NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 13, 2023
The Oilers’ Connor McDavid and the Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard face off for the first time, the Leafs Auston Matthews and the Canucks’ Brock Boeser reach the 20-goal plateau, the Blues fire head coach Craig Berube, and more in the NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid led his club over the Chicago Blackhawks and Connor Bedard 4-1 as the two stars faced off for the first time. McDavid collected two assists to extend his points streak to 10 games as the Oilers won their eighth straight, improving their record to 13-12-1 (27 points) to sit one point out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Bedard scored for the Blackhawks (9-18-1) as they slipped to the bottom of the overall standings with 19 points.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid now sits seventh among the league’s leading scorers with 38 points. He’s nine points behind Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, who tops the leaderboard with 47.
Bedard, meanwhile, tops all rookie scorers (and the Blackhawks) with 12 goals and 24 points. Speaking of the Hawks, defenseman Seth Jones missed this game due to an upper-body injury while rookie blueliner Kevin Korchinski was away dealing with a family matter.
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews scored twice and collected two assists to thump the New York Rangers 7-3. Matthews became the first player to crack the 20-goal plateau this season and is tied for first among the league’s leading scorers with 21 goals. Mitch Marner tallied twice and set up another for the 15-6-5 Leafs. Blake Wheeler replied with two goals for the Rangers (19-7-1), who remain in second place in the Eastern Conference with 39 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller missed this game for personal reasons. The Boston Bruins also have 39 points but lead the Blueshirts based on point percentage (.750).
A hat trick by Brock Boeser powered the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Boeser became the second player to reach 20 goals this season and is tied for the lead (21 goals) with the Leafs’ Auston Matthews. Quinn Hughes had three assists for the 19-9-1 Canucks. Brayden Point scored for the Lightning (13-12-5) as they slipped out of a wild-card berth with 31 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes also have 31 points but sit ahead of the Lightning based on games in hand. Bolts defenseman Victor Hedman missed this contest with an upper-body injury.
The St. Louis Blues fired head coach Craig Berube following their 6-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Kevin Hayes tallied two goals for the Blues as they sank to 13-14-1. Lucas Raymond and Michael Rasmussen each had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings (15-9-4) as they hold the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 34 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Berube was signed through 2024-25. He coached the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history but he’s had to deal with a steadily depleted roster as long-time stars such as Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko departed in recent years.
The Blues are just one point out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference but they’ve struggled with consistency this season. Like many clubs this season, they lack sufficient salary-cap space to improve their roster. General manager Doug Armstrong had little option but to shake things up behind the bench in the hope that it would provide a boost to his struggling club.
Speaking of the Red Wings, the NHL Players Association has officially filed an appeal to reduce the six-game suspension handed down to David Perron for cross-checking Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub on Saturday.
Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone’s overtime goal lifted his club over the Calgary Flames by a score of 5-4, extending his club’s points streak to nine games. Stone finished the night with two goals and two assists while Jonathan Marchessault had three assists as the league-leading Golden Knights (20-5-5, 45 points) become the first team to reach the 20-win mark this season. Yegor Sharangovich scored twice for the 11-14-4 Flames.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Flames announced that defenseman Chris Tanev is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho scored twice and added an assist as his club snapped a four-game losing skid by downing the Ottawa Senators 4-1. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 31 shots for the 15-12-1 Hurricanes (31 points) as they sit behind the Washington Capitals (31 points), who hold three games in hand. Josh Norris replied for the Senators as they dropped to 11-12-0 and remained last in the Eastern Conference with 22 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators still hold several games in hand over their Conference rivals but they’re failing to gain traction in the standings. They must start stringing some wins together if they hope to contend for a playoff berth. Meanwhile, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated before this game that sidelined winger Andrei Svechnikov is expected to be out “for a while” with an upper-body injury.
The Pittsburgh Penguins doubled up the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 thanks to two-goal performances from Jeff Carter and Jake Guentzel. Connor Ingram kicked out 40 shots for the Coyotes (13-13-2) as they dropped into the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 28 points, one ahead of the surging Oilers. The Penguins improved their record to 12-12-3.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph returned to action after missing 16 games with an undisclosed ailment.
An overtime goal by Filip Forsberg lifted the Nashville Predators over the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2. The Predators jumped to a 2-0 lead but the Flyers battled back on goals by Sean Couturier and Travis Sanheim. The Predators (16-13-0) have won five of their last six and hold the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 32 points. The Flyers (15-10-3) had their four-game win streak snapped but hold third place in the Metropolitan Division with 33 points.
Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord made 24 saves for his first NHL shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Florida Panthers. Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and an assist for the 9-14-7 Kraken. Sergei Bobrovsky had 19 saves for the 17-9-2 Panthers, who sit one point ahead of the Leafs in second place in the Atlantic Division with 36 points.
A late goal by William Eklund gave the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 upset win over the Winnipeg Jets, snapping the latter’s four-game win streak. Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside 36 shots for the Sharks (9-17-3), who’ve won three of the last four games. Brenden Dillon scored for the 16-9-2 Jets, who hold third place in the Central Division with 34 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets are also awaiting a second opinion in Winnipeg regarding winger Kyle Connor’s knee injury. However, there’s speculation he could be sidelined for six to eight weeks. An update on his condition is expected today.
HEADLINES
DAILY FACEOFF: Reports indicate the Washington Capitals (as well as the NBA’s Washington Wizards) will be moving across the Potomac River to a new arena in Alexandria, Virginia. It would be located about 20 minutes away from their current home, the Capital One Arena, which has hosted the Capitals since 1997-98. The anticipated move could take place in time for the 2028-29 season.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Speaking of the Capitals, Sammi Silber takes a look at the reasons why captain Alex Ovechkin is not scoring at his usual pace this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 16 points in 25 games but he’s fourth in goals thus far with just five. He’s on pace for just 16 this season, which would be the first time he would fail to crack the 20-goal plateau.
THE DENVER POST: Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen was none too pleased over reports from a Finnish columnist questioning his offseason dedication to training. The comments came from Ismo Lehkonen, father of Rantanen’s teammate Artturi Lehkonen.
Following the Avs win over the Flames on Monday, Rantanen accused the elder Lehkonen of “talking s**t about me”, accusing him of “making things up.” However, he also said everything was fine between himself and his old friend Artturi.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Something tells me Lehkonen’s dad won’t be on Rantanen’s Christmas card list this year.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and center Pavel Zacha are expected to miss tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils with upper-body injuries. Both are listed as day-to-day and haven’t been ruled out of Friday’s matchup with the New York Islanders.
DAILY FACEOFF: Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
CBS SPORTS: The Islanders placed forward Matt Martin (upper body) on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 2.
Ted Leonsis looking to relocate to Virginia; DC Mayor and and council member pledge $500 million to renovate Capital one arena
Craig Berube fired last night.
Nhl insiders on Christmas break. There is no insider, they just report what has been released and discuss from there.
I don’t blame Ted Leonsis for moving his teams to the suburbs out of the cesspool that is the DC with the traffic and crime and the anti police agenda the mayor has brought on. The writing on the wall is coming to more Pro sports teams moving out of downtown areas closer to the fanbase they cater to. The ATL Braves did the same move and IF ATL gets another NHL team that will be at the top of the list for the new building.
Re “The Senators still hold several games in hand over their Conference rivals but they’re failing to gain traction in the standings. They must start stringing some wins together if they hope to contend for a playoff berth. ”
It should be clear to even the most obtuse in the organization that this team – as currently coached – is incapable of stringing any kind of winning streak together.
Instead, it’s a system involving one step forward and two steps back. On and on and on.
Ottawa is still a young team, this is to be expected but it seems many got drunk on the kool-aide and expecting too much too soon. They are still not too far from it but consistency takes time which is another word for experience which this young team still lacks.
Can they turn things around? I hope not 😀 but it’s going to take some time and clever management.
Rangers/Leafs game was interesting, one team fresh the other on the tail end of a back to back, with half the roster ‘sick’ or hungover maybe (Leafs are on a dad’s trip and I can’t help but think after JT potted his 1000th the team celebrated with the dads).
Just an off night for the rangers or is it a sign of more to come?
The problem, Ron, is the repeated stance among the players that “they like Smith … he’s a good guy … yadda yadda …”
If that’s so then they better start concentrating on building some consistency in game-to-game approach and realize that their recent miserable streak “at home” is doing nothing to ensure he holds onto his job. Patience only goes so far with operating under a “comfort zone.” Maybe they need the occasional kick in the ass to remind them that, while millions are currently functioning in North America and Europe on a day-to-day basis trying to make ends meet in the heating of their homes and feeding their families, they are raking in obscene amount of cash with no such worried on their plates.
I’m sure Berube was regarded similarly in St. Louis (and Norwood in Edmonton) – but since the firing of the latter the Oilers have certainly turned things around. We’ll see what happens in St. Loo – but I’m betting on some sort of upward results.
