NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 26, 2024
The Lightning and Islanders are on the brink of elimination, broadcasting legend Bob Cole has passed away, and further playoff updates in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The Florida Panthers have pushed the Tampa Bay Lightning to the brink of elimination with a 5-3 victory in Game 3 of their best-of-seven opening-round series. Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves for the Panthers as they’ve taken a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. Steven Stamkos, Tyler Motte and Nick Paul replied for the Lightning. The Panthers can wrap things up in Game 4 on Saturday, Apr. 27 starting at 5 pm EDT.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a deeper, more experienced Florida team than the one the Lightning faced in the last two series between these clubs. That was evident when they reclaimed control of this game after the Lightning went up 2-1 in the second period.
The Panthers successfully hemmed the Bolts in their own zone before scoring the tying and go-ahead goals. They also killed all four Lightning power-play opportunities and forced 14 giveaways.
Kyle Okposo made his postseason debut for the Panthers. He collected an assist in his first playoff game since 2016 with the New York Islanders.
Speaking of the Islanders, they’re also on the verge of elimination after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of their first-round series. Frederik Andersen stopped 29 shots and Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov and Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes. Pierre Engvall and Brock Nelson replied for the Islanders. Game 4 is Saturday at 2 pm EDT with the Hurricanes holding a 3-0 series lead.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders rebounded after goaltender Semyon Varlamov replaced Ilya Sorokin in the second period after he gave up three goals on 14 shots. However, the Hurricanes wore them down and won most of the puck battles in the third period. Andersen also made several big saves to preserve this win for the Canes.
Before this game, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour announced that winger Jesper Fast is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs with an upper-body injury.
BOB COLE 1933-2024
NHL.COM: Legendary hockey play-by-play man Bob Cole died Wednesday night in his hometown of St. John’s, NL at age 90.
Former Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play man Bob Cole (NHL.com).
Cole spent five decades calling games on CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada”. He started on radio in 1969, moved to television in 1973, and became their lead play-by-play man from 1980 to 2008. He called his final NHL game in 2019.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cole was the last of the great national NHL broadcasters in Canada that spawned icons such as Foster Hewitt (Cole’s idol and mentor) and Danny Gallivan. He rose to prominence in an era before cable television when the CBC was the only source in Canada for hockey coverage. Cole was an instantly recognizable symbol of the game, beloved by players as much as fans.
Like Hewitt and Gallivan, he had a distinctive delivery instantly recognizable to hockey fans. In his prime, he called many great games, capturing spectacular moments that have become cherished memories among Canadian hockey fans, sometimes punctuated with his memorable catchphrase, “Ooooh, baby!”
Few of today’s play-by-play broadcasters can match Cole’s delivery. He brought out the excitement and drama of a game that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Cole’s coverage began to falter during his final years behind the mike. His delivery slowed and at times he would forget players’ names. However, Cole truly was the voice of Saturday Night for Canadian hockey fans during his prime from 1980 to 2009.
Everyone has their favorite Bob Cole game. Mine is his coverage of Game 5 of the 1984 Patrick Division semifinal between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. The Isles were four-time defending champions that year but the Rangers proved a worthy foe in this series. Cole’s call of that game was the perfect complement to the on-ice action in one of the greatest playoff games I’ve ever seen.
My condolences to Cole’s family, friends and broadcasting colleagues. Hockey has lost one of its greatest voices but his memory will live on.
NHL PLAYOFF NOTEBOOK
THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko isn’t expected to return from a suspected knee injury until the Western Conference Final if the Canucks make it that far. Backup Casey DeSmith takes over as their starter in Demko’s absence.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander is suffering from a migraine issue so severe that team doctors tested him for a suspected concussion. He first experienced the symptoms the day after his club’s final regular-season game. It’s hope he’ll return to action for Game 4 against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: There’s concern among Oilers followers over the goaltending of Stuart Skinner. He’s given up nine goals in the club’s first two games of their opening-round series against the Los Angeles Kings.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars rookie Logan Stankoven was named the AHL’s Rookie of the Year for 2023-24. The 21-year-old forward led the league with 57 points before his call-up to the Stars on Feb. 24.
