NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 3, 2025
A milestone game for Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is the first player to reach 80 points this season, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF SUNDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick made 34 saves in a 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, becoming the first US-born netminder to reach the 400-win milestone. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad each had a goal and two assists and J.T. Miller collected two assists for the Rangers (54 points), who sit five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Jack Eichel scored both goals for the Golden Knights (68 points), who are 1-2-2 in their last five games and remain in second place in the Pacific Division.
New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Miller is wasting little time making a positive impact on the Rangers. He has four points in his first two games since the Blueshirts reacquired him from the Canucks on Friday. It may have helped the struggling Zibanejad regain his scoring touch after being shifted to right wing on the Rangers’ top line alongside Miller and Zibanejad.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon scored to become the first player to reach 80 points this season as his club blanked the Philadelphia Flyers 2-0. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 24 shots for the shutout as the Avalanche picked up their second straight win and hold the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 64 points. The Flyers have dropped three straight games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon holds a three-point lead over Edmonton’s Leon Draisailt in the points race. He also leads all players with 60 assists.
Dallas Stars forward Evgenii Dadonov tallied twice in the third period in a 5-3 win over the Blue Jackets. Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley each collected two assists as the Stars collected their fifth straight win and sit second in the Central Division with 69 points. Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro and forward Kirill Marchenko left the game due to injuries.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets weren’t pleased with the officiating in this game, questioning two of the Stars’ goals and Stars forward Mason Marchment going unpunished for elbowing Fabbro in the face. Marchenko was sidelined after taking a puck to the chin while sitting on the bench. Stars forward Mavrik Bourque also left this game in the third period when he was struck in the face by the puck.
Blue Jackets winger James van Riemsdyk played in this game despite losing four teeth during Friday’s game against Utah when he was crosschecked by Ian Cole. He returned to action after receiving 30 stitches, then underwent surgery following the game when an x-ray revealed one of his missing teeth was lodged in his bottom lip.
The Florida Panthers got a hat trick from Carter Verhaeghe to beat the New York Islanders 6-3, snapping the latter’s seven-game win streak. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov picked up three assists as his club has won three straight and hold first place in the Atlantic Division with 67 points. The Islanders sit four points behind the Blue Jackets with 55 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders played without forward Mathew Barzal and defenseman Scott Mayfield. They were sidelined by injuries during Saturday’s win over Tampa Bay.
An overtime goal by Alex DeBrincat lifted the Detroit Red Wings over the Vancouver Canucks 3-2, giving the red-hot Wings their sixth straight win. DeBrincat also scored in regulation to finish the night with two goals, vaulting over the Blue Jackets into the first Eastern wild-card berth with 59 points. Filip Chytil scored in his first game with the Canucks since being acquired from the Rangers on Friday. The Canucks (57 points) sit two points behind the Calgary Flames for the final Western wild card.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Red Wings activated Patrick Kane off injured reserve and placed forward J.T. Compher on IR. Wings defenseman Jeff Petry underwent surgery and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks. He’d been sidelined since Jan. 2.
Canucks captain Quinn Hughes was a late scratch from this game with an undisclosed injury. Teammate Kyle Sherwood returned to action after missing four games due to injury.
Speaking of the Flames, they nipped the Seattle Kraken 3-2. Jonathan Huberdeau scored his 20th goal of the season while Morgan Frost scored his first goal with the Flames since being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. Kaapo Kakko and Brandon Tanev scored for the Kraken, who’ve lost three of their last four games.
Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson had a goal and two assists in a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. Thompson left the game in the third period following a blindside hit by Devils forward Stefan Noesen, who was ejected as a result. Paul Cotter scored two goals for the Devils as they sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 64 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ruff told reporters after the game that Thompson passed each test in the NHL’s concussion protocol. He’ll be held out of Monday’s practice as a precaution.
The Anaheim Ducks overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Alex Killorn snapped a 2-2 tie in the third period as the Ducks picked up their fourth win in their last five games. The Canadiens (53 points) are winless in their last five games (0-4-1) and six points behind the Blue Jackets.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens are plummeting back to earth following a five-week streak where they were among the hottest teams in the league, winning 13 of 17 games from Dec. 17 to Jan. 21.
St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou snapped a 1-1 tie to give his club a 2-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club. Jordan Binnington stopped 24 shots to snap a four-game losing skid. Utah has lost five straight.