@ George… I am going to assume you meant “Woodcroft” there 🙂
I mean… I can easily see DJ being let go right after Christmas unless they win the rest of their games in 2023.
Yeah, theSaint – have no idea how “Norwood” popped into mind. LOL
In addition, theSaint, they almost have to go 4-1 or 4-0-1 over the upcoming 5 game road trip. Anything less and they’re just spinning their wheels, gaining nothing.
AND in the first game back him after the road trip they CANNOT experience the almost guaranteed stinker that has been the usual result for a lot of teams playing a home game following a long road trip.
There is no more room for error. Anything else to the contrary and the screams for Smith’s head will reach a crescendo.
“first game back home …” not “him” – bloody auto-correct.
Re; the Sens
after watching some of the Sens game last night again, What’s Wrong….is it the Goaltending, or the defence or the Coach….❓
I would say its a good mix of all the above,
Sens have 60 Game’s left this season, Now is the time to Fire the Coach DJSmith.
Bring in a New Coach and defencive coach just like the Oilers did…. if they want to make the playoffs this year…. they still have 6-7 games in hand over all the teams above them in the standings and 9 games left this month 🤔
If Not…. they are done with what we have seen so far this season
Goaltending has been sub-par this season with
Korpisalo & Forsberg has been letting in 3.2 Goal per game on Average and a save % of 0.890
or
is it the d….its not been that good ether..
Chabot is out again injured ❗️ he will only play 60 games this season again…,
williew, I think it IS, in fact, a mix of all three.
Smith’s “system” might well work with the right personnel to carry it out effectively, game after game over the course of a season -adjusted, as needed, by the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition if the night.
But either it’s a rigid, against-all “system” with no opposition deviations – or, the personnel at hand are incapable of “adjusting on the fly.”
I think the general abilities of the D personnel are as good as most in the league – they just don’t seem to be able to establish an effective on-ice rapport with their goalies.
Speaking of which – I have always asserted that Forsberg is a very good BACK-UP – just don’t expect him to be effective over the long haul if the goal is to have him “share” duties on an equal basis with the so-called starter. That’s been proven time and again since he joined the team.
It’s generally regarded in the organization that 6′ 7″ Mads Sogaard is the “future” when it comes to the Senators’ goaltending and right now, in a shooter’s league. he’s sporting a very decent 0.251gaa and 0.922 save %. He’s played close to 80 game at that level and, generally, has done well with a so-so team in front of him.
Now they have $4 mil per Korpisalo – thanks to Dorion – with 4 years to go after this! Is Sogaard supposed to wait around for 4 years in the AHL? Bringing him up as a “back-up” is a non-starter. Not to mention costing way too much off the cap as he achieves increases.
Right now they’re Forsberg and Korpisalo a combined $6.5 mil to tend goal with Korpisalo having played very spotty over 15 games.
That’s just nuts, given the results. If some team sees value in trading for Korpisalo, thinking he could be effective within their system, the plug should be pulled at once. Then bring up Sogaard and go from there, giving them the necessary cap to sign Pinto in January.
It can’t be any more disjointed a team as it is now.
If there are no takers for Korpisalo, then. basically – to quote from Big Bang Theory – they are effectively attached to another object by an inclined plane wrapped helically around an axis.
I feel like the coaches and the forwards and the D and the goalies are all playing different games… not anywhere near on the same page. When they win it’s because one or two of those 4 are firing well… but it seems to be rare that they are all playing cohesively… the common denominator there being…the coach.
And I agree with George’s earlier assessment… it’s nice that you like your coach, but if you don’t like him enough to save his job, or if maybe being liked isn’t enough to create a championship team, a change needs to be made.
To start the season I was worried about Jonathan Quick, Shesterkin has allowed 4+ goals 6-7 times now?
Time for some tough love and a stay on the bench until he figures things out. Every start he makes has been disastrous lately!
Last 3 games 0-3, 17 gaa, , 5.66gaa, .809sv% !
NY needs to figure it out with a quickness. Or their early season lead will be in the trash!
