NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 17, 2024
The Rangers eliminate the Hurricanes, the Canucks push the Oilers to the brink, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The New York Rangers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 5-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of their second-round series. Chris Kreider tallied a natural hat trick in the third period to rally the Rangers from a 3-1 deficit while Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves for the win. Having won this series 4 games to 2, the Rangers await the winner of the Boston Bruins-Florida Panthers series.
New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was one of the greatest playoff comeback games in Rangers history and the biggest collapse in Hurricanes history. Kreider’s performance was one of the best single-period efforts by one player I’ve ever seen and will long remembered by Blueshirts fans.
The Hurricanes were in complete control of this game entering the third period. Five minutes into that period, it seemed they would win their third straight to tie this series and send it back to New York for a seventh and deciding game on Saturday.
Kreider changed all that. You could see the Hurricanes’ confidence wane after he cut the lead to 3-2. When he cashed in on the power play with the tying goal, you knew the Rangers would win this contest.
The ice seemed tilted in the Carolina zone as the Rangers poured it on. The Canes defense, which had played so well through the first two periods, fell apart in the face of the onslaught. It was only a matter of time that the Rangers scored the game-winner. That it was Kreider who sank the dagger was appropriate.
Offseason changes are expected for this Hurricanes roster after another disappointing postseason. I’ll have the latest in today’s Rumors update.
A late goal in the third period by J.T. Miller lifted the Vancouver Canucks over the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. They also hold a 3-2 lead in this second-round series, putting them on the verge of advancing to the Western Conference Final. Carson Soucy and Phillip Di Giuseppe also scored and Arturs Silovs stopped 21 shots for the Canucks. Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark replied for the Oilers. The Canucks can wrap up this series as it returns to Edmonton for Game 6 on Saturday, May 18 at 8 pm EDT.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks deserved this victory. They did a great job shutting down Edmonton superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and killing off all five of the Oilers’ power-play opportunities. They also played without winger Ilya Mikheyev as he’s listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
The Oilers need their best players to step up for Game 6 or face another disheartening postseason exit. Goaltender Calvin Pickard earned his second straight start for the Oilers and played well, turning aside 32 shots. He should get the nod for Game 6.
PLAYOFF NOTEBOOK
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins captain Brad Marchand took part in practice on Thursday and could play in Game 6 of their second-round series with the Florida Panthers. Marchand missed the last two games with an upper-body injury following a questionable hit by Panthers forward Sam Bennett in Game 3.
Speaking of that hit, Marchand felt that Bennett “got away with one” but called the Panthers forward “an extremely physical player; great player for the group.” He added that he wasn’t complaining about the hit, calling it a part of playoff hockey. Marchand also acknowledged he’s been guilty of similar plays and hits in the past. “S**t happens, and that’s part of it,” he said.
THE DENVER POST: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar’s efforts in Game 5 of his club’s series with the Dallas Stars should remind everyone why he’s a great playoff performer. The 2022 Conn Smythe Trophy winner scored twice in that game as the Avs forced Game 6 in Denver on Friday.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: NHL analyst Ed Olczyk noted Joe Pavelski’s declining production in this postseason. It raises questions about whether the 39-year-old winger is helping or hindering linemates Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It hasn’t been hurting Johnston. He leads the Stars with seven goals, two of them game-winners.
IN OTHER NEWS…
DAILY FACEOFF: The Los Angeles Kings and Trent Yawney mutually agreed to part ways. Yawney had been an assistant coach with the Kings since 2019-20.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning signed forward Mitchell Chaffee to a two-year, one-way contract with an average annual value of $800K.
NYI HOCKEY NOW: The Islanders signed Russian forward Maxim Tsyplatov to a one-year entry-level contract. The 25-year-old winger scored 31 goals and 47 points in 65 games with KHL club Moscow Spartak.
TSN: Long-time Sportscentre host and TSN personality Darren Dutchyshen passed away on Thursday following a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 57. Dutchyshen had been a beloved mainstay on TSN’s flagship news program since 1997.
“He passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones,” the Dutchyshen family said in a statement. “His sharp wit remained until his final moments, classically delivering plenty of jokes – most of them pretty good and all of them inappropriate.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My sincere condolences to Dutchyshen’s family, friends and TSN staff. Most Canadian sports fans knew him as “Dutch” and he was a familiar face on the Sportscentre desk for decades. He will be missed.
I had a feeling that, while Carolina carried the play early in the third period while still up 3 – 1, that the failure to score on either of the two shots that found iron might come back to haunt them. True enough. NY took over the game afterwards,and earned the W.
