it was a sure thing that was the case.

    News flash – he isn’t. Your guessing, so please don’t act like you know something.
    He gets paid to play, not make these decisions.

    Did ownership or management think that hiring someone he had success with previously was a good idea? Maybe, but that is a question for management not McDavid. If they did do that, all they have accomplished is this stupid sh*t he now has to deal with. Or they hired someone who is available and is a very good coach.

    Bottom line is the Oil were losing and it isn’t a team that you waste a year with. Can’t fire the whole team and impact trades are almost impossible with the cap situation in the NHL, and nobody is sending the Oil a lifeline. They will lose that deal.

    Knoblauch has rave reviews as a coach from multiple people he has worked with/for. Hey, sounds like he will even get his bottom 6 fwds involved and part of the team! Maybe even hold some of the stars accountable, including McDavid who he benched in Jr when he didn’t play the system? Or actually have the team play the box +1 defensive system Woody employed this year correctly, that most good defensive teams in the NHL use already. It ain’t that hard. Bantam teams can play it.

    Woody had a good run, and will coach again very soon IMO. But they were not going to throw this year away. You can criticize McDavid for how he has played this year, but you can’t for getting Woody fired, or for who MGT hired.

    • I like Woodcroft, but Ryan Rashaug showed in an interview a couple of weeks ago that the d-man were making big defensive mistakes. It was the same players making the same mistake over and over again with no direction to correct it.
      It seemed that Woodcroft got too soft on the players and the players knew it didn’t matter what they did there wouldn’t be a continues for their actions.

      • Hey KevJam,

        The Oilers d, Its been Horrid Especaly the
        Oil & Water duo of Nurse & Cody Ceci…❗️

        This so called #1 pair… have been Full defensive mistakes since the start of the Season, Both Sometimes even looking Lost out there lots of times….

        With Nurse getting that Brutal over payed contract By that Idiot GM Ken Holland of $9.25M for 8 years ❗️😳

        Now they cant move him🙈 So they need to Move Cody Ceci at $3.25M and get a Big Stay at home RD man to help Nurse and bring his game up to a respectable place

        They also got to deal with the Connor Brown $3.25M bounus thing and move him to the minors or trade him asap….

      • Nurse and Ceci
        pairing as per Natural Stat Trick this season 5on5.
        SCF% – 52.9%
        Corsi For % – 53.75%
        Fenwick For % – 51%
        xGF% – 54.43%
        HDCF% – 65.12
        Those aren’t numbers from a pairing that is full of defensive mistakes.

    • If that’s the truth then why did Jackson say they never talked to players and Ken Holland say they did? Why lie if not covering up something? Anyone who thinks Connor isn’t being asked who to keep who to sign who to coach is in denial but hey it’s your opinion and you have right to it just as everyone else does. Leon’s cross check to back of knees should be looked at by player safety chick sh%%%#$+ play.

      • I believe Ken Holland said he did, not they did. He also didn’t say who he spoke to, or exactly what he spoke to them about.

        McDavid said he didn’t, so until we see something that said he did, then that is what I am going with.

        Or are saying McDavid is lying Obe? Actually that is exactly what you are suggesting.

      • Ken Holland said he talked to vets maybe do your homework and after your comment on your taxes I don’t take anything you say seriously. I’m saying McDavid calls the shots his agent President coincidentally junior coach coaching coincidentally he’s in charge obviously.

      • Obe, look at what Holland said. He said he talked to some of the veterans over the last couple weeks. He added that he wouldn’t say what they said. That’s it.

        You can read into that whatever you want I suppose. What I think when I read that, it was most likely about how is it going, what’s working, what isn’t. How is the mood in the room etc etc. I would be very surprised if he asked any of them who they should hire as a coach, which sounds like what you are suggesting.

        So he spoke to multiple players, about what, we don’t know. McDavid said he was as surprised as anyone about the change and found out by text after the fact. That would be normal for a player in the NHL as that is how it works.