George,
I agree with most of what you have said,
I dont think there are any takers out there for Korpisalo, with 4.5 years left at $4.M unless they can trade a pick and prospect just like the Edmonton Oilers will have to do to move J. Campbell and his 3.5 yrs at $5.M😳
it looks like Mads Sogaard is the “future, hopfully they play him lots in the AHL this year to game more experience,
They best trade bait the Sens have is RW/LW Dominik Kubalik $2.5M UFA who could play top 6-9 on any playoff team
He looks like he can get 18-20 goals again this season hopefull they can get him more PP time and top six minutes to make him more appealing to other teams in the playoff race and get young Pinto back in the fold in January for the last few months of the season
Next year they have $13.M in cap space, they will need 1 X LW for the top 6 To replace Kubalik & Tarasenko, like a LW Anthony Duclair, He is a Goal Scorer..👍
they have AHL players Ready like young Järventie & Big Hulk 27 yr old Jiri Smejkal who can move into the 3/4 line on LW….❓
They need to get a Good Top 4 RD Man who can play physical like Chris Tanev type defencive d/man
may cost $3. to $4.M…? on the UFA market for a couple of years….🤔
Actually, williew, with the anticipated cap increase of $4.2 mil, together with no contract offers to UFAs Tarasenko ($5 mil) and Kubalik ($2.5 mil), and each of Ryan, Del Zotto and Matt Murray coming off the books, they’ll have $15,845,833 in cap space. Barring trades between now and then, of course.
I must have missed the NHL Department of Player Safety explanation of the cross check to Svechnikov’s ribs that has caused him to miss so many games. It seems like it was just a couple years ago they told all the teams they were trying to eliminate that kind of play. At least we will have another video example, to go with the countless others, of what they are supposedly cracking down on 🙂
Last I heard crosschecking is a two-minute minor penalty, unless it’s to the head.
And sometimes, even hits to the head are not called.k
It’s the referees discretion to call it a major or minor.
Rule 59 – Cross-checking
59.1 Cross-checking – The action of using the shaft of the stick between the two hands to forcefully check an opponent.
59.2 Minor Penalty – A minor penalty, at the discretion of the Referee based on the severity of the contact, shall be imposed on a player who “cross checks” an opponent.
59.3 Major Penalty – A major penalty, at the discretion of the Referee based on the severity of the contact, shall be imposed on a player
who “cross checks” an opponent (see 59.5).
59.4 Match Penalty – The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent by cross-checking.
59.5 Game Misconduct Penalty – When a major penalty is assessed for cross-checking, an automatic game misconduct penalty shall be
imposed on the offending player.
59.6 Fines and Suspensions – If deemed appropriate, supplementary discipline can be applied by the Commissioner at his discretion (refer to Rule 28).
@GP
Like I said unless it’s to the head. The only time you see anything more than a minor for cross-checking is if it’s to the head. Case in point Perron’s cross-check to the head of Zub.
Relying on the NHL Department of Player Safety is like relying on the spin of the roulette wheel. You never know what you might get.
Thanks for the copy/paste GP.
I think what we are questioning is the inconsistent application of a referees discretion, along with that of the Department of Player Safety.
Trochek missed games for more a few years back over a cross check in the same area with no padding and its past time for the DOPS to drop the hammer on such non sense when Stanley knew there was no padding in the area and is nothing but a cheap shot.
If Armstrong thinks firing Berube will send a message to the players he’s dreaming. He has handed out no trade clauses like candy on Halloween and the players don’t care because they can’t be traded. This whole break down of the team started when Armstrong traded for Faulk when he had a bigger, faster, better version of him in Petrangelo. Thalt eventually led to Petro leaving and being replaced by Krug.
Now in all fairness Krug has played his best hockey as a Blue this year but he isn’t getting bigger and that is the problem with the defense. They can’t take the body or clear rebounds and the goalies have been left to defend wide open shots from 6 ft in front of the net every game. The reality is the goaltending is the only reason they are even competitive. The d is too soft and replacing Bortuzzo and Tucker with Perinovich is a perfect example of Armstrong’s new philosophy of small quick d men instead of big guys that can defend. Vegas basically took the Blues 2019 defense blueprint and won the cup.
As far as Berube is concerned he’s had a blank stare in his eyes for a few weeks now, the kind of look you have when you’re stuck in a place you don’t want to be in anymore. And who can blame him he coaches a simple style of game, work, skate, check and defend a style that works given the right players are on the team which the Blues currently don’t have and that is not his fault it’s Armstrong’s. I won’t be surprised if it comes out in the next few days that Armstrong and Berube had a confrontation probably after last night’s game. Berube is a very good coach but it’s hard to motivate players that are basically in a retirement home because they can’t be traded. If any struggling team is smart, Ottawa are you listening, they will hire him in a heartbeat.
Good Read on why the Bruins are 18-5-3…at Bruins Boston.Com long story short it’s because of the two goalies .. team pp% 10th .. team pk% 1st & Pasta
Penguins score power play goal snapping 0 – 37 skip.