NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 14, 2025
A milestone for Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, Golden Knights center Jack Eichel sets a franchise record, the latest on next season’s schedule, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky picked up his 424th NHL regular-season win as he and his teammates nipped the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2. Bobrovsky stopped 23 shots and Sam Bennett scored twice for the Panthers, who’ve won seven of their last eight games and hold first place in the Atlantic Division with 84 points. John Tavares and Max Domi replied for the Leafs, who sit four points behind the Panthers in second place in the division.
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bobrovsky holds sole possession of 10th overall among goalies for career wins. He’s 13 wins behind Jacques Plante, who holds ninth place. Martin Brodeur is the all-time leader with 691 victories. Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev returned to action after missing six games with an upper-body injury.
The Vegas Golden Knights blanked the Columbus Blues Jackets 4-0, extending their points streak to seven games. Adin Hill turned in a 27-save shutout performance while Brandon Saad, Tomas Hertl and Nicolas Roy each collected two points for the Golden Knights, who sit first in the Pacific Division with 85 points. The Blue Jackets hold the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 70 points, but they’ve lost four of their last five games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights center Jack Eichel collected an assist to set the single-season franchise points record with 79.
A four-goal first period carried the Ottawa Senators to a 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Drake Batherson scored twice and collected an assist while goaltender Linus Ullmark made a highlight-reel glove save as the Senators hold the first Eastern wild-card spot with 75 points. David Pastrnak tallied his 34th goal for the Bruins, who sit two points behind the Blue Jackets.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators captain Brady Tkachuk sat out the final minutes of the game with a hip injury. Head coach Travis Green said Tkachuk tweaked his hip but expects he’ll be all right.
An overtime goal by Braden Schneider lifted the New York Rangers over the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Igor Shesterkin turned aside 26 shots as the Rangers sit behind the Blue Jackets with 70 points. Wild captain Jared Spurgeon collected two assists as his club holds the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 79 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers forward Arthur Kaliyev left the Rangers during this road trip to undergo further evaluation and testing for an upper-body injury.
New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt had a goal and two assists in a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Brett Pesce had a goal and an assist as the Devils sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 78 points. Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl scored his league-leading 47th goal to extend his points streak to 16 games. The Oilers cling to third in the Pacific Division with 78 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers have been in a funk of late with just three wins in their last 11 contests.
Meanwhile, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman filed a motion to quash a subpoena for him to be deposed in the case of John Doe vs the Chicago Blackhawks. Bowman and other former Blackhawks employees have been issued subpoenas to sit for depositions from John Doe’s attorneys.
Bowman claims he was not properly served the subpoena because his home is in Edmonton, not Chicago, and the court doesn’t have any personal jurisdiction over him for several reasons, including that he is a resident and citizen of Canada.
The former Blackhawks player is suing the franchise for failing to act when informed of sexual assault allegations against former team video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bowman was general manager at the time.
Los Angeles Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper had a 21-save shutout to defeat the Washington Capitals 3-0. Quinton Byfield scored to extend his goal streak to five games and Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who’ve won four straight and vaulted over the Oilers into second place in the Pacific Division with 79 points. The Capitals slipped into second place in the overall standings with 94 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals are tied with the Winnipeg Jets but the latter holds first overall with 45 wins.
The Philadelphia Flyers snapped a five-game losing skid with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bobby Brink had two goals and an assist in regulation and Owen Tippett netted the winning goal for the Flyers. Jonas Johansson stopped 26 shots for the Lightning, who sit third in the Atlantic Division with 79 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning recalled Cam Atkinson from their AHL affiliate in Syracuse to replace ailing winger Nikita Kucherov. Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen missed this game with an undisclosed injury.
Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry kicked out 33 shots in a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues. Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust each had a goal and an assist as the Penguins collected their third straight win. Blues netminder Jordan Binnington was pulled after giving up four goals on 19 shots. With 69 points, the Blues sit two points behind the Calgary Flames for the final Western wild card.
The San Jose Sharks ended a three-game skid by doubling up the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. Collin Graf tallied twice and Will Smith had a goal and an assist. Frank Nazar and Ilya Mikheyev replied for the Blackhawks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks center Connor Bedard received a 10-minute misconduct for abuse of officials. No explanation was given by the referee and Bedard looked confused when the call was made. After the game, the Blackhawks star said it was for something he said to the official regarding an uncalled trip by Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro.
IN OTHER NEWS…
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reports the 2025-26 NHL schedule is tentatively slated to open on Oct. 7 with the 2026 Stanley Cup Final end around June 21-22 at the latest. The schedule is to accommodate the Winter Olympic break plus the All-Star Game.
Meanwhile, the 2026-27 season could see an 84-game regular season with a shortened preseason, with the regular season beginning in late September with the playoffs ending in late June. It would better accommodate breaks for the Olympics and World Cup of Hockey while reducing the number of back-to-back games that teams currently face.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Changes to the regular season and playoff formats are expected to be part of the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA expires in September 2026 but a new agreement is expected to be in place well before then, avoiding the possibility of another work stoppage.
