NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 23, 2025
Results of Tuesday’s playoff action, the Islanders part ways with GM Lou Lamoriello, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF TUESDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES
NHL.COM: Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and collected an assist in a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round series. Tkachuk had been sidelined with a groin injury since the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February.
Nate Schmidt tallied twice and forwards Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers. Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point replied for the Lightning. Game 2 is Thursday, Apr. 24, at 6:30 pm ET in Tampa Bay.
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tkachuk and the Panthers played like defending Stanley Cup champions. They haven’t lost that tenacious work ethic that made them back-to-back Cup finalists, something the Lightning must match if they hope to win this series.
An overtime goal by Max Domi gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, and a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. John Tavares had a goal and an assist and Anthony Stolarz stopped 26 shots for the Leafs. Brady Tkachuk and Adam Gaudette scored for the Senators. This series shifts to Ottawa for the next two games with Game 3 starting Thursday at 7 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the first time the Leafs have had a 2-0 lead in a playoff series since 2002. The Senators had a better effort in this game but they’ll need more in Game 3 to avoid going into a much deeper hole.
The Leafs looked like they would run the Senators out of the building in the first period but took their foot off the gas in the second. That led to Tkachuk’s flukey goal, setting the stage for Gaudette’s tying goal in the third.
The Minnesota Wild opened a 4-0 lead that resulted in a 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, tying their series at a game apiece. Kirill Kaprizov scored twice and set up Matt Boldy, who finished the night with two points. Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl scored for Vegas. The series moves to Minnesota with Game 3 on Thursday starting at 9 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaprizov’s long pass to Boldy for the latter’s breakaway goal was a thing of beauty. The Golden Knights played better than the score indicates, but their defensive breakdowns and turnovers were their downfall.
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 25 shots in a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils to open a 2-0 series lead. Jordan Martinook scored the winning goal and set up Seth Jarvis for the empty-net insurance goal. Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils. This series moves to New Jersey with Game 3 on Friday, Apr. 25.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a better effort by New Jersey than Game 1, but they were frustrated by Andersen’s goaltending and the Hurricanes’ stifling penalty kill. Devils forward Timo Meier had a golden opportunity to make it 2-2 in the third period but whiffed on the bouncing puck. Devils defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon missed this game due to injuries suffered in the previous game.
HEADLINES
NYI HOCKEY NOW: The Islanders announced yesterday that they were not renewing the contract of team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello. The status of assistant GM Chris Lamoriello and head coach Patrick Roy remains uncertain.
Russ Macias believes the Islanders’ stagnation since 2021 and several mistakes by Lamoriello led to his downfall. It led to a decline in attendance and a revolving door of coaches that finally forced ownership to make a change.
NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears listed former Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM Brandon Pridham, former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis, and former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin among the potential candidates to replace Lamoriello.
Sears also pondered Roy’s future as head coach under Lamoriello’s replacement. A team spokesman said the plan is for Roy and his coaching staff to meet with the new GM and take it from there.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lamoriello did a fine job in his early years as Isles GM, building up the club into a back-to-back Conference finalist in 2020 and 2021. However, the decline began with the departure of head coach Barry Trotz in 2022 and accelerated as Lamoriello stubbornly stuck with his aging core.
THE ATHLETIC: Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen’s been through a lot since January, changing teams twice and participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off. He’s been trying to adjust to the upheaval but the Stars need him to regain his form if they’re to stage a Stanley Cup run this spring.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary’s season is over after undergoing surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee. He suffered the injury during the Capitals’ second-last game of the regular season.
TSN: Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher’s absence from practice on Tuesday raised eyebrows. However, head coach Martin St. Louis said Gallagher will be fine. The Canadiens face the Capitals in Game 2 of their first-round series on Wednesday. The Capitals took Game 1 by a score of 3-2.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Sidelined Oilers Evander Kane and John Klingberg could be options for Game 2 of their series against the Los Angeles Kings. Klingberg is considered “a very good possibility”, according to head coach Kris Knoblach. The Oilers were beaten 6-5 in the opening game.
NEW YORK POST: Five members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team pleaded not guilty Tuesday to sexual assault in a London, Ontario court. The jurors who will hear their case were selected yesterday.
Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged last year for an incident that allegedly occurred in June 2018. McLeod faces an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault.
DAILY FACEOFF: The list of potential witnesses includes Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson, and St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas.
Okay, Ottawa, you need to kick it up a notch or two to give Toronto it’s traditional one and done in the playoffs.
(Yes, I’m being sarcastic.)
The Panthers, defending Cup champions, are probably the strongest team in the East. They faltered down the stretch due to many injuries but with players coming back they’re the team to beat.
Lou L’s defense first game has been unsuccessful since the lockout, he never adjusted to the “New NHL” style, he failed in Toronto and on Long Island.
wouldn’t be surprised if Roy is kept but with a new GM, maybe Ken Holland as rumoured, with a team more built around offensive attack
mikep, I think the most obvious factor in the termination of Lamoriello has to be his age. Running a major league franchise is no place for an Octogenarian.
But where his record is concerned – or rather that of the team which he headed – in his time with NYI it’s been better than each of Ottawa, Montreal and Detroit, never finishing below .500 and making the playoffs 3 times while Ottawa was out 7 years running and Detroit now 9.
But whereas Montreal (who didn’t wait remotely as long as did Ottawa and Detroit) and Ottawa have each severed ties with their GMs in that span, Yzerman appears to be teflon-coated.
So, what price losing?
Just looking at their combined record over the past 5 seasons, including the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season. the Islanders have played 384 games going 185 145 54 for a % pace of .552, scoring1,100 goals while giving up 1,110 for a minus 10 differential, and made the playoffs 3 times.
In comparison over the same span, Detroit has gone 166 171 47 with a % pace of .494 while scoring 1,055 goals and giving up 1,278 for a differential of minus 223 came close to a playoff spot once.
They can’t blame it all on Dylan Larkin.
Hiring guys like Holland or Gillis, who once had success as GMs but who are long past their days of winning, would be a big mistake for the Isles. Although having one of those guys in another executive position while a new GM handles the day to day hockey affairs might not be a bad idea.
Bergevin would not be a good choice either. His record as GM is mixed at best. He’d be better as an AGM. The way I see it, part of the reason for optimism with the Habs now is that people are confident in Hughes ability to build a winner. There was never that confidence in Bergevin.
A young AGM like Pridham or Mathieu Darche would likely be their best bet. Other decent choices with experience would be Kukolainen or Dorion. Maybe Rob Blake if LA lets him go. They may want to reach out to 2 former GMs currently serving other executive roles. Jeff Gorton and Joe Sakic. Although I don’t think Gorton wants to leave Montreal now and I hope he doesn’t.
If you want to read about out of the box thinking, Howard, read up on Carolina’s GM Eric Tulsky and who he has hired to help him.
And don’t even mention Gorton leaving. Besides, why would he leave in the middle of a rebuild that looks so promising?
George, the playoffs are rife with bad or no calls but I am surprised you haven’t commented on Greig’s getting penalized while Stolarz hacked him like cord wood was a blatant non call.
I heard Hrudy in the intermission say the ref was letting Stolarz “get one back” but that type of thinking is crap.
Bear in mind I do not like Grieg ..
Same as Mangiapane sucker punching Hutson and the Caps get a power play out of it.
I know we’d spend hours on this if we bitched about missed/no calls but those are two I noticed that were unusually bad to my eyes.
LJ, after following the game for over 7 decades if there is one thing I’ve learned it’s not to dwell on officials calls – or non-calls.
A description of Greig, in a nutshell, would be “s*&t-disturber” and the record shows that their preferred style of play will always result in “special attention” somewhere along the line. Stolarz, meanwhile, is showing that he’s taking a page out of Billy Smith’s legendary approach to the game … “screw with me and I’ll give it back in spades.”
C’est la vie.
GeorgeO missed the game how did Ullmark play?