IN OTHER NEWS…
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reported last week that the skyrocketing salary cap has raised concern that it could create a new era of have-and-have-not teams, in which bigger markets gain a financial advantage to outspend smaller markets unable to spend toward the cap. It could invite renewed discussion of enhanced revenue sharing in the next round of collective bargaining slated to begin this month.
TVA SPORTS: Canadiens winger Patrik Laine confirmed he became addicted to video games as a refuge during a dark period following the sudden death of his father. He found they briefly eased his anxiety before he hit rock bottom, forcing him to seek help from the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
Laine is doing better in Montreal, regaining his love of hockey and finding solace in religion with his fiancee Jordan Leigh.
He also believes his critical comments about the Columbus Blue Jackets prompted his former teammates to target him during his first game against them in December. He regrets those remarks, and won’t say anything negative about another organization again.
OTTAWA SUN: Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman will receive an in-person hearing with the league’s department of player safety for his attempt to injure Senators center Tim Stutzle on Saturday.
SPORTSNET: Speaking of the Senators, they’ve returned goalie Leevi Merilainen to their AHL affiliate in Belleville. Starter Linus Ullmark is expected to return to action after being sidelined by a back injury since Dec. 22.
That Eastern race has grown even tighter as of this morning! In the Atlantic, just 7 points separates 3rd (currently held by Ottawa with 60 pts) from 7th (Montreal with 53 pts), while the two top teams – Florida and Toronto – are separated by 3 pts, with the Leafs holding 2 games in hand. And Tampa, now in 5th, just 2 back of Ottawa with a game in hand … and they and Senators go head-to-head in 2 games later this week in Tampa!
In the Metropolitan there are greater degrees of separation, with Washington and Carolina in firm control of 1st and 2nd. But 3rd place New Jersey (4-4-2 over their past 10) suddenly has Columbus (6-3-1) creeping closer – just 5 back with a game in hand.
And the WC now includes 9 teams from Ottawa and New Jersey right down to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, with Ottawa and New Jersey separated from the 2 current WC holders (Detroit and Columbus) by just 1 and 5 points respectively, and only 7 points separating the 2 WC holders from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Even Buffalo has edged into the picture, just 5 pts back of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh … and with 2 games in hand on each.
The Western Conference is nowhere near as tight, with 2 teams (Chicago and San Jose) out of the picture essentially since early December, and 3 more (Nashville, Seattle and Anaheim) too far back and with too many teams to climb over and just 28 to 31 games left in the schedule. It would take winning streaks of monumental proportions to even get them close.
The only real “races” involve positioning in the playoff structure, with Winnipeg and Dallas solidly in control of 1st and 2nd in the Central Division, and a bit of a fight involving Minnesota and Colorado for 3rd place. After that Division drops like a rock. The Pacific is much the same with Edmonton and Vegas likely passing each other in 1st and 2nd right down to the wire, although I wouldn’t count L.A. out of that picture just yet as they hold 2 and 3 games in hand and sit just 8 back in 3rd.
And only 3 teams appear to be in on that Conference’s WC race – Colorado, solidly in the 1st WC position, with Calgary in the 2nd slot 5 points back and Vancouver right behind them and both with 2 games in hand on Colorado. So, that could develop into a real dog fight. Neither St. Louis nor Utah appear to be a threat to challenge anyone.
It will be very hard for the next while to keep the conversation strictly on hockey. There were booing of the American national anthem at NHL hockey games. Wait to the layoffs start happening, first in the auto sector.
Try to keep it to hockey. I have no issue with discussing how the tariffs could affect Canadian NHL teams or the NHL’s hockey-related revenue.
If you want to debate or discuss the general merits/faults of tariffs and its effects on Canadian/American economics and relationships, point fingers of blame, or disparage Canadians or Americans, take it somewhere else. This is a hockey site, not a geopolitical or socioeconomic discussion forum.
It is already happening. There are headlines in the American media outlets about the booing.
I am not going to comment any further but ignore it at your peril.
It happened at a Raptors game and you know how the media in Canada worships Toronto.
I don’t have any issue with you mentioning the booing at those games, nor am I ignoring it. If it becomes an ongoing trend, then it’ll merit mention in the Morning Coffee Headlines.
The Habs had no reason to lose last night, blowing a 2-0 lead but in the big picture not all that surprising.
Being a Hab fan obviously the present play is/was to be expected and is why I had been looking at Sens, Wings pushing through this year.
A big part of becoming a contender team is consistency without needing to be 110% every night.
