NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 11, 2024
The Oilers tie their series with the Canucks, the Panthers take a 2-1 series lead over the Bruins, the latest on the Leafs, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Evan Bouchard gave the Edmonton Oilers a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, tying their best-of-seven second-round series at a game apiece. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and three assists for the Oilers. Elias Pettersson tallied his first goal of the playoffs while Nikita Zadorov and J.T. Miller each had two points for the Canucks. The series moves to Edmonton for the next two games with Game 3 on Sunday, May 12 at 9:30 pm EDT.
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid and Draisaitl were the difference, answering criticism that they didn’t step up during the Oilers’ loss in the previous game. Draisaitl was a game-day decision after being listed as day-to-day after dealing with “cramping and equipment issues in Game 1.
Canucks starting goaltender Thatcher Demko has been sidelined since winning the opening game of their first-round series with the Nashville Predators. However, reports suggest he could be ready to return to action if this series reaches Game 6 or 7.
The Florida Panthers scored six goals for the second straight game to defeat the Boston Bruins 6-2 in Game 3 of their second-round series. Evan Rodrigues scored twice and Matthew Tkachuk collected three assists for the Panthers as they took a 2-1 series lead. Jake DeBrusk had a goal and an assist while Jeremy Swayman stopped 27 shots for the Bruins. Game 4 is on Sunday at 6:30 pm EDT.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins are in deep trouble. They were dominated for the second straight game, outshot 33-17 and allowing four power-play goals. Team captain Brad Marchand left this game after the second period with an upper-body injury and received little production from their other top-six forwards. Swayman did his best but couldn’t stem the onslaught.
Panthers center Sam Bennett returned to action after being sidelined by an injury during Game 2 of their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke returned from a finger injury suffered during Game 2 of their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
PLAYOFF NOTEBOOK
NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes remain confident despite facing elimination entering Game 4 of their series with the New York Rangers. They’re attempting to become the fifth team in playoff history to win a series after overcoming a 3-0 deficit. The Canes are vowing to address the mistakes that have put them into their current predicament, including a punchless power play.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes are putting up a brave front but some observers consider it empty talk. They’ve put themselves into a hole that history suggests is too deep to escape. Game 4 is Saturday at 7 pm EDT.
COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog appears no closer to returning to action a year after undergoing cartilage transplant surgery on his right knee. The timeline for his potential return was 12 to 16 months.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Landeskog’s last game was the Avalanche’s Cup clincher in 2022. He’s been traveling with the team and skating in morning practices in warm-up clothes. It remains unlikely he’ll return to the lineup in this postseason.
THE LATEST ON THE MAPLE LEAFS
TORONTO STAR: Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley, Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, and general manager Brad Treliving met with the Toronto press yesterday for their season-ending media session.
Pelley said the team’s goal remains winning the Stanley Cup while Shanahan and Treliving took responsibility for another early playoff exit. After years of patience with their roster core. they all indicated that changes could be afoot.
“Everything is on the table,” said Shanahan. “We will discuss everything.”
“We have really good players, but it hasn’t worked,” said Treliving. “We have to analyze why it hasn’t worked.”
Shanahan indicated a new head coach will have a say in those decisions. Treliving said they will conduct a thorough search for a new bench boss. Speculation suggests former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube is the front-runner.
Treliving also provided details on the injuries suffered by several Leafs players in the first round. Auston Matthews battled an illness and suffered a head injury in Game 4 that didn’t clear until the day of Game 7. Migraines sidelined William Nylander from the first three games. Bobby McMann sprained a knee in the last game of the regular season while forward Connor Dewar was scheduled for shoulder surgery on Friday.
TORONTO SUN: The Leafs granted permission to the New Jersey Devils to speak with former head coach Sheldon Keefe, who was fired by the Leafs on Thursday.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’ve cited the main highlights of this press conference. Whether any of those issues are suitably addressed before the start of next season remains to be seen.
Asking Mitch Marner and John Tavares to waive their no-movement clauses could be what they’re referring to when they said everything was on the table. Both are eligible to become unrestricted free agents next July. Tavares previously indicated he intends to fulfill the final season of his contract with the Leafs while Marner remains hopeful of signing a contract extension.
The Leafs could hire someone other than Berube as their next coach but he appears to be the favorite for the job. His NHL experience and the Stanley Cup on his resume are strong enticements.