CBS SPORTS: Washington Capitals forward Sonny Milano could miss Game 4 of his club’s first-round series against the New York Rangers on Friday. He’s nursing an undisclosed injury.
IN OTHER NEWS…
CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: The Blackhawks signed Alex Vlasic to a six-year contract with an average annual value of $4.6 million. The 22-year-old defenseman exceeded expectations this season, establishing himself as one of the club’s core players.
THE SCORE: National NHL broadcasts on Monday nights will be seen exclusively on Amazon in Canada starting next season and for 2025-26 in partnership with Rogers Communications. Rogers remains the NHL’s primary rights shareholder for national broadcasts in Canada.
If Bolts get swept does that hurt in the potential signing of Stamko s?Is Tampa ready for a mild rebuild?Islanders should be swept opening up the door for what should be major changes!
Sr. they do have 6 players aged 32 to 35, with Kucherov also turning 31 in June (although he certainly doesn’t show any signs of slowing down). A mini re-build is not out of the realms of possibility.
On the surface, they did have a decent season going 45 29 8 98pts. and among the playoff teams, only Toronto scored more goals than Tampa (303 to 291).
Bu t their 268 against was the highest, followed by Washington (257), NYI and Toronto (263). Both Washington and NYI are also on the verge of being swept, and should Toronto lose game 4 Saturday, they could be out in 5.
They have played a lot of hockey over the last 5 years! Hedman as much of a horse that he is,looks tired to me! I hope they Don t take the Pittsburgh approach! That looks ugly to me!
I think Tampa should have been thinking mild rebuild going into last offseason.
They looked like they could be a little better going into the post season, Florida was probably worst case scenario for them.
I’m sure they re-sign Stamkos, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Trading Hedman and Stamkos would have been the better idea. These two players would have brought back high returns that fueled a retool.
What team wasn’t taking Stamkos or Hedman with retention?
They look a lot like Pittsburgh did 4-5 years ago. Not good enough to compete, not bad enough to get high draft picks.
They still have some good pieces to retool around. Point, Hagel, Cirelli, Sergachev , Vasilesky and Kucherov showing no signs of slowing down.
What they do with that? Take the Pittsburgh approach and keep icing the same team that isn’t good enough or make some tough decisions and start retooling? We’ll see I suppose.
They cycled most all the youngsters through the big club this year to get a good look. They have been pretty good at finding and developing star players from rounds 2 and 3 so they may be able to start up again. Point, Vasey, Hagel, CIrelli, Paul, Radish, Cernak, Perbix, Sergechev, are all signed for term or controlled, so its a broad core, not just three aging stars. With Stamkos and Hedmon still Productive there is no need to make a trade that does not clearly make the team better.
High Draft picks for playoff teams, even in the first round, are a crap shoot — Syracuse was good this year and Tampa is still a good FA destination. I think the Bolts can retool and rise
without going to the wilderness, and honor Hedman & Stamkos being one-team career players has value to the franchise and fan base. They shed a large amount of talent from cap purgatory after three consecutive finals; but that issues is probably done now. The challange will be Cooper changing the culture to defense first as that is the game the team’s talent will likely support best.
Richard,
Definitely like both players, but when it’s time to move on it’s time to move on.
Learn from Washington, Detroit, San Jose, Pittsburgh’s mistakes. There is no room for emotional / sentimental signings unless you want to end up in the middle of the pack with a gradual slide into the abyss.
Tampa’s farm system is ranked 30th in the NHL with no 1st or 2nd this year, and no 1st next year. I agree, they’ve found some players in later rounds, but I wouldn’t bank on it all the time. (Detroit also had a lot of success with that method, until they didn’t)
You won’t find a player immediately better than Stamkos or Hedman in a trade. But that’s usually how it works. Get 2-3 pieces (each) for them and hope 1 or 2 combined become impactful players and 1-2 others become complimentary / bottom 6 NHL players. You won’t have much luck loving good aging players for better young players.
Had Tampa taken that road before Stamkos hit UFA status they probably took a step backwards this year, and reset for the years to come.
The blueprint is there. Pittsburgh, Washington, Detroit, San Jose have shown the league what not to do.
Better to get assets for aging players than to watch those same players rot the organization at the cost of younger players and picks while becoming pieces difficult or impossible to move in the future.