He played OK Sr … couldn’t be faulted on any of the goals … wasn’t overworked by any stretch – just 21 shots
Just before the end of the season, in Florida if I remember correctly Bobby McMann tried to cut across the crease behind Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky saw McMann and backed into him on purpose. McMann was given 2 minute penalty for goalie interference even though Bobrovsky was the one that made the contact. The rule is that any player who enters the crease on his own accord and there`s contact with the goalie shall be given a minor penalty for interference. In short skaters have no business being in the blue paint if they can help it. There isn`t a goalie in the NHL that doesn`t defend that blue paint and rarely are any of them ever penalized when they do. Most goalies are just more discreet than Stolarz was. As bad as the referring seems to be to us and every team in the NHL, it`s still the best in the world, remember that. The refs giveth and the refs taketh away, it`s just part of the game we love so much
I am still trying to figure out how a 4th liner like Domi even gets on the ice in overtime never mind scoring the winner. Leaf fans help me out here.
Your issue is with the guy that scored the overtime goal? Also Domi isn’t on their 4th line.
Playoffs. Even in ot gotta roll 4 lines. If you get to 2,3, or more ots you need fresh legs.
Domi doesn’t play on the 4th line … but Gaudette, who sent it to OT with his goal with about 5 minutes left in the 3rd, is definitely a 4th liner.
Anyway, if you’re not playing 4 lines in the playoffs chances are you’re not going very deep.
I just don’t understand the rationale of “That guy shouldn’t score.” I believe he’s scored before in his career.. Lorenz has been playing great and has scored, he’s a 4th liner. Loughton as well. Maybe tell those guys to stop shooting, let the goal scorers score the goals?
The whole line naming is a bit coincidental especially considering that these players are the best of the best. Some players perform better within a certain amount of ice time and one of the coach’s job is to give certain players the ice time where they can play at their best throughout their 45 sec shifts. What everyone here already knows is that you need production throughout your lineup – be it offense or defense.
All the goals but the Domi one were fluke goals. The danger that the Leafs are toying with here allowing the Sens to fire shots from low danger areas and allowing them with possession is that the longer you play in your own end, the more likely you can get a call against you due to fatigue.
Both teams look like they still haven’t found their top gear yet and I expect a different game in Ottawa. I wonder what their game plan will be having home ice advantage. So far Toronto’s top lines have been shutting down the Sens quite effectively and curious to see what Green does to avoid that match up.
I can answer this easily. Whether Domi is a fourth line player or not. This isn’t the regular season These are full periods of overtime and you must roll out all your players Or run the risk of running out of steam. The playoff historically have plenty of bottom six forwards getting overtime game winners. Hell throughout a long game, they are the ones left with the most energy
In regular season O/T Domi probably gets one shift at most, but in playoff O/T you have to roll your lines as OT can go on for a long time and everybody will get tired if you only run 2-3 lines.
The only comment I have is that Auston Matthews breaking Greig’s stick is a whole new level of classless.
Although it makes me happy to know Ridley is getting under his skin.
Your comment is about playoff hockey, no? Stuff like crosscheck to the face or running a goalie. All part of playoff hockey. Just like Carlo can’t shake off being a Bruin and scoring on the Leafs…he’s got 2 so far this series! LOL!😂
Wow, if you think Matthews breaking a stick is a new level of classless, you should watch Greig play. That`s a whole new level of classless. Besides, Greig isn`t on the ice when Matthews is, so why would Matthews be frustrated with Greig
So all the more reason to not break his stick then?
What I’d really like to see is Matthews scoring goals.
I think that`s what`s getting to Matthews, 0 goals
You and the Raging Romanian should get together, neither of you make any sense. Perfect for each other
Why so sensitive yogi bear? An easy question and looking for an answer from leaf fans. Good response from many and I thank them for there answer.
Yeah the responses you got were, you didn`t make any sense. You threw a couple of insults at Domi and that`s about all. Other than that you didn`t make any sense. You don`t like Domi and that`s A OK, I`m not a fan of him either, but he`s on the team and not much anybody can do about it
Drury signs multi year contract extension, that should make the Ranger fans happy
Heh. There’s couple in here I bet ain’t doin’ cartwheels down Broadway
Good news n’at for da burgh.
Why? Makes no sense ranger fans would be happy. Explain yogi bear, why do you think this is?
He was being facetious
Your comments make no sense yogi bear. I like domi, heck he used to play for a team I like. I just find him a 4th line player in my opinion and in my opinion surprised he got ice time. The leaf fans provided a good explanation why he was out there which you with your detailed knowledge of the game could not do.