NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 4, 2024
The Canucks advance to the second round, the Golden Knights force Game 7 with the Stars, the Jack Adams Award finalists are revealed, the Penguins make a change to their coaching staff, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs by eliminating the Nashville Predators with a 1-0 victory in Game 6 of their first-round series. Pius Suter scored the only goal with 1:39 remaining in the game and Arturs Silovs made 28 saves as the Canucks will face the Edmonton Oilers in the next round. Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots for the Predators.
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs. (NHL Images)
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the fourth straight game in this series that was decided by one goal with the Canucks winning three of those contests. They also got those victories with three different goaltenders. Thatcher Demko won Game 1, Casey DeSmith took Game 3 filling in for the injured Demko, and Silovs got their other two wins from Game 4 onward after DeSmith was sidelined.
The Predators’ popgun powerplay was their biggest weakness, scoring just twice with 22 man-advantage opportunities. They also blew the lead in Games 1 and 4 which proved costly in this series.
There will be a seventh and deciding game in the first-round series between the Dallas Stars and the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. Noah Hanifin and Mark Stone scored in the third period and Adin Hill made 23 saves as the Golden Knights shut out the Stars 2-0. Jake Oettinger turned aside 28 shots for the Stars. Game 7 goes on Sunday, May 5 in Dallas at 7:30 pm EDT.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A solid defensive effort by Vegas made the difference in a goaltender’s duel between Hill and Oettinger. This was also a better-disciplined effort by the Golden Knights, avoiding the costly penalties that led to the Stars’ victories in Games 4 and 5.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets, Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators, and Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award as the league’s Coach of the Year for 2023-24.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to Bowness, Brunette and Tocchet. This is the first time Bowness and Tocchet have been named as finalists for this award. It’s the second time for Brunette as he was runner-up in 2021-22 with the Florida Panthers.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins fired associate coach Todd Reirden on Friday. He’d been with the club since 2020-21 and oversaw the club’s power play, which fell to 30th overall this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: General manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Mike Sullivan were rumored to be in a “power struggle” over the coaching staff. However, it was clear a change had to be made given the club’s woeful performance on the power play this season.
This could further stoke rumors that Sullivan might quit or get fired but I don’t see either scenario happening. If he were getting fired it would’ve happened by now, especially with notable former NHL coaches like Craig Berube, Todd McLellan, Dean Evason and Gerard Gallant available. Reirden’s firing shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for Sullivan.
TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews is progressing in his recovery from an undisclosed illness. However, there’s been no determination regarding his availability for Saturday’s Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. The Leafs scoring star was sidelined for Games 5 and 6.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This will likely be a game-time decision by Matthews and the Leafs depending on how he feels following practice on Saturday.
NEW YORK POST: The Islanders confirmed general manager Lou Lamoriello and head coach Patrick Roy will return next season. Lamoriello sounded open to the possibility of roster changes during the offseason. Eight players are slated to become free agents, five of them unrestricted.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bolstering the offense should be Lamoriello’s priority. The Isles’ limited scoring punch nearly derailed their playoff hopes and proved costly in their elimination from the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals winger Max Pacioretty isn’t sure what the future holds after this season. The 34-year-old staged a comeback from double Achilles surgery in 2022-23 and played in 47 games this season but admitted being “a shell of my former self” with four goals and 23 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pacioretty is on a one-year, $2 million contract. With the Capitals transitioning toward younger players, it seems unlikely he’ll be brought back.
Wow. Had visions of a long, coffee-filled night until Vancouver scored with a minute-and-a-half to go, and Vegas finally popped one with just 10 minutes left in their game. Two 1-0 games in the same night (not counting the empty-netter). I can see that being repeated tonight in Boston.
Sad thing is. now we get a series where one Canada-based team will eliminate the other, further increasing the odds on the cup coming back to Canada for the first time in 3 decades.
Bettman’s gotta do something about that – like, maybe, never allowing two Canada-based teams to meet in a series unless it’s the finals. Yeah, right. LOL 🙂
Glass half-full, George.
Now one Canada-based team is guaranteed to make the final 4.