        That’s it, that’s all. You can believe they are lying, or you can look at what we know and believe what they said. I will go with the latter.

      • Hey KevJam,
        lots of info there …👍

        I have only missed 3 or 4 games but seen the Oil & Water highlights when these two d/men are on the ice
        Mr Nurse & Mr Ceci are on when Leon & Connor are on I have seen so many Give Aways bye these 2 players and so many missed plays that have resulted in a Goals its not even True…⁉️

        if we keep these two together the Oil are going No Where Fast… they may even Put a Maple Leaf out in the first round…..❗️

  9. I honestly would not be surprised IF Smith gets let go in Ottawa, that Staios would take a long look at hiring Woodcroft.

    • The Saint,
      Your 100% Right on that one…..👍

      Maybe when they come back from the European Road trip, that would be a Perfect up and coming team for Woody.

      PS…
      Sombody was Not Telling the Truth at that Oilers New conference….🤔

  10. The jackets got quite a player on their hands with Fantilli. You gotta love a player who hates losing more than winning. Those are players you want on your team.

    Arizona what a joke. The league does not need two more teams. In fact, they can probably lose 6 teams to help not water down talent. Every team seems to have a handful of fringe, NHL players, and for the price of tickets to watch these games it’ll be nice if all the players are actual, NHL quality players especially considering this stupid hard cap.

  11. Out of (idle) curiosity (lol) I decided to take a look at team +/- stats to see how they correlate to a team’s chances of making the playoffs or now – and to what degree.

    Last season the lowest +/- of playoff teams east and west was Florida and their +17 which earned them a WC slot. The only team with a + to miss was Calgary and their + 8 \and they missed by just 2 or 3 points.

    The 17 teams with a + last season from top to bottom were:

    Boston – +128
    Dallas – +67
    NJ – +65
    Edm – +65
    NYR – +58
    Tor – +57
    Col – +54
    Carol – +53
    Vegas – +43
    Sea – +33 (WC team)
    L.A. – +23
    Wpg – +22 (WC team)
    Minn – +21
    NYI – +21 (WC team)
    Fla – +17 (WC team)
    Cgy – +8

    The 15 teams with a minus from worst to best were:

    Ana -129
    Clb -116
    Chi -97
    S.J. -87
    Ariz -71
    Pha- -55
    Det -39
    StL -38
    Mtl – 25
    Van -22
    Ott -10 (missed WC by 6 pts)
    Wash -10
    Nash -9 (missed WC by 3 or 4 pts)
    Buff -4 (missed WC by 1 or 2 pts)
    Pitt -2 (missed WC by 1 or 2 pts)

    So far this season at the approx. 15-game mark there are 18 + teams the plus teams best to worst are:

    Van +33 – 15gp
    Vegas +26 – 15gp
    Boston +18 – 14gp
    NYR +16 – 14gp
    L.A. +14 – 14gp
    Pitt +12 – 13gp
    Dallas +12 14gp
    Ariz – +12 14gp
    Det +6 15gp
    Ott +6 13gp
    Fla +4 14gp
    Col +4 14gp
    Ana +3 14gp
    Pha +2 15gp
    Wpg +2 14gp
    Carol +2 15gp
    Tor +1 15gp
    SrL +1 13 gp

    The 14 teams below the + mark, which could be an indication of either individual deficiencies on the D and/or a poor overall defensive “system”, are:

    SJ -49 15gp
    Sea -18 16gp
    Cgy -15 14gp
    Minn -14 15gp
    Edm -13 14gp
    Clb -12 15gp
    Chi -11 13gp
    NYI -11 13gp
    Mtl -9 15gp
    Nash -7 14gp
    Wash -5 15gp
    Buff -3 15gp
    TB -1 15gp
    NJ – -1 13gp

    Sorry for the lengthy post Lyle.

    • Thanks George. That is very interesting. They that plus minus stat means nothing to a player but to a team looks like it does. Also shows a good PP might push an average team into the playoffs.