NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 19, 2024
Three Jets have four-point performances against the Sharks, injury updates, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Cole Perfetti, Neal Pionk, and Vladislav Namestnikov each collected four points to lead the Winnipeg Jets over the San Jose Sharks 8-3. Perfetti had two goals and two assists while Pionk and Namestnikov each had a goal and three assists. Jets winger Nikolai Ehlers also scored two goals and picked up an assist. Tyler Toffoli had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who are winless in their first five games (0-3-2).

Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets (4-0-0) are among three teams still unbeaten this season, joining the 4-0-0 Calgary Flames and 3-0-0 Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Sharks could also be without sidelined rookie Macklin Celebrini (hip injury) longer than expected. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported Friday that the 18-year-old center could be out for another couple of weeks.
An overtime goal by Nathan MacKinnon lifted the Colorado Avalanche to their first win of the season with a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. MacKinnon’s goal came after Ducks winger Troy Terry tied the game with 13 seconds left in the third period. Mikko Rantanen collected three assists and Ross Colton tallied twice for the Avalanche. Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal kicked out 45 shots.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Ducks announced forward Isac Lundestrom is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Carolina Hurricanes scored four straight goals, including two on the power play, to down the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1. Frederik Anderson made 25 saves while Martin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi each had two points for the Hurricanes. Joel Blomqvist stopped 35 shots and Drew O’Connor scored for the Penguins.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and center Lars Eller ripped their team’s performance following this game. “They worked harder than us, and they got rewarded for it,” said Letang. “There were so many things that needed to be better,” Eller said. “The attitude, the energy, the execution.”
HEADLINES
OTTAWA SUN: Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (lower-body strain) said he felt better yesterday following practice. However, it remained uncertain if he’ll return to action against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Ullmark’s last game was a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report indicates Ullmark and the Senators are being careful to avoid aggravating that injury. It’s best to ensure he’s 100 percent given how much they rely on him this season.
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens defensemen Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle are day-to-day with upper-body injuries, forcing the Habs to recall Logan Mailloux from their AHL affiliate in Laval. Meanwhile, winger Juraj Slafkovsky suffered an apparent shoulder injury during practice on Friday and is questionable for Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders.
THE SCORE: Utah Hockey Club head coach Andre Tourigny said defenseman John Marino will be sidelined for months with an upper-body injury. He was acquired in June from the New Jersey Devils but his injury has prevented him from joining his new teammates.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Kierszenblat believes the absence of Dakota Joshua is a key factor behind the Vancouver Canucks’ slow start. The 28-year-old energy forward is still recovering from offseason surgery for testicular cancer.
DAILY FACEOFF: Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Motte is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
RG.ORG: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly believes the best Russian hockey players still want to play in the NHL.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 the country has been banned from participating in International Ice Hockey Federation tournaments. The NHL also suspended its transfer agreement with the KHL.
That’s led to speculation NHL teams could attempt to cut side deals for unofficial transfers of Russian prospects from the KHL to the NHL. Daly denies this, saying the top Russian talent wants to come to the NHL because it’s the elite league for the world’s best players. That includes players buying their way out of KHL contracts.
There’s also been conjecture suggesting some KHL clubs are limiting the playing time of young NHL prospects like SKA St. Petersburg winger Ivan Demidov, a top prospect of the Montreal Canadiens. His coach disputes the accusation, saying ice time for young players is based on merit.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: KHL teams tend to limit the ice time of promising young players until they’re better established. Philadelphia Flyers fans were concerned early last season over the playing time of winger Matvei Michkov before St. Petersburg loaned him to HK Sochi.
Doesn’t matter who starts today for Ottawa – Ullmark or Forsberg – end result will be Tampa goes 4-0
There’s confidence for you! 😉
George O. You sound so defeated. Even after 5-6 games.
Hope you don`t bet a lot George. Not the best played game, but they deserved the win. A lot of missed assignments
LOL. No. I learned that lesson re betting a long time ago.
And you’re right – both sides appeared guilty of missed assignments … Ottawa one less than TB, as it turned out. That 2 on 1 by Ottawa while short-handed and Gregor scored that nice back-hander will, you can bet, be the focus of some intense team viewing when they get back to Tampa.
