NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 12, 2024
The Hurricanes avoid elimination against the Rangers, the Stars take the lead against the Avalanche, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes avoided being swept by the New York Rangers with a 4-3 victory in Game 4 of their best-of-seven second-round series. Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei tallied the winner on the power play late in the third period after the Rangers overcame a 3-1 deficit. Frederik Andersen returned to the net for this contest and made 22 saves for the win. Igor Shesterkin stopped 27 shots for the Rangers as this series returns to New York for Game 5 on Monday, May 13 at 7 pm EDT.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes stormed from the gate in this one, taking a 3-1 lead in the first period. Nevertheless, they nearly blew it as the Rangers rallied back to tie it. Only three penalties were called in this contest with the Hurricanes the only team to cash in, going 1 for 2 and netting their first goal with the man advantage in this series.
Alexis Lafreniere continued to torment the Hurricanes. He had two goals in Game 2, a goal and an assist in Game 3 and scored the tying goal in this contest. His breakout performance in the regular season has carried over into this postseason, sitting third among the Rangers playoff scorers with 10 points in eight games.
Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin (NHL Images).
The Hurricanes avoided being swept but face the daunting challenge of overcoming a 3-1 series deficit. Expect the Rangers to step up their performance in Game 5 back on home ice as they attempt to close this out.
Dallas Stars forwards Tyler Seguin and Logan Stankoven each scored twice in a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche to take a 2-1 lead in their second-round series. Jake Oettinger turned aside 28 shots for the win. Mikko Rantanen replied for the Avalanche. Game 3 is Monday in Denver at 9:30 pm EDT.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those were Stankoven’s first two NHL playoff goals. Meanwhile, Seguin scored the winner for the second straight game.
The Avalanche controlled the play for most of this game but were thwarted by the Stars’ stingy defense and Oettinger’s solid goaltending. Neither team was able to score on the power play in this contest.
HEADLINES
THE SCORE: Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand is day-to-day with an upper-body injury following a collision with Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett during Game 3 on Friday. Marchand didn’t practice with his teammates on Saturday and his status for tonight’s game is uncertain. The Panthers hold a 2-1 lead in this series.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bennett was not penalized on the play and did not receive supplemental discipline from the league. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery believes there was intent to injure on Bennett’s part, alluding to the forward’s history of questionable hits.
THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is contemplating changing his forward lines for Game 3 of his club’s second-round series with the Edmonton Oilers. Forward Nils Hoglander could become a healthy scratch after managing one assist and four shots through eight games in this postseason.
NHL.COM: Former Toronto Maple Leafs winger Ron Ellis died Saturday at age 79. A skilled two-way forward, Ellis spent his entire 16-season NHL career with the Leafs. He overcame a club foot to become one of the NHL’s best skaters and struggled with depression that in part led to his premature retirement in 1976.
Ellis’ first tenure with the Leafs was from 1963-64 to 1974-75, during which he won the Stanley Cup in 1967 and was part of Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series with the Soviet Union. Returning from retirement in 1977, he played four more seasons with the Leafs before hanging up his skates for good midway through the 1980-81 campaign.
In 1,034 career regular-season games, Ellis had 332 goals and 308 assists for 640 points. He also had 18 goals and 26 points in 70 playoff games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Ellis’ family, friends, former teammates and coworkers. He was one of the best two-way players I ever saw and was by all accounts a gentleman and a class act.
Seems suspension worthy to me in slo-mo!
https://twitter.com/RearA…tatus/1789144322492846284
Might have drawn a suspension if enacted in slo-mo, but hockey is a fast-mo game (for most teams).
You definitely posted the wrong link here.
Boston needs to win a hockey game after being embarrassed in their last 2 contests! Bringing up the Bennett check does not serve that purpose!
Loved Ron Ellis, just a really good player who played hard every time out.
Bruins … can’t tell from video if BM injury was intent or not … but if the Bruins do indeed believe it was a hit with intent to injured then why didn’t someone take care of business during the game instead of talking about it … film is available right away
Joe, there enough video out there, clearly showing Bennett throwing a sucker punch.
That may not be available to the Bruins or the one they seen you can’t tell.
Today will tell me all I need to know about this Bruins team.
They say they’ll go thru a wall for each other and there close knitted.
All words.
I need to see action, a team that cares about their teammates. A team willing to stand up and with each other. I have not seen that team.
You got David Pastrnak the only guy on your team who should NOT be fighting, being the one to stand up and be counted for.
Today I will get my answer. Start making life difficult for the Panthers.
Caper,save that one for the pregame speech!
Sr I’m afraid it will fall on deaf ears.
Caper I realize you worship the dirtiest player in the NHL and probably sleep with a Marchand doll every night, but there was no punch. Bennett`s right hand never came within 18 inches of Marchand`s head. We watched the Marchand`s attempted hit frame by frame and from 3 different angles including from behind, where you say it clear to you. Bennett is a lefty, so he would have to throw the punch with his right across his body to make contact with the head. From behind you can see Bennett`s right arm through the entire sequence, so it`s not possible that Bennett threw a punch with either arm. Don`t forget Marchand is on Bennett`s left side during this and Bennett`s right arm would have to travel a notable distance to make any contact. Marchand tried to blind side Bennett, Bennett saw it coming. It was shoulder to shoulder, Marchand got the worst of it. Marchand should`ve gotten 2 minutes for the cheap shot and 2 minutes for the dive. Marchand should stick to his class act of kissing and licking players or attack them from behind like he usually does
yogi, here’s an angle that clearly shows the sucker punch.
https://twitter.com/NHL_On_TNT/status/1789780622124196210
R.I.P. Ron Ellis
I coached against him in Ev Tremblay’s Cradle Of Hockey League here in Ottawa back in the 1950s when I took over the team from Bel Aire Park. He played for the Merivale entry and you see then that, despite being on the “smallish” size he was going to be a force one day in pro hockey.
My condolences to his family and associates. A great talent.
https://todayinottawashistory.wordpress.com/2024/01/20/cradle-hockey-league/
How about that, George, what a great part of Ottawa’s history.
A group of us started a basketball house league in the Markham Unionville area in 1986, offering Saturday morning basketball to local boys and girls.
It has grown steadily over the years and now includes house leagues, competitive teams and camps.
Take a look at www. mumbabasketball.ca.
Loved those kind of leagues (I also coached a team in the Nepean Girl’s Basketball League) where the focus was on having fun while learning and every kid got the same amount of ice/court time regardless (and it was rigidly enforced).
And it didn’t “stifle” their development in any way. A lot of good professional players spent time in Tremblay’s league in addition to Ellis, including Doug and Murray Wilson, Jim McKenney, Mike Corrigan and Darryl Edestrand. I recall, too, big Tom Pullen playing for the team coached by ex-pro Connie Tudin (the Glebe team I believe) who went in another direction, becoming a star offensive lineman (guard) with Ottawa of the Canadian Football League.