Dealing with injury and continuing to play at high level despite it.
On any given night Habs can beat any team, but so can 31 others.. The Habs are on the cusp but are a few players short of capable solid replacement players.
Pezzetta, Harvey-Pinard are feel good players but they don’t belong on an NHL roster.
Beck , Mailloux, Roy, in the AH show promise, Demidov in the KHL looks ready and may or may not succeed, for now they are just good prospects.
The Habs have the choice to wait on these kids to break in a force their way on to the team like Emil Heineman did , make trades or wait for off season sign Free Agents.
As of now I prefer patience and see the young guns fall in place next year along with a veteran signing or two to up the internal compete level.
habfan30, you make a good point. Any of these 31 teams can beat your team on a given night…… This is why I take issue with the Avalanche, LOL!!! I’m a “taskmaster” my friend tells me. He is right. Critical of the Avalanche @ all times. But I see that in many games they approach where I think mentally they already have a “W” chalked up? Yesterday, the flyers were checking them to death in the 1st 10-15 minutes of the game. They were fortunate that blackwood was solid or else it could have gone in a different direction? Flyers had trouble finishing . Koneckny and the rookie phenom didn’t do anything but the others put in the effort. I guess my point is not much difference in all these games. You better bring your A game or at least a good effort or the other team will bite ya. Don’t like that pattern Colorado has in getting going. Come out like gangbusters against St. Louis but are asleep to start yesterday!! Montreal looks good to me at times. Don’t know what happened to them yesterday but they seem to be doing pretty good!!! Ottawa, Detroit, Columbus and Montreal impressive. Can’t explain Sabres, thought that they would be further along? …..just some hockey thoughts!
tommy boy,
What happened last night is that Dach and Laine floated last night.
Like all teams the schedule has been brutal M,T,W,Sat,Sun and when there are holes on your team they become gaping under pressure.
Unlike complaining fans I understand the reality and see the need to mature into “real” pros.
Gone are the glory days of losing only 8 and 10 games in consecutive years.
Look great teams today with magnificent high talent don’t win all the time for the same reason, holes on the team just in different places..
The last trade improved the team, Drury filled a gap and Necas isn’t Rantanen but he fills the role in a different way to being ppg.
One way to see it is as long as you score one more goal you win, the other says as long as you let in one goal less you win.
Middling teams can ride defensive structure and hide deficiencies.
Re; Ottawa and the Race in the East…
Looks like its going to be Very Very Tight Race,
Sen’s could do with A RD man like a Big Pred’s
Luke Schenn… A Stay at home d/man… 1.3 more years at $$2.75 for maybe a 3rd round pick,,,,,❓
maybe the send a prospect back the withere way with goaltender Anton Forsberg $2.75M for the next 3 months to make the moneys work….
Preds are out of the playoffs 17 point’s behind the Flames in 8th Spot and 15 points behind the Canucks in 9th Spot,
The Sen;s could put the Fnal nail in the coffin tonight with a Win, When the play them🤔
Sen’s could also do with a Scoring forward, & move David Peron @ $4.M for $1.3 more years out Who has 1 Assist in 14 Games this year……
Move Him and a 2nd pick in 2025 for a Scoring UFA forward…..❓ like a…Ryan O’Reilly but the Sen’s would have to make the moneys works as they are tight with Cap space…..$6.75 in Cap Space the need,
Moving out Peron and Forsberg that could work, the Sen’s may need to move the pick it up to a 1st round pick instead of a 2nd & 3rd pick To make this deal work….❓🤔
Let me fire some sour grapes. The Blue Jackets play their asses off last night and deserved a better result.
1 Kent Jonnson gets thrown down no call Dallas has a 2 on 1 and scores
2 Danta Fabro takes an elbow to the face no call Dallas scores. Fabro out the rest of the game.
3 Werenski slashed on the wrist misses majority of the second period.
Jackets still battle until Dallas is allowed to high stick a puck in the net so they finally break. Heard that Fabro will not be available for at least the next game. That is the one that really upsets me that was an intentional elbow and the NHL should review that play but they won’t.
It’s nice to see the tradition of refs blowing calls for all teams. They are finally getting consistent at it for all teams. It’s like a roulette wheel of bad reffing which is always on the table for your team.
Sometimes the results of a game doesn’t match the process. Sometimes you can look at your team, others times it could be the hockey gods but more often than not, it’s the guys wearing the stripes to blame.