It was rumored Keefe might end up joining former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas with the Pittsburgh Penguins if bench boss Mike Sullivan resigned or was fired by Dubas. Another theory had Sullivan planning to leave Pittsburgh for New Jersey to fill their vacant head-coaching job. Both rumors seem unlikely with the Leafs permitting the Devils to speak with Keefe.
Bruins…The lack of legit 1st and 2nd line centers on this team has shown up in these playoffs ..the got by in the Leaf series but won’t in this series , they also cant win a faceoff in their D Zone …. Besides that they cant get the puck out of their own end this team is no match for the Panthers … Looks like the Bruins are in need of a makeover …. They need 2 centers, a tough Dman who can actually move people, and wingers who can score … SweeneyNeely have a lot of work to do
Absolutely Joe! Their face off statistics are an embarrassment! They bet on their goalies carrying them during the regular season and they did! I saw a poll that said they were the 8th best team in the playoffs! Not a huge fan of Sweeney but he struck gold with the cheap veteran free agents that he signed!Honestly figured they would be an 7-8 th seed looking at their personel! They have money so let s see what their makeover looks like! Mcavoy is really not a number one so they need a top 4 defensemen,preferably LH!Not many free agent centers on the market so they might need to trade existing players on contracts including Ullmark of course! My feeling is get 2 top six forwards either C or W and figure it out! Get the best veteran center to take every face off !
Ya Joe, they were never in this one. But hey if you told me at the start of the year they would have finished 2nd in the division, and won a round in the playoffs, I would take it. It’s better than I thought they would do. The way they played down the stretch I didn’t think they would get by the Leafs. Got a bit lucky in that one with the Leaf injuries.
As you say, plenty of holes. They can fill one or 2 with a UFA and an Ullmark trade, but if they sign a guy like Lindholm, sign Swayman, doesn’t leave much for the rest. All that would seem to do is get them back to compete for the playoffs. Not beat a team like FLA, Rags or Canes. Lindholm will have plenty of options other than the B’s as well. In no way a sure thing.
Marchand ain’t getting any younger either. DeBrusk?
The B’s won’t blow it up this off season, you don’t do that with a team that finishes with a 109 pts and gets to the 2nd round. My guess is they give it a go. They have a 4 excellent players – McAvoy, Lindholm, Pasta and Swayman. (Ullamrk will be gone). That keeps you competitive, that’s the core.
If Sweeney can find a way to make this team a legit contender, he’s smarter than me as I’m struggling to see the path.
My prediction more of the same for a year or 2, then who knows?
Ray … have heard talk that a team gives a offer sheet to Swayman and he accepts for over 6-7 million don’t know how that really works but wouldn’t that give them 2-3 high draft picks and they can just keep Ullmark as their #1 goalie … Ullmark besides cap relief isn’t going to bring back much in return and he can refuse to go to a lot of teams in trade … BM is on that slippery slope at 36 years old had a tough 2nd half of season can’t really count on him for much anymore ..73 is having a tough series, 88 can’t keep the puck on his stick …. The Panthers forechecking is burying the Bruins
Well, Ray, the Bruins goaltending tandem has been a big part of their success and I think a question that Boston fans aren’t asking is who replaces Ullmark?
If the Eastern final has Florida and the Rangers, that should be a seriously fast-paced series – lots of snarl too.
Joe, the present offer-sheet is as follows:
4,290,126 – 6,435,186 1st and 3rd round pick
6,435,187 – 8,580,250 1st, 2nd, 3rd
8,580,251 – 10725,314 2 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Swayman isn’t signing in the first bracket Boston would match; if someone wanted to offer the 3rd bracket thankyou! save to say it would be in the second bracket.
Teams that could offer based on their own draft pick availability according to capfriendly:
Arz, buff, chi, Det, LA, Min, Mtl, Nash, NYI, Phil, Seat, StL, Wash
Eliminate the teams that don’t need a goalie, then the teams that are not at that stage, then the teams that don’t have the cap space.
For me your left with 2 teams LA and Buff
I don’t see any offer sheets coming. However i be ok if Boston traded both goalie if they could get over payments back.
Joe, Ullmark will want a raise in a year too. They’re both good, Sway is younger but gets a better return.