Sad to hear about Dutchy, he was always a great supporter of the CFL.
Iago, very true, but 2 or 3 highlight-reel saves by Sheshterkin (sp?) also were a sign the Rangers weren’t going to just give up.
The Rangers were my pick for the East to go up against Dallas in the finals, but when Carolina won 2 to narrow the series to 3-2, and the way they were playing in the first 2 periods last night, I thought “oh oh – they tie this series and force a game 7 in NY it becomes a toss-up, regardless of the rabid MSG crowd.”
While I can appreciate how a trailing team can get energized by one goal, as happened at the 6:43 mark in the 3rd to narrow the lead to 3-2, it never ceases to amaze me how an obviously GOOD team of seasoned pros can unravel so quickly and simply stop playing the same, tough forechecking style that got them the lead in the first bloody place.
Sad to hear about Dutchy, he was always a great supporter of the CFL.
It amazes me too, George O. Hockey seems like so much a psychological affected game with momentum changes @ the drop of a hat. I don’t know if that is the right term? Help me out if you have a better one but I am baffled too how quickly a team goes off the rails. Watching that game, you would think the Hurricanes had it in the bag the way they were dominating play. I often think of that with the Avalanche. When things go against them, a little adversity, the wheels can come off @ times? Tonight, with a huge opportunity, it will be interesting how they respond? Getting on the board 1st is great but if you don’t, do you immediately start to get away from your game? No, you stick with it! Or if you have a lead and it starts to evaporate, you are still up a goal like Carolina. Just keep doing what is successful and don’t abandoned the game plan? I am amazed too watching these games how quickly the tide turns. Here’s hoping the Avalanche take advantage of their opportunity and play a sound defensive game and create the offense from there as opposed to relying on special teams play. Just good 5×5 then take advantage of any PP time. GO AVS!!!!
tommy boy, check out this study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6232390/
Kudos to you George O for your effort to find this study/or studies!!! It seemed to suggest more research is needed but I was surprised how much was already out there? I thought the most interesting parts were a suggestion that a “critical event” preceded a collapse by a team or “antecedents” like things leading up to the collapse if I have that right? So, in other words an example in hockey might be a “big hit” or “timely goal/ or save” would be a “critical event” and an example of an antecedent would be when a team begins ” to take their foot off the gas” with a 3 goal lead? Or they get away from a good checking style / or stop skating due to perhaps believing they are comfortable with their effort to that point? This perhaps begins the iinitial start of the
collapse. Anyways, there is a lot to it and I think you have a very good point in describing how amazing it is that it dosen’t take much for things to “go off the rails” !!!
George, where do you find this stuff?
For those not blessed with long attention spans, here are issues the study found lead to a collapse:
* lack of attention;
* increased pressure;
* overconfidence;
* age and experience;
* physical exhaustion;
* poor preparation;
* unforced error;
* key player collapse;
* opposition scoring;
I don’t have any argument about any of these as possible factors, but the elusive question is why do these factors take hold in the first place? Why, in short, do players go from believing to a loss of faith?
Reading the storey of where Darren Dutchyshen started and the small towns he worked in ie Daphin Manitoba. Dutchy was always grounded and a proud Saskatchewan boy with a quick quip. Rip Darren
Amen to that, Caper, one of the best because he was so happy doing his job. He clearly loved his life.
RIP.
Glad for the Rangers V (I’m loaded with Rangers in my draft pool). Would love to have them win without Krieder (I don’t have him) getting any points
Re: Oil vs Cannucks; I had believed (at start of playoffs) that Oilers would be in Western Conf Final
For them to get there now; they need to get more action on the net
Not me – had them losing to L.A. in Round 1, primarily due to unsteady – and unpredictable – goaltending and lack of defensive depth.
Regardless of which team makes it to the final, neither will hold up against Dallas – and they will be there.
Oilers & Canucks
An other tight game right to the end with 32 seconds to go…
The oil looked a little tired in the 3rd, Daniel Nurse did not play well yet again…..
The Oilers need to Replace the so called 2nd pairing Nurse & Ceci and re-tool
T J Millar was a horse all night for the Canucks
There Best player again,
Kane & Leon were very good, McDavid was trying to do to much on his own again🤔
Young Silovs stopped 21 played great & So did Calvin Pickard stopped 32 shots played great.
If Stu was in Goal it would have been all over bye the 2nd period last night, pickard kept the Oil in it
Again ……
Roll on Sataurday ⁉️
Bruins … first 10 minutes of this game will be very telling ..B’s come out hot or not it usually carries thru rest of game