Removing the requirement of playing at least one game in every NHL arena doesn’t appear very popular. Some teams don’t want to go two years without seeing a superstar like Connor McDavid or a popular draw like the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens.
Canceling the All-Star Game has also been discussed. It won’t happen next year as the New York Islanders have already been announced as the host team for the 2026 game. However, the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off has prompted talks about changing course. LeBrun wonders if they’ll consider scrapping the ASG during Olympic years.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL All-Star Game has been a pathetic joke for four decades. Only the team hosting the event sees any benefit. It’s a ratings dud, and those fans who tune in seem to be “hate-watching” so they can dump on the event in real time on social media.
I’d like to see an Olympics-4 Nations-World Cup-4 Nations format.
CALGARY SUN: Flames center Connor Zary received a two-game suspension by the NHL department of player safety for a late, retaliatory hit on Vancouver Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson on Wednesday.
ROTOWIRE: Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov will miss Friday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings with an undisclosed ailment.
The NHL should be ashamed of itself if Bowman Knew about the sexual assault accusations while he was working in Chicago!Quenville has seemed to have paid the price since he hasn t coached in the league since!
Sr, Bowman knew. The report by an independent law firm, hired by the Blackhawks stated that. So we know.
I don’t think Bowman ever denied it either, at least he not lately. His punishment was 3 years out of the league. No idea if that was fair or not as I don’t the details of his involvement, or what he has done to make amends. But either way, I sure hope he learned from it.
The news of another suit is bad, and refusing to testify is BS IMO. Man up. If you did nothing wrong, just tell the truth. Suggests maybe he hasn’t learned.
This type of publicity doesn’t help the Oilers either, as I would think most fans aren’t cool with what Bowman did, or more specifically, didn’t do. How about the players? What do they think? Plus they are in a funk on the ice as well.
panthers
Would love to see Sam Bennett play with McDavid again,
He is exactly what the oilers need can fight & score Can’ remember how many goals he has this year but he’s always a threat when he’s on the ice
They move i Evander Kane out 5.25 million and then we have a number of three and $4 million players they could move out sign him for 7 million a year 6–7 years he can play first second and thug life and as a threat every night is out there
Love to see them move Nurse oat I know he has no trade clause. He’s not an offensive defenceman and he’s not a defensive defenceman so what is he?❗️❓❓❓
Well, love for somebody to tell me what this guy
Some guys here are promoting getting a hold of Sam Bennett this off seasn as a 2C but it isn’t going to happen.
This guy was a #4OA who was a total bust and dumped for a prospect and draft pick in what was a steal for Calgary.
The guy has been rejuvenated in Florida and has become a force, why would he ever want to leave?
He’s staying put.
I’m sure he wouldn’t want to leave but even with Cap going up; fitting in both he and Ekblad in.
I think Panthers will have less than $19M to fill 7 spots including Ekblad and Bennett.
Bennett would have bids from most other markets
As you and I agree, he’d certainly like to stay, but this contract will likely be his last major (in term) contract taking him to at least 36, and he’s going to get a big raise.
So he’ll certainly listen attentively to what is out there.
I agree, 8787. Bennett is best off staying in Florida. But with their cap situation he’s likely to be squeezed out.
I’d like the Habs to take a run at him, but he’d likely command longer term and more money than Hughes would prefer to give.
If a 20 something center can’t be acquired via trade, the Habs would be better off with a veteran who would sign for 3 or so years until a young player like Hage is ready. Someone like Nelson, Duchene, Granlund or Giroux.
Ya, both Ekblad and Bennett likely want to stay if its just about the hockey, but I don’t know that.
If they both want to stay, they both have to take less than they could get, or FLA gives them more term, like the full 8 years, to keep cap down. Low tax state saves some more. Combine it all and they can keep both? Bob comes off the hit in another year, so really it’s about next season if they do.
FLA looks deeper down the middle than on the blue line, even with Jones. But Ekblad probably costs more??
I dunno, but if you can only keep one, which one do you keep? Guessing Ekblad due to depth of position. Plus he should stay effective longer on D.
If either or both hit the market, they’re getting paid big $.
Hi Howard, Habfan30, and Ray
If somehow Panthers can persuade the duo (even at 8 years) to come in at combined $15 M; maybe both stay
$8.5 M and $6.5 M ???
They stay with a strong team; don’t have to relocate (fam and selling/buying home); and maintain the advantage of zero state tax
He’ll listen, but the smart money is still on both him and Ekblad resigning with term in Florida.
Re panthers
Would love to see Sam Bennett play with McDavid again,
He is exactly what the oilers need can fight on score can’t remember how many goals he has this year but he’s always a threat when he’s on the ice
They move i Evander Kane out 5.25 million and then we have a number of three and $4 million players they could move out sign him for 7 million a year 6–7 years he can play first second and thug life and as a threat every night is out there
Love to see them move Nurse oat I know he has no trade clause. He’s not an offensive defenceman and he’s not a defensive defenceman so what is he?❗️❓❓❓
Well, love for somebody to tell me what this guy is
The jarring reality of the scope of the Sabres playoff birth futility is brought home in this March 14 article by Ryan S. Clark which opens with “The Buffalo Sabres’ last trip to the playoffs was in 2011. The NHL has since added franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle, and both expansion teams have made the playoffs. The Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023.”