I don’t see Tampa being successful bringing back this same team next year.
Stanky for the win!
Severe migraine … wow … I wonder if Nylander is being tested for allergies as well as concussion?
I know for a fact that seasonal allergies – and certain food allergies – can trigger debilitating, excruciating headaches.
Could well be george,
at this time of year my Son in-law just experienced this same thing for 4 days……
Leafs really miss Nylanders Scoring up from and his Fast pace up there….❓
Mitch Marrner has Not been able to Elavate his playoff game up in the first 3 game’s, maybe time to Trade him out next season for a very good offencive RD-man ❓
They Just Cant aford 4 forwards at $46.M PA❓
They do need to up grade 2 of there top 4 d/men,
one being a Good Offensive RD/man ❓
As I posted yesterday williew, in Marner’s defense he recently came off an extended stay on the IR following a high ankle sprain. And those things can take a LONG time to heal properly, allowing full movement.
I think he’s been trying to tough it out but it’s obvious he’s missing a step on almost every play.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6767727/
Isles had their chances last night but Anderson played a solid game. Made the key saves and limited rebounds. Sorokin was not sharp. Two of the three goals he allowed were Charmin soft.
My favorite Bob Cole moment: “Desjardins…….And the series is a brand new one!”. 1993 finals.
Howard. Just went on you tube and listened to Bob Cole’s call on the tying and winning goal. What a memory. Hard to believe it was 31 years ago.
Gotta love that when a young player, in say, his 3rd season puts up 50 points, everyone praises him and says, “He’s part of the core”…and when a player like Stamkos is a point per game player with 40 goals… the team should move on… yes, let’s make room for that 18 goal scorer because he’s 22….bwahahaha
I think you read this all wrong. It’s not a matter of what Stamkos is doing right now, it’s a matter of asset management and what direction a player like Stamkos is heading. Do you think Stamkos is getting better with age?
A player in his 3rd season putting up 50 points is trending in the right direction. How long will a 34 yo and aging player be putting up a point a game? 1-2 more years? Maybe 3? Vs. Where will that 50 point player be in 1-2 years.
Starsfan / Co it’s not as simple as that, is it? Stamko’s is an excellent hockey player. Certainly not a player that TB would like to see walk out the door with nothing to show for it.
TB projected cap space is $10, 072,500 with 17 players signed. (capfriendly.com)
Stamkos is coming off $8,500,000 cap hit he finished with 40g and 81pts and has 3 goals and 4pts in the playoffs. he’s also a -4 in the post season.
How much of a pay cut do you think Stamkos is willing to take to stay in Tampa?
I don’t have the numbers but the NHL has changed and more and more players are playing their late 30 and still productive. Kucherov is 30 and won the scoring race.
I think Stamkos sign a 3yr deal at $6m in Tampa or more on the open market.
I think starsfan has a point. Even with the eventual regression in Stamkos his experience still holds value. You can’t just put together a team of talented and potentially good players together without some sort of buffer such as a vet like Stamkos and expect great results.
The key with aging stars is more about the contract than it is about anything else. Guys like Stamkos deserve a fair contract even if it means it’s a bit overpriced when it compares to his eventual downturn in production…the intangibles he brings might be worth more than points especially to a young player/team.
Agree with Caper, in that this is about asset management.
Depends what he wants and what TB thinks they need to compete for a cup down the road.
TB is a wild card team that has a negative goal differential at 5 on 5. Stamkos being -21. Looks like they are about to get dumped in RD 1 for 2nd year in a row.
They kill it on special teams. Stamkos gets almost half his goals and points on the PP. Which is exactly what is happening in the playoffs as well.
What the data, AKA results, proves is that he isn’t an impact player at 5 on 5, and actually looks like a liability. He kills it on the PP with a great one timer.
So what is a one dimensional player who is 34 worth and for how long? And how much does that help you win? Does it help you win at all? Probably, but not as mush as just looking at his point totals suggest.
If your looking for an older player you want to re-sign for 3 years at a healthy # this summer it is Victor Hedman. Who is one of TB’s 2 best players. You could argue their best.