No disrespect, (and you may have been joking) but how in the world is it Bettmans fault that two Canadian teams are playing each other in rounds 2?….A Canadian team hasn’t won the cup in 30 years because they haven’t been as good. Plain and simple. For the sake of the game I would think he’s wants every team to win at some point. Winning breeds fans. You know that! 40+ years ago, this was “Canada’s game”… its Bettman’s fault that the game has grown so that other cities and countries have a HUGE impact on the game, yes. But, drafting and developing talent, and managing teams… that is not at all on Bettman.
Just my humble opinion.
The 2011 Canucks had the best chance of winning the Cup. They won the Presidents’ Trophy that year and had a very deep and talented lineup. On paper, they should’ve won the Cup. They were up three games and two over the Bruins and had two chances to win it. They failed because IMO the Bruins wanted it more.
My wife and I took a train trip across Canada not long after that series – for our 50th wedding anniversary – and in Vancouver I could not believe the damage done by yahoo bozo fans following that loss, including the huge plate glass windows at one of her childhood favorite restaurants – White Spot – all taped up. Other similar damage was visible everywhere.
I just hope we never see a repeat of that sort of mindless crap.
GeorgeO are you looking for sympathy for Canadian based teams?
Some would argue 4 of the best players in the world are on two Canada based teams.
That’s up to Brad Treliving and Ken Holland to figure out.
Granted Treliving needs more time as he is new in his present team.
I don’t think teams like Buffalo, Columbus or Ottawa could give a rats *ss about what Country or city has or hasn’t won the Cup.
I was %^(*ing JOKING. Jaysus, are you people for real?
If you follow this site daily you’d know I posted in here a few weeks back postulating on exactly what the thin-skinned Starsfan says above.
GeorgeO, lol. listen, i’m tensed up today, waiting to watch something that i have no control over.
I keep coming in here to kill time as i impatiently wait for the 7pm Central puck drop.
Already practicing hollering at the TV “SHOOT THE PUCK!” “WHAT THE f*CK ARE YOU DOING!” “GET THE PUCK OUT” “THAT’S A F8CKING PENALTY” “WHY DON’T YOU JUST PUT ON A LEAF SWEATER, F8CKING REF!” “HIT THE F8CKER, RIP HIS HEAD OFF!”
Do you want to come and watch with me? I know they can hear me thru the TV
LOL. Been there – done that. Believe me, you mellow out as you get older.
Re “Some would argue 4 of the best players in the world are on two Canada based teams.”
Who are the 4 you are referring to
McDavid is best in the world ;
MacKinnon, Kucherov; Mathews and Makar (in no particular order for those 4); round out the top 5 in the world.
The next grouping (in no particular ) would include Panarin, Pasta, Draisitl, Q. Hughes, Rantinen, Hellebuyck, Demko, Reinhardt , Forsberg, Miller, Crosby, Hyman; Aho, Bouchard; Nylander
Who are the 4 you are referring to?
And to clarify to Starsfan what I say above, here is my post from just before the playoffs began
“Here we are with the playoffs at hand with 4 of the 7 Canada-based teams still in the mix for the cup – Winnipeg, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver – and the guessing games have already begun in all regions of Canada as to which of the 4 stands the best chance of ending a three-decade Cup drought.
Along the way there might have been one or two instances where some claim “luck” was a prime factor in not winning, but when the drought is likely soon to head into its fourth decade it’s time to look elsewhere.
As you say, many will point to things like Canadian cities taking a back seat to U.S. locations due to climate/tax reasons which either puts them out of the picture when it comes to the better annual UFAs, or acquiring players who have most – if not all – Canadian franchises on a “no go” list for the same reasons, or simply to avoid the “intense” media/fan obsession with the game. If those are indeed the primary reasons for not being able to go the distance, then the 7 franchises may as well fold because none of those factors are going to change any time soon.
