NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 6, 2023
The Kings tie a season-opening win record, the Hughes brothers face off for the first time, plus updates on the 2024 draft, international tournaments and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The Los Angeles Kings tied the league’s season-opening road win streak at 10 games by overcoming a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3. Drew Doughty scored in overtime while Phillip Danault tallied twice as the Kings improved their record to 15-4-3. Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist as the Blue Jackets sank to 8-14-5.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine missed this game due to illness.
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and Devils center Jack Hughes (NHL.com).
New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes and defenseman Luke Hughes came out on top against Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes with a 6-5 victory. Jack had a goal and two assists while Luke scored a goal as Jesper Bratt opened and closed the scoring for the Devils (12-10-1). Quinn collected two assists while J.T. Miller had a goal and two assists and Brock Boeser netted his league-leading 18th goal as the Canucks (16-9-1) overcame a 5-2 deficit to tie the game before Bratt won it in the dying seconds of regulation.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the first NHL game to feature all three Hughes brothers.
The Ottawa Senators upset the New York Rangers 6-2. Vladimir Tarasenko had two goals and an assist, Brady Tkachuk scored twice and Drake Batherson had a goal and two assists for the 10-10-0 Senators, who remain in last place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points. Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist for the Rangers (18-5-1), who sit in first place in the Conference with 37 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Senators learned that defenseman Thomas Chabot has been sidelined by a knee injury. An update on his status is expected on Wednesday. During the game, Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow was struck in the face by a puck in the first period and didn’t return. It appears he lost a couple of teeth.
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin netted two goals in a 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen each had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings (14-7-3) as they picked up their third straight win. Jeff Skinner had a goal and an assist for the slumping Sabres (10-14-2) as they’ve dropped four straight.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Buffalo center Tage Thompson collected an assist as he returned to the lineup from an injured left arm a week ahead of schedule. The Sabres also placed forwards Alex Tuch (lower body) and Jordan Greenway (upper body) on injured reserve and recalled goaltender Devon Levi from their AHL affiliate in Rochester.
The San Jose Sharks overcame a three-goal deficit to upset the New York Islanders 5-4 on an overtime goal by William Eklund. Tomas Hertl tallied a hat trick while Eklund finished with three points for the Sharks (7-17-2) as they moved out of the bottom of the Conference standings with 16 points. Bo Horvat and Simon Holmstrom each had two assists while Mike Reilly had a goal and an assist for the 10-7-7 Islanders.
A shootout goal by Filip Forsberg lifted the Nashville Predators to a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Ryan O’Reilly netted his 12th of the season as the Predators improved to 13-12-0. Nick Foligno scored twice and collected an assist while Connor Bedard netted his first-ever NHL shootout goal but the Blackhawks dropped to 7-16-1 and sit last in the overall standings with 15 points.
The Minnesota Wild picked up their fourth straight win under new head coach John Hynes by dousing the Calgary Flames 5-2. Matt Boldy scored twice and set up another, Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist while Mats Zuccarello picked up an assist to extend his points streak to 10 games for the 9-10-4 Wild. Mikael Backlund and Connor Zary replied for the 10-12-3 Flames.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames played without goaltender Jacob Markstrom as he’s sidelined week-to-week with a fractured finger. The club recalled Dustin Wolf yesterday from the AHL affiliate.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists in a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Jonathan Drouin also had two assists as the Avalanche (16-7-2) remain on top of the Central Division with 34 points. Sam Carrick and Leo Carlsson scored for the Ducks as they slid to 10-15-0.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon also picked up his 500th career assist, joining Joe Sakic, Peter Stastny and Peter Forsberg as the only players in franchise history to reach that plateau. Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram left this game in the second period with an upper-body injury following a big hit by Ducks forward Max Jones.
HEADLINES
DAILY FACEOFF: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman expressed concerns about the delays in the construction of an arena for the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics following the league’s two-day Board of Governors meetings in Seattle. He noted that construction had not yet begun on the venue.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s December 2023. The venue is reportedly expected to be completed by the end of 2025. It seems like Bettman’s already looking for an excuse not to participate in the 2026 Games.
NHL.COM: The league continues to work on its plans to stage a four-team international tournament involving NHL players in 2025. Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland are expected to be the four countries taking part.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 2016 World Cup of Hockey had a Team Europe (consisting of NHL stars from other European nations) and Team North America made up of the best under-23 NHL stars. Team Europe reached the Gold Medal round against Canada while Team North America became a fan favorite with their fast-paced play.
For whatever reason, the league has opted not to go that route again. That means superstars like Germany’s Leon Draisaitl and Czechia’s David Pastrnak will be prevented from participating in this tournament.
TSN: The 2024 NHL Draft will be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas on June 28-29. It will be the last draft before it is decentralized with teams operating from their own facilities.