Heh. Not at all.
I’m just looking at the relative strengths and weaknesses of the teams so far and see 3 teams off to unblemished starts
Calgary 4 – 0 19gf 10ga +9
Winnipeg 4 – 0 18gf 5ga +13
Tampa 3 – 0 12gf 5fa +7
Human nature being what it is, I see a determined TB team – with players like Kucherov, Guentzel, Hedman, Point and Vasilevsky off to good starts – not wanting to be the first of that group to drop one. That’s motivation enough.
Overall, they are clearly a better team than Ottawa (who, by the way – and for reasons known only to them- are generally pitiful in afternoon games).
Well, I wish your Sens the best. Tampa has been good for too long, time for them to take a step back. Although, with all of that talent, they still look good.
And I do feel your pain, as a Stars fan, I suffered through the finishing 13th from the bottom for over a decade. Not bad enough to get a top pick and not good enough to make the playoffs.
Thank God for good (lucky) drafting.
George O,Tampa has as good a first line as anyone in the NHL!Their goalie after last years surgery looks back to form! The thing that could derail them is injuries! They are not very big or physical!Looks like you are leaning to Forsberg to give Ullmark a couple more days off!
Looks indeed like they are choosing to err on the side of caution.
Tampa knows only too well the tendency of a shaky Forsberg to give up the early goals, and how that can deflate the bench, so you can bet they come out this afternoon full bore.
Starsfan, I seriously doubt there was an overabundance of “luck” when it came to picks by Dallas – Jim Nill has consistently shown himself – through trades, free-agent signings, draft picks – to be one of the very best GMs in recent NHL history.
Last season I truly thought they were going all the way to the cup. Why it went off the rails is open to conjecture, but from this vantage point their solid pk went suddenly south in games 5 and 6, as did their overall defensive game, and home ice strangely gave them no advantage.
Nil has made 5 or 6 roster changes from last season and it would not surprise me to see them right up again at the top of the major contenders this season, with concentration on the issues that cost them last season.
LOL. Well, in typical fashion things are unfolding completely opposite the way I envisaged them.
One period in the books, Forsberg IS the goalie, but instead if storming out of the gate to ensure their undefeated streak continues, all Tampa could manage were 6 shots – all handled by Forsberg, while the Senators scored 2 on Vasilevsky on 9 shots.
Of course that could change swiftly as the game continues with Ottawa holding what Cherry once described as “the worst lead in hockey” (2-0).
I just hope they don’t try to play 2 periods of Katy-bar-the-door hockey because it backfires more often than not.
And here we go. A couple of minutes into the 2nd and Ottawa still only has the 9 shots on Vasilevsky, while Tampa is up to 10 on Forsberg with Kucherov scoring at around the 2 minute mark.
It’s like “prevent defense” in football. Seldom, if ever, works. Certainly not against a good team
And now it’s tied with ex-Senator Nick Paul scoring his 1st of the season. Naturally, against his former team.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
Near the end of the 2nd and it’s 4-3 Ottawa – 3 goals on Forsberg on 18 shots (0.833 save %) – 4 goals on Vasilevsky on 21 shots (0.810 save %)
Looking more and more like a possible repeat of that recent 8 – 7 OT Ottawa win over L.A. in the making – winner a toss up.
Nuts, time to go out and do some much-needed yard work. Beautiful Fall day.
OK, filled 4 yard bags – sneezing like a maniac and taking a Reactine … checked the score – Ottawa wins 5-4 with SOG roughly even – less than 30 each.
Definitely NOT a goalie duel.
Another afternoon game has Detroit up 2 – 1 over winless Nashville. For a team that won the so-called off-season improvements category, the Predators look like a team chasing an identity.
Detroit won 5 – 2 with highly-touted Saros giving up 3 on 22 shots (there were 2 empty-netters) and Lyon stopping 3 7 of 39.
Marchesseault goes minus 2 along with McCarron, Tomasino and Lauzon while Stamkos was a minus 3.
Not what one would expect from Nashville, now the only team of 32 without a point to start the season.