But we also have to consider the possibility that those teams that have kept Lord Stanley south of the border for so long have also had, for the most part, consistently better management, including ultimately better beneficial trades, coaching, and – not least – scouting and drafting. Not that there haven’t been opportunities over the 3 decades. Following is a list of total playoff series played in that span by each team, also showing Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals appearances
Montreal – 27 series – won 13 lost 14 – 3 Conference Finals – 1 Cup final
Ottawa – 27 series – won 11 lost 16 – 3 Conference Finals – 1 Cup final
Vancouver – 20 series – won 8 lost 12 – 1 Conference Final – 1 Cup final
Toronto – 19 series – won 8 lost 11 – 2 Conference Finals
Edmonton – 18 series – won 9 lost 9 – 2 Conference Finals – 1 Cup final
Calgary – 13 series – won 3 lost 10 – 1 Conference Final – 1 Cup final
Winnipeg – 8 series – won 3 lost 5 – 1 Conference Final
As for the draft, here – in order – are the number of Top 5 picks each has had in the drought span, including # 1 Picks where applicable:
Ottawa – 8 incl. 3 # 1 picks; Edmonton – 6 incl. 4 # 1 picks; Montreal – 5 incl. 1 # 1 pick; Vancouver – 5 – NO # 1 pick; Toronto – 4 incl. 1 # 1 pick; Winnipeg – 1 – NO # 1 pick; Calgary – 1 – NO # 1 pick”
Interestingly, the 2 with the fewest playoff series and top 5 picks – Calgary and Winnipeg- are also 2 of the 3 that have never had a # 1 overall.
Purely for comparison purposes, here’s a list of the U.S.-based teams showing the number of Top 5 picks by each, including # 1 picks
NYI – 11 incl. 2 # 1
Florida – 8 incl. 2 # 1
Columbus – 8 incl. 1 # 1
Anaheim – 7 incl. No # 1
N.J. – 6 incl. 2 # 1
Atlanta – 6 incl. 2 # 1
Tampa – 6 incl. 2 # 1
Carolina – 6 No # 1
Buffalo – 5 incl. 2 # 1
Chicago – 5 inc. 2 # 1
Pittsburgh – 5 incl. 2 # 1
Colorado – 5 incl. 1 # 1
Arizona – 5 No # 1
Washington – 4 incl. 1 # 1
Philadelphia – 4 No # 1
San Jose – 4 – No # 1
Boston – 3 incl. 1 # 1
NYR – 3 incl. 1 # 1
St. Louis – 2 incl. 1 # 1
Nashville – 2 No # 1
Minnesota – 2 No # 1
Seattle – 2 No # 1
Detroit – 1 No # 1
Dallas – 1 No # 1
Hartford – 1 no # 1
Vegas – 0
8787 4 of the best players in the world.
This implies that they are 4 OF the best players.
Doesn’t say the 4 best player.
Yes knew that Caper, but which two Canadian teams and 4 players were you referring to?
I’m assuming its McDavid and Draisitl for Edmonton; who are the other two?
Rick Bowness? didn’t see that coming.
Why not Paul Maurice?
Both teams in 2022-2023 season were the 2nd wild card team.
Winnipeg finished with 95pts and Florida 92pts
This season they both finished with identical records an a 110pts
Florida winning the division and Winnipeg finished second.
It was a lock for JT to nominated but once Philly didn’t make the playoffs, his name got dropped.
I say it goes to Tocchet
Seen the huge smile on Arturs Silovs face last night, was awesome. Just the fact he couldn’t contain himself and held on for the shutout. What a moment for that young man.
The way all the Canucks threw their bodies around in them last 30 seconds defending the goal and blocking shots.
Enjoy the moment.
Hey Caper,
he has the back up roll in the bag for next season for sure, happy for him…👍
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Re Reirdon firing. 4 months (at least) late, but finally done.
Had this been done in January; that would mean at least 6 more PP goals; at least 4 more game points; and at least two home playoff games
Berube in for Sullivan (nice guy and had good record for a good while; but is definitely not getting the best out of the players and repeatedly makes poor personnel [line combo and D pairing] decisions) would be a big boost for Pens.
Replace underperforming (and aging) players with bigger, stronger, grittier youth; and the total above formulae spells playoffs next spring
Dubas has failed at every move. He either has to make big changes that are logical (vs going with players and coaching staff that he “knows” from his past and brutally overpaying for their “friendship”) or ownership has to suck up the financial loss , fire him, get someone in that can at list win a trade or two
Reirden’s firing was necessary. The Penguin’s power play regressed each season Reirden was coaching. The Penguins’ defense began regressing late in the 2021-2022 season.
Successful power play units focus on more time in the attack zone, focusing less on passing, shooting the puck more from in front of the net, and scoring. Failed units spend time on perimeter play and the defense zone, excessive passing, and disorganization / no structure.