The Arizona Coyotes are in the process of trying to finalize the purchase of a plot of land in the Phoenix area for a new arena. TSN’s Darren Dreger said the mood around team owners and league governors is that the Coyotes are getting to the end of the line here. The league is looking ahead at scheduling for next season and needs to know whether the Coyotes will be able to move ahead with this land purchase early in the new year.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I noted yesterday a report claiming that some owners and governors were running out of patience with the Coyotes’ situation. However, Bettman’s been the driving force keeping the club in Arizona with majority support from the team owners.
Nevertheless, any delays over the land purchase for a new arena could spark uncertainty over the Coyotes’ future. Dreger mentioned the possibility of relocation but that will require majority approval by the Board of Governors. Ultimately, that will come down to whether Bettman believes there are no more avenues to keep the Coyotes in Arizona.
Looks like, whatever injury hex Chychrun had hanging over his head in Arizona has shifted to Chabot – one after another … and always something different.
I’m no “ice expert” but it seems to me that 21st Century technology coupled with the competence of those in charge of maintaining the ice for a professional operation should negate having “ruts” capable of causing serious leg injuries.
Hey George,
Chabot is 100% injury prone….
Has never managed to play a Full Season since he came into this league
70 games was his Max games played one year…
the last 3 year’s i read or head recently are
49, games
59, games
69, games
this year he has played 9 of 21 games…? trending to one of the above numbers again, ..
I See today theat the Sens brought back J Martain as a sr Coach advisor…
It looks like they may try to keep DJ Smith till the end of the season is my Guess.
I think they will look for a New Coach in 2024.
I would put Woodycroft up there as a choice
Very true williew – although the kicker in that injury record has to be tied to some considerable degree to the fact he was essentially over-used in terms of on-ice minutes – well over half a game every night for far too long by idiot coaches.
The more you’re on the ice the greater the chance of incurring some sort of ding. Axiomatic!
George, I watched a game from Ottawa last week and was going to comment here about the unusually high number of players losing their footing while trying to make even the simplest of plays. It was very obvious that the ice surface was subpar has this always been the case or is it only recently.
Snold49, all I know is, various opinion polls on the best ice surfaces in the NHL almost always have Montreal 1st – well ahead of the next best – Edmonton, Vegas, Winnipeg, Saint-Paul.
Ottawa – of mentioned at all – does not get any glowing opinions.
Of course, various factors come into it, such as degree of hardness etc,, but NO professional surface should develop “ruts” that can wreck a player’s knee.
I think Bettman should be less concerned about the arena in Milan and more concerned about the arena (or lack thereof) in Arizona.
The tourney idea is foolish. But I think it’s a wise move by bettman to give a little public pressure to the powers that be if they haven’t started construction yet. That stuff takes time and always has unexpected delays. 2026 will be here before you know it.
As noted before Ottawa has the least amount of games played.
After last night win over the NY Rangers they are a 500 team.
I enjoy watching Ottawa play and was/am expecting a playoff push. The schedule has done them no favors.
The remaining games this month will be a good measuring stick for the Senators, here is their 12 games including last night win against the rangers
NYR, Tor, Det, Car, Stl, Dals, Veg, Ariz, Col, Pitts, Tor, NJ
also in there is 6 games in 10 days (which includes 5 road games in 8 days). That is no easy schedule.
If they can come out of that at 500 i think that’s a win.
In another scheduling quirk, at the end of that stretch they will have played 32 games – just over a third of the season – without once having met the Canadiens – 110 miles away.
Yes – strange schedule. And Detroit & Boston complete their 4 game season series on New Years Eve.
I’m with you Caper – Ottawa should not be counted out of the playoff hunt, and their schedule works against them. I’m not quite sure what they have yet, but I have the same questions about Toronto, Tampa, Buffalo, and Detroit. I still believe that they will all score enough, and whoever is better at keeping the biscuit out of their own basket will succeed. Other than Tampa, all have questions between the pipes, and, so far, none have excelled with their own zone D. Tampa has the on ice experience, as well as behind the bench.
It should be interesting to watch it all play out.
Iago, one thing the young Senators can do is score goals. Right now, after 20 gp, they have scored 70 for a per-game average of 3.5.
Compare that to the highest-scoring team (so far), the Canucks, who have scored 101 in 26gp for an average of 3.9 per game.
If the Senators maintain that average through the 6 games in hand on Vancouver they’ll have 93 – just 8 behind in that category.
Their Achilles heel – so far – has been a combination of inconsistency between the pipes (with Forsberg being the better of the two) and a high average of shots-on-goal/scoring chances allowed.
That is where someone like Jacques Martin and his expertise could really assist from here to the end.
Korpisalo hasn’t looked like himself so far this season. Ottowa is his third team since March. That can’t be easy, especially for a goalie. I would expect him to start turning things around and and getting more comfortable with his new team.
There is that factor to keep in mind Kevjam. Thanks for reminding me.
As you say, developing a comfort zone with the D and back-checking Fs – very important for any goalie – can’t be easy when you’ve been with 3 teams since last March.