Holy crap. I am going to go back and watch that game from the Columbus feed. The high stick goal I agree with. I didn’t think that it was going to be allowed, but the Dallas announcers just kept saying that it was so close and not enough conclusive evidence to overturn the on ice call…because there are no angles shown from the exact height of the cross bar.
As far as the Marchment elbow…I don’t even remember seeing that on the Dallas feed. But, yeah that was pretty aggregious, after seeing it again.
Just shows you how games are percieved by each fanbase.
But, yes, the Jackets look like a dangerous team.
The Jackets took the high hard one last night. Atrocious officiating cost 2 goals. Around Cubs it’s called getting Jacketed. Even Toronto got in on the act with the high stick review. I would love to see the percentage of reviews over the last 10 years that have actually gone the Jackets way. I would put the over/under at about 20%
Crap happens in games and you win some and lose some and can live with that. The Marchment elbow and no call I can not live with. Can’t very well elbow him back since he is wearing a full face shield. Fabro as a concussion and we don’t know how long he will be out. Some guy get real tough when they wear a full face shield.
I think that Dallas, somehow quietly, is among the dirtiest teams in the league, with Jaime Benn and Mason Marchment as the ringleader. I’m not sure which they use better – elbows or sticks. Benn’s crosscheck to the back of Dylan Larkins neck (which put Larkin in a neckbrace for months) is oone of the dirtiest I’ve seen – and of course no penalty called then either.
When you look at things like team goals scored and allowed and the ensuing goals differentials, the strangest duck in the Eastern pond has to be Tampa!
After 51gp they are in a battle for both 3rd in the Atlantic and a WC spot, cruising along at a .569 clip, while their 177 goals scored ties them with Columbus, just 5 back of the Conference leading Capitals and second-place Florida in that field with their 182 and 181 goals respectively. And they hold a game in hand on Washington and 3 on Florida.
Defensively, their 143 goals against ranks them 4th in the Conference, behind Washington (129), New Jersey (137) and Ottawa (140), and their team goal differential of +34 puts them 2nd in that category, back of only Washington (+53), and ahead of every other team in the current playoff mix (Carolina and New Jersey +30 each, Florida +25, Toronto (+9), Ottawa (+8), Columbus (+1), Detroit (-9), Boston (-26), NYI (-7), NYR (-4), Montreal (-23), Pittsburgh (-36), and Philadelphia -29).
Their home record is solid as well at a .680 pace, tied with Ottawa for 4th place in the Conference back of Carolina (.759), Washington and Columbus (.740 each) and ahead of Boston (.661), Toronto (.633), Florida and N.J. (.630 each), Detroit (.571), Pittsburgh (.558), Montreal (.556), NYR (.539), and Philadelphia and Buffalo (.500 each).
So clearly the fact they are where they are in the East, and not high up among the leaders, can be traced to their less-than-average away record which, given their obvious goaltending, offense and defense excellence, begs a fundamental question. Why are they so mediocre away from home, where they currently sit 10th out of 16 teams and sub-.500?: Washington (.704), Florida (.611), Toronto (.590), New Jersey (.556), Detroit (.540), Carolina (.519), NYR (.500), Ottawa (.481), Philadelphia (.466); Tampa (.461); Montreal (.460); Pittsburgh (.411); Boston (.404); Buffalo (.400); Columbus (.393).
Any Tampa fans have some insight?
The same question can asked of Columbus .740 at home and ,393 on the road, That’s a huge differential. Why?
I’ve been suggesting for months moving Zibanejad to the LW. Not sure why they’re putting him on the right side. His favorite shooting spot is the left side circle.
Huh. Over hear, someone tries to drive an opponents face through the ice and faces, maybe, a 5 or 6 game suspension.
In Spain, an emotional football executive loses his job following a kiss on his country’s female soccer star. Now he faces a trial??
Are they nuts?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75zvlrr9ryo?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Habfan30! That was the first I have ever heard about video game addiction!Whats next??
Sr,
You obviously hadn’t been following Laine for the past few years, or hockey players being addicted to Fortnite.
Teams in junior and NHL have banned or at least keep players off it for a few years.
The Devils’ Stefan Noesen, ejected for intentionally hitting the Sabres’ Tage Thompson in a 4-3 loss, will not face supplemental disciplinary action from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
If the NHL is content with allowing intentional hits and players being injured, then why bother to have a Department of Player Safety?
Exactly. A useless component run by a rehabilitated goon.