BCLeaf Fan, fair point, but, these 2 guys, at the cost is simply a luxury they can’t afford. Can only play one at a time, and the other holes need to be addressed. They will promote one of the AHL guys, sign an older guy as a UFA so they have 3 in camp, take it from there. Unless nobody offers anything of value for Ullmark, then maybe you keep him.
After years of going for it the B’s need younger, faster, less expensive players filling out the roster. Teams don’t generally trade them without quality coming back. What are the B’s gonna trade that doesn’t make them worse today?
If the plan is to keep competing for a cup, which I think it is, UFA and an Ullmark trade are the best options or it is whack a mole.
I’m just not convinced it gets them into contender status. Will be more than happy to be wrong.
100% Joe,
Boston lack 1st & 2nd line centres, moved wingers in there but did not replace the winger’s…..🤔
the result is a lack of playoff scoring and Top 6 depth….
Trades for a Centre or top 6 Scoring Wingers
Ottawa have 25 yr old Josh Norris as there 2nd line centre
sounds like he could be on the trade block to get a Starting Goaltender….
Trade Ullmark with an extention in place & a prospect like 21 yr old Fabian Lysell’
for Centre Josh Norris & a 2nd rd pick and back up goaltender Anton Forsberg or the other back up Joonas Korpisalo and a d prospect…❓
or
Do a trade with Toronto for M.Marnier…with Ullmark, ++
However i dont see the Bruins and Mapleleafs trading…..😂😳
I dont see them going after Vancouver UFA
Elias Lindholm who is looking for $8M+
he has not played great in the playoffs this year for the Canucks…? think they want to go Younger with more Scoring❓
❓They also need a top 4 LD man now Las Vegas are Cash straped maybebe the try to get Noah Hanifin again or go after a UFA d/man lots avalable this year the big guy in Carolina…
Bruins also need to Re-sign Swayman,
He could do a bridge deal at $5.M to $6M for a year or 2, i think he is looking for $7M to $8M on a long term deal, he could be a Hot commodity ❓
Sullivan’s 3yr extension at 5.5mil per season starts with the 24/25 season. Never understood the speculation that he might leave. Fired maybe. But he’s not gonna quit.
Re coaching changes: nothing against the jack adams nominees but they all have something in common: a Vezina nominee. Nothing against coaches in general, but they can only do so much. At a certain point, they need a player to be superhuman to elevate the team, and I’m just not sure that “coaching” accomplishes that.
Coaching is essential and leaves lasting impressions on players, but it’s not the be all end all. All these teams chasing after coaches that have been fired before are just shuffling the deck. Sure some have won the cup but was that on the coach or did the players find a way?
Maybe it’s time teams consider the “Ted Lasso” way, and hire a leader, someone who can connect with the players, and surround the leader with competent support staff with hockey knowledge.
Looking at cap friendly, there are a lot of coaches with multi year contracts north of 3mil. Only one team can win the cup each season. How many oh these high priced coaches will switch teams over the next few years?
19 shots on goal? Against a team that, on the season, was close to 30 shots a game against average?
The fact that Vancouver scored 3 goals on those 19 shots should have been a hint that they need to generate more than that.
C’mon now! Boston didn’t deserve a win last night! however, they do deserve fair officiating.
Geekie penalty, please i see that play 30 times a game. Was it because it was on Barkov.
Lauko, penalty. I tell you right now they call that penalty because it was a young player driving the net. If that Charlie Coyle, ref doesn’t and should put up his arms. I was going to say Zacha, but that wouldn’t be realistic for Zacha to drive the net.
Marchand may have been sucker punched. Go watch the replay as it’s all over X showing were Bennet may have rabbit punched Marchand, keep an eye on his right arm.
If you watch Florida play, what they do very well is finish their checks. The other thing they do very well is protect their dman. Florida does a ton of picks (interference) when a bruin is going in for a puck, a forward or dman will skate in his way run a subtle pick so their dman can pick up the puck and not worry about a hit, or a lesser blow. That’s if the bruin player is willing to throw a hit.
How many period now of the 10 games Boston has played were they only had 1,2,3 or 4 shots 6 periods? Like two full hockey games worth.
I liked what the game plan was to start. Target Barkov and make his game uncomfortable, i would also add Montour to that list. However you still need to generate offense.