Maybe – hopefully – those of us who follow the team will have forgotten all this current angst by the turn of the calendar when – if – he develops on-ice comfortable communication with is teammates and his game performance stabilizes.
Jacques Martin could help considerable in that regard as well.
Sens. as a Ranger fan I do not want to see them in the playoffs. they can skate.
I expect them to make a Wild card. Lets see if Chychrun can stay healthy all season
It looks like Buffalo will not make the playoffs again this year there Goaltending his Horrible again this year… with Comrie & UPL,
Young 21 yr old Devon Levi is 2 years away from full time NHL
24 yr old UPL is still learning and still very inconsistent❗️
im sure they look at the UFA Goaltender Market this off season
Maybe Bufflao is looking for one more top 10 pick this year….❓
I watched that game last night and, after falling behind 4-0 they regrouped and made it interesting on Detroit and, with a bounce here or there in the final 5 minutes, could have pulled this one out.
But I agree – their goaltending has been shoddy (where’s Craig Anderson when you need him?), as is their F back-checking (a few floaters screws that up).
Detroit has shown an alarming inability to close the door in the third period. And, so far, their opponents have too often waited too long to grasp that the way to defeat them is to take care of gthe puck and work to bottle Detroit up in their own zone. If the Wings fall out of the playoff picture, that will most likely be the reason.
I feel like Chabot will be gone as soon as his contract can be unloaded. Not that it will be an easy task or maybe not even doable.
Sanderson is the stud on D now and Chychrun has surprised me. If he continues like this I hope he sticks around.
Maybe Tyson Barrie would like to come to Ottawa…
theSaint. aside from the fact I don’t really see a fit for Barrie on the Ottawa D (I remain convinced Tyler Kleven will be elevated at some point this season), how the heck would they accommodate his $4.5 mil cap hit?
Right now, CapFriendly shows them with $12,836 in projected cap space and $60.000 in actial space. Even if Nashville took, say, Kubalik and his $2/5 mil hit in return, the Senators would still need to clear at least another $2 mil. And they still need space to re-sign Pinto when his suspension is up in January.
They need defensive RD , therefore Barrie is not a fit IMO. Seeler or Walker from Philly could be nice. JBD is not looking out of place now that he is getting decent icetime.
To me the reason Ottawa has looked good of late is because they are moving their feet.
One thing Jacques Martin will put an end to is sloppy blind passes in the defensive zone. I have to think the brass were talking to him as a potential replacement for DJ and he declined the position but added he could help behind the scenes.
yes sorry… I was operating under an assumption that Chabot would be on LTIR
That could still be the case theSaint. When a player has to go for an MRI what follows usually isn’t good.
As for Pinto, here’s the latest just published in the Sun:
“Asked if the Senators were optimistic they could bring back Shane Pinto, who was suspended for 41 games by the NHL for activities violating the league’s wagering rules, in January when he’s eligible to return, president of hockey operations/interim general manager Steve Staios said: “We’ve been in contact with Shane and his representatives. We’re eagerly waiting to welcome him back to Ottawa and get him up and running.” Asked if there were contract talks going on to sign the restricted free agent, Staios said: “I won’t talk about contracts publicly, but I feel comfortable with where we’re at.”
As I posted yesterday, I’d bet he signs a 2-year bridge deal at a club-friendly cap hit. By the time he’s ready to sign another deal they’ll have a lot more with which to sign him coming from expiring UFA deals (Kubalik – Tarasenko as 2 examples) and the anticipated $4 mil plus increases to the cap.
Hey the saint,
I would not want and or recommend Barrie in Ottawa…..
He is a good offensive d/man but that’s it…❗️
He is a defensive liability out there, we seen it first had with the Oilers
Ottawa with Sanderson & Chychrun and when Chabot is healthy you need defensive D/men like the flames Chirs Taneve out there who is available for a pick or young player in return ….❓
The Flames do need 2nd or 3rd line wingers…..🤔🔥
Again this was all with the assumption that Chabot would be out…
hate to say this but another year and it’s another round of excuses for Buffalo and Ottawa. With only 25% of the season gone, there is still a lot of hockey to be played and turn things around…then again, it is Buffalo and Ottawa we are talking about. LOL
Yes, I agree. Excuse time is over. That goes for a lot of teams.
Just for the record, though, Ottawa has games in hand on EVERY other team in the league, ranging from 2 to 7.
Yes, that is baseless unless they win more than they lose in making them up. But it’s still a factor in the current srandings.
For example, right now Toronto sits with 76 goals for and 74 against for averages-per-game of 3.46 and 3.36 and a +2 in 22 gp.
Ottawa sits with 20 pts in 20 gp with 70 goals for and 65 against for averages of 3.5 and 3.25 and a +5.
Should they win both games in hand they’d sit 4 pts back of the Leafs … and it could get even closer if Ottawa beats Toronto tomorrow night to pull to within 6 … and still with 2 games in hand.
Things can change very quickly over any 10-game stretch in a long season.
Definitely! You can bet the Leags will lose in a typical Leafy way.