If it choose time in TB due to the cap, I know who I would pick. Unless Stamkos signs a less expensive 2 year deal or it will hurt you elsewhere. Will he take $6M for 2 years?
I don’t see Stamkos as a player they need to keep around. They have plenty of veteran players on this team. Tampa also did win a cup with no contribution from Stamkos (19-20 1 shift 1 goal in one game aside)
I think GM’s need to compartmentalize what a player has done vs. what he will do. Or when a player goes from elite / to complimentary.
I 100% believe Stamkos re-signs with Tampa. Much like Ovechkin in Washington, Letang and Malkin in Pittsburgh, it is probably the wrong thing for the organization’s future.
It’s not a crazy argument Captain. Kinda agree with you.
But you’re right, he likely will re-sign, because that is what almost always happens.
But, Stamkos didn’t sound thrilled when BriseBois declined to negotiate an extension this past summer. Which is a bit hypocritical as Stamkos tested the UFA market before signing the last extension in TB, which suggested he was willing to consider leaving, or at very least using all the leverage he could.
Maybe TB bucks the trend? I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. If it was me I would test just how badly he wants to stay in TBay. This kinda screams bad contract if they go big $ for 3 years.
Great points Ray and Cap.I especially the FA go around last time. It wouldn’t be inconceivable that they let him walk, just them signing him on again.
In other news…amazon takes over the world. Beware you’ve been warned!
LOL, about 15 years too late. Probably an 80% chance this site is hosted on an AWS server…wait, who’s knocking at my doo…
“Knock knock”.
tb: “Who’s there?”
“Goons”
tb: “Who?”
“Hired goons”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsUuhW7WbIg&ab_channel=Phero
Tampa By is seriously missing Sergachev and Vasilevskiy is not outworldly.
The big dogs are still playing well so this team doesn’t need a rebuild, more retooling.
A lot is riding on Vasilevskiy returning to form.
Re; Oilers Young 2yr Goaltender Skinner…
There’s concern among Oilers followers over the goaltending of Stuart Skinner. He’s given up nine goals in the club’s first two games of their opening-round series against the Los Angeles Kings.
The problem in Edmonton is NOT Skinner even if he did have a poor 2nd game its the Oilers old 1st paring that now there 2nd paring and could well end up being there 3rd paring if the keep this up 😲
Nurse & Ceci….have not played well, they look lost as a pair out there, Maybe it time to play RD man Troy Stecher with Nures to see if that fixes this…..⁉️
Nurse has Looked & played just Brutal,
I dont know what happed to Nurse he has played Crap all year and need to wake up ASAP…….‼️
Young Hollywood is staring to get into his grove on the 3rd line, i can see him in the Top 6 forward group next season….👌
Picked LA because EDM’s not known for their 200ft game and goaltending is a question mark.
If their D sags, then it’s up to Skinner to step up. They have no backup. It’s Skinner or bust.
That said, EDM had several great chances with an empty net staring at the puck as it slid through the slot… nobody there to tap it in.
Hyman… The German… McD… all -1… RNH… -2.
Should be a fun game tonight. Go Kings!
There is potential for 4 sweeps
Nyr 2 – Wash 0
Car 3 – Nyi 0
Flr 3 – TB 0
Veg 2 – Dal 0
TB could be up 2 game to 1 their not, Islanders could be down 2-1
I don’t expect Washington to win any games and i picked Dallas in the finals.
I going with Dallas and Tampa winning their next games and Washington and Carolina eliminated in 4
caper, it’ll be tough for Carolina to be eliminated in 4 with a 3-0 lead in the series 🙂
I’ll never forget the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City when Bob Cole called Joe Sakic’s goal to put the game out of reach. Just the excitement and the way he said Sakic’s name. “J-yooo Sakic.. scores!”
Chris Cuthbert does a great job calling games on Hockey Night but it’s never been the same since Cole left. RIP legend.
Bob Cole was the sound of hockey. Even when I was too young to remember the games I remember his voice, and that I had to go to bed after Peter Puck.
Saw part of an NHL classic today, Oilers and Flyers, with Bob Cole and Harry Neale doing the telecast.
It was a nice trip down memory lane and Bob Cole’s voice was as vibrant as ever but the hockey was sooo slow compared to today’s game.
RIP Mr Cole.