What the f*ck happed to Charlie McAvoy i swear it’s Matt Grzelcyk wearing number 73. He must be injured because he has been Boston worst dman.
The lack of a number 1 or 2 c show up on the PP where you don’t have a C to control the play like a David Krejci, slow it down.
Game 4 wish list:
Lohrei on the #1 pp unit
Ullmark starts
Wotherspoon in Forbort out
Frederick to play physical
Start doing the Florida pick protect your d
side note: that wasn’t a miss call on McDavid high stick to Hughes; it was a penalty the refs chose not to call.
I have wondered this season, how an official can dictate more than any one player the outcome of a game with the amount of sports betting happening now maybe dictating calls????
Some games have been so extremely lopsided this season officiating wise.
Sorry Pengy, strongly disagree.
There several times within any game that a ref(s) will see an infraction and not call it.
Linseman tend to call too many men on the ice. But rarely step on the toes of a ref to make other calls.
McDavid drives penalties and also gets the benefit of the doubt when he is doing the infraction.
How’s the small business acquisition going?
Caper, I can’t see a world where the refs choose not to call an obvious high stick. Gotta disagree.
How about VCR doesn’t send a mascot out before the game to wave a surrender flag to the refs before the game starts.
Seriously WTF is that Vancouver? Fans, complain about that, needs to stop. Wow.
I don’t think the refs (and linesmen[who can call high sticking penalties]) “chose not to call”
They missed it ; plain and simple.
Live from the angle showing ; I thought; as did the play by play guys that it wasn’t Mcdavid but his teamate on a followthrough shot/pass (which gets no penalty)
The 4 in stripes also were blocked from view of actual contact
Other camera angle and slow motion clearly shows it was McDavid; no question
For any of the 4 to call it; they have to actually see it happen
My guess is that all 4 “saw” (from their blocked view) exactly what the play-by-play announcer and color commentary guy and I saw (in real time at full speed as it happened) ; that being a follow-through high stick by teamate
If true, their only shot was to call a 4 minute on the potential follow-through shot on McDavid’s team-mate and then ask for a review. The review then would have shown it was McDavid and not the other player on a follow-through; and at that point they aren’t allowed to then call a penalty on another player (McDavid). They can only (1) uphold 4 mins on team-mate; (2) decline penalty on team-mate
Should they have huddled; yep
But if I’m right re what the real-time vantage point thoughts were (same as play-by-play and colour commentary); the huddle of four would have been…. “What did you see”…. And all 4 say “follow through”…. Which means no penalty. They can’t “guess” that it was McDavid anf penalize him
We got the reverse angle in slow motion. They can’t ask for a review on McDavid if they believe it was a follow-through by team-mate
Missed it , yes absolutely
They missed quite a few on both teams
Decided to not call it…. No in my opinion
It’s amazing that the 4 officials will huddle together to discuss whether or not a puck was shot over the boards but wouldn’t do so after Hughs was high sticked in the face by McDavid. Instead, they kicked Hughs off the ice because he was bleeding. What a league.
It was the McDraistil show last night. Wow!!
After the second intermission it was hard to find a Canuck with his stick on the puck.
What a vaunted power-play!!!
On the ice at the same time:
-Best player in the world
-5th Best player in the world
-3rd best goal scorer this season
-5th or 6th best D-Man in the world
-Oh and yeah; and the “poorest” of the quintet, RNH….who is according to some, “ having a bad season” (“bad” because he only got 2/3rds of last year’s output where he had an exceptional year!!! Setting aside last year though; and 23/24 was RNH’s 2nd best year [only 2 points behind 18/19])
Now that’s a PP
Re “The Leafs granted permission to the New Jersey Devils to speak with former head coach Sheldon Keefe, who was fired by the Leafs on Thursday.”
That’s good news/bad news for Pens
Pens fans (including me) want a change at head cosch
Here there have been rumours of Sullivan to Devils ; opening up for a fresh new start with a new coach.
Some in media had speculated Keefe then to Pens
Certainly don’t want another Dubas has been ; so Keefe to Devils locks out that awful problem
But in doing so; that makes Sullivan’s exit more difficult
Ideal situation for Pens; Sullivan to Devils; Berube behind the Pens bench; Keefe nowhere near a Pens or WBS bench
We need more of a change than Leafs do