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/44237201/nhl-buffalo-sabres-playoff-drought-draft-free-agency-kevyn-adams
The issue might be Buffalo not the Sabres.
When was the last time a Buffalo team won a pro championship in any sport?
the 60’s football?
Foot was in the crease!
Haha, well done Chrisms!
Josh Allen had a first down too, if we’re going there.
Just to add, and I get HF30 was tongue in cheek, a lot tougher to win a championship than make the playoffs in the NHL where half the teams get in. 14 years, WTF?
Seriously, even the NY Jets made the playoffs in 2018, and that team is a sh*t show.
owners will fight against having a Four Nations Faceoff tournament every year (except Olympics years), especially after the injuries to Matthew Tkachuk and Shea Theodore. instead they’ll want to prolong the joke that the ASG is, simply because it makes them money
I agree, I’m just saying what I’d like to see.
Owners might not want it due to the injury risk to their best players, I get that. But if it’s about $$, the 4 Nations revenue would have exceeded the Allstar game by a mile.
Players will have a say in this, and they sure seem to want it. The best guys really want to play in it, and the other guys get a nice break before the final push of the regular season.
The way I understand it the ASG is a chance for sponsors to attend, meet the players, enjoy the festivities, and there are plenty. You need sponsors, but give them some tix and have some sponsor events at the 4 Nations.
Hard to walk from it after it was very successful IMO.
Mikep,add Mcavoy to the list!
Heh. Hadn’t thought of it that way … but you may be right on! I Googled your question exactly as stated and this is what popped up
“The Bills advanced to the AFL Championship Game three years in a row from 1964 to 1966, winning the first two. To date, these are the only major professional sports championships from a team representing Buffalo.”
Of course, they don’t currently have an NBA team, although they did from 1970 to 1978 with the Buffalo Braves before relocating to San Diego as the Clippers. They have never had a MLB franchise.
I remember the Braves playing games at Maple Leaf Gardens. Bob McAdoo was their star player and they were a fun team to watch.
Moses Malone was another.
I’m sure there are several NHL cities that have never brought a major pro championship to their town but I didn’t have the time or inclination to Google it. I thought you were better than that, George.
Hey, lol, I didn’t write that article … I just posted the link because I thought it was interesting.
Nothing promotes hockey like good hockey and the 4 nations provided it.
Something happens when you put a flag on your jersey and hockey players rise to the occasion.
Injuries happen all the time and certainly are not exacerbated by “international” play.
I think the players welcome real best on best as well.
Out for a coffee this morning at a local Mall I got into a conversation with a group around my age all exited over the Ottawa win over Boston last night (a real feisty affair), and the fact they have reached the 75-point mark and, as a couple noted, “just 4 back of Tampa for 3rd in the Atlantic and 6 b/o of Toronto for 2nd and a 4-pointer coming up tomorrow night in Toronto.
I reminded them, however, that there were still 17 games left to play – a fifth of a season – and that they were also just 5 ahead of Columbus and the NYR and 6 over Montreal, with multiple games still to come against Columbus and the Habs.
Unlike some of them I learned long ago never to start counting my chickens while they were still in the eggs.
Agreed, with one exception: The Sens look like they have figured it out. Unless Brady’s injury keep him out of games.
You posted some stats a while ago about what it would take for each team contending for the wild card spots. Essentially, one team has to get hot and play above its heard from here on in. And as you say, who can make that call? It may, like the Sens, come down to teams avoiding significant injuries.
That, LJ, and significant suspensions (hell Florida, although nether seemed to hamper them last night.
Apparently Tkachuk should be good to go tomorrow night. With 6 minutes to go and the team up 5-3, there was no pressing need for a goal but, rather, some responsible defensive coverage, and that they have lots of, including the just-acquired Zetterlund, so Green just decided to play it safe with Tkachuk.
George if you watched the Florida/Toronto game last night, it was a perfect example why Marner`s so heavily criticized in Toronto. 23 minutes of playing on the fringe, 1 shot and extended times where he wasn`t even slightly involved in the play. Was the game important, you betcha. Marner is one of the best pond hockey players in the world. Now we just have to convince 31 other NHL teams to play pond hockey in the playoffs and meaningful reg season games and Marner will be happy. The only thing the guys lacking is a set of balls. He`d fit right in with the Sceptures
At Geo O:
FLA playing w/o Ekblad and winning, and th more wins will mean Ekblad is expendable and will not be re-signed w/o a VERY significant discount.
That’s an interesting scenario, johnny Z – letting that $7,0000 + contract walk as a UFA would certainly make it easier to retain Bennett.
Yogi, I caught portions of that game and it seemed every time I tuned in the guys that caught my eye were Knies, Tavares and Matthews. I can’t truthfully say that Marner stood out – one way or another.
For those that follow them closely, given his obvious ability to score and set up, he must be a real enigma.
Lived Ullmark’s glove save. Insane.
But even better was his quote after about not celebrating that one move too much and not feeling too proud of himself because it wouldn’t matter anymore if he let more in and lost the game.
Ullmark is a level headed guy.