NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 15, 2025
The Oilers advance to the Western Conference Final, the Panthers push the Maple Leafs to the brink of elimination, the Flyers hire Rick Tocchet as their new coach, the Canucks promote Adam Foote as their new bench boss, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S NHL ACTION
NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers are heading to the Western Conference Final for the third time in four years after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 in Game 5 of their second-round series.
Edmonton Oilers winger Kasperi Kapanen (NHL Images).
Kasperi Kapanen scored in overtime, and Stuart Skinner turned in 24 saves for his second straight shutout as the Oilers took the series four games to one. Adin Hill made 31 saves for the Golden Knights, who played without sidelined captain Mark Stone for the first time in a postseason game since he joined the team in 2019.
The Oilers await the winner of the Winnipeg Jets-Dallas Stars series.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was Kapanen’s second game in this postseason, but he scored the biggest goal of his career, becoming the seventh player in Oilers history to score a series-clinching overtime goal.
Kapanen is another example of the Oilers’ depth making the difference in this postseason. The bulk of their offense still comes from Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, but they’re also getting production from Connor Brown, Vasily Podkolzin, and veterans like Adam Henrique, Viktor Arvidsson, Corey Perry and a healthy Evander Kane.
Meanwhile, their defensive game continues to improve as the playoffs continue. They’ll get a boost with sidelined defenseman Mattias Ekholm and backup goalie Calvin Pickard expected to be ready for the Conference Final.
Skinner’s critics are quieter after his back-to-back shutout performance, joining Cam Talbot and Curtis Joseph among Oilers goalies to accomplish that feat in the postseason. He’s also the fifth in franchise history to post a series-clinching shutout, joining Joseph, Bill Ranford, Dwayne Roloson, and Mike Smith.
The Florida Panthers are on the verge of advancing to the Eastern Conference Final for the third straight year after crushing the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 in Game 5 of their second-round series.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves, Dmitry Kulikov tallied the game-winning goal, and Aaron Ekblad and Jesper Boqvist each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who’ve taken a 3-2 series lead. Nick Robertson scored for the Leafs, who pulled starting goalie Joseph Woll after he gave up five goals on 25 shots.
Florida can wrap this series up on home ice in Game 6 on Friday, May 16, at 8 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers deserve full marks for their superb performance in this game, but the Maple Leafs made it easy for them with a lifeless effort that had the Toronto crowd booing them off the ice following the second period. Some of their fans tossed their Leafs jerseys on the ice in disgust during the final period.
Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues missed this game with an undisclosed injury. Boqvist took his place.
This was the Leafs’ third straight loss after taking a 2-0 lead over the Panthers in this series. Another pathetic effort like that in Game 6 on Friday, and the Leafs will be booking tee-times on Saturday.
HEADLINES
PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Flyers will make Rick Tocchet their 25th coach in franchise history. He will reportedly receive a five-year, $25 million contract. Tocchet won the Jack Adams Trophy last season with the Vancouver Canucks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise here, Tocchet was considered the favorite for this job. He should work well with the younger players on the rebuilding Flyers.
Speaking of the young Flyers, Matvei Michkov was involved in a single-car accident while vacationing in Dubai. He rented the car but was not the driver. There were no injuries, and there was no alcohol or drugs involved.
Michkov and his friend had their passports illegally taken away by the car rental company and were reportedly extorted for $100K to avoid having details of the accident leaked to the media.
THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks promoted assistant coach Adam Foote as their new head coach, taking over from the departed Rick Tocchet.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Manny Malhotra appeared to be the favorite because of his success with their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford this season. However, Foote was praised by team captain Quinn Hughes earlier this season, which may have factored into his promotion.
The Canucks also signed prospect defenseman Tom Willander to an entry-level contract. Willander, 20, completed his sophomore season with Boston University. He was selected 11th overall by the Canucks in the 2023 NHL Draft.
THE WINNIPEG SUN: Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars is poised to take the crown of the USA’s top goaltender away from the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck. While the former is poised to win his third Vezina Trophy, the latter has a better playoff record and is on the verge of eliminating Hellebuyck and his teammates from the postseason.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck is one of the best regular-season goalies in the league, but he struggles mightily during the playoffs. He’ll need to have the best game of his career if the Jets hope to avoid elimination tonight by the Stars.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Hurricanes’ superior depth has made the difference in their second-round series against the Washington Capitals.
Meanwhile, the Capitals had Connor McMichael replacing Lars Eller centering their third line during practice on Wednesday. Eller is expected to be a healthy scratch from Game 5 on Thursday.
PUCKPEDIA: It doesn’t appear that the Ottawa Senators have forfeited their 2025 first-round pick. They had 24 hours following the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery to forfeit the pick as part of the punishment handed down by the league for their role in a trade being invalidated in 2022.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators were given the choice of forfeiting their 2024, 2025 or 2026 pick.
Well, two completely different games last night.
A crap-kicking in the East with fans leaving with more than 10 minutes left and jerseys being thrown on the ice in disgust, and apathetic play chock full of mistakes by the losing team.
Vs a 0-0 game after 60 chick full of bouncy pucks, and the game (and series) deciding OT goal scored by a depth player who hadn’t scored since January.
Congrats to Oilers. I’m confident they want the Stars/Jets to battled heavy and hard for 3 more games and with all games going to multiple OTs.
Likely to hear a pin drop on the Leafs flight south for tomorrow’s game
Feel bad for some of those Leafs fans. After paying hundreds of dollars on StubHub to watch a pathetic effort, they also lose their $250 jerseys.
And they lost…
their minds
their dignity
their hope
One can only imagine what (realistic) Pittsburgh fans are losing as they view the long-term prospects for their team.
8787, they may have had hope but not sure they ever had minds or dignity.
Realistic pens fans are still satiated from the relatively recent t cups. Three of them I think? They understand that there will be some down years. But the team is willing to spend to the cap so they won’t be buried at the bottom of the league for overly long.
With Fenway group in the process of trying to sell off at least a minority stake in the team, I’d be surprised to see them throwing cash around.
But even if they were to spend like drunken sailors, that doesn’t mean anything. Nashville just went on a spending spree and it got them nowhere but in cap hell.
My guess would be Pittsburgh tries to bandaid this team around Crosby for the next couple of years but ultimately are faced with the reality of a full blown rebuild.
Not sure how that will shake out with this team and fan base.
Not sure that being 8-9 years removed from a Stanley cup means much to anybody.
When Neal Smith drove the Rangers into the ground in the late 90s ( 4 years removed from a cup). I certainly was not thinking about 1994 anymore. I was getting my brown paper bag out to cover my face.
So long as the team is trying to compete and not trotting out an ahl team and calling them superstars like they did before Crosby after jagr left they will get decent support. Pittsburgh is a drinking town with a football problem first and foremost. But they’ve already signaled their strategy as being a retool as opposed to rebuild. Time will tell as always how that works out.
A regular re-tool since their last cup 8 seasons ago – now bordering on ancient history when it comes to pro sports rosters – has produced little in even getting close to another one … and the core that was there at the time certainly hasn’t grown any younger in the interim.
Not recent history. But I’ll take it over the past 15 years or so of just about every other team in the league. Been a fun ride. Seen 5 cups in my life. People my age or under likely won’t have that luxury again with the salary cap and other measures to create parity.
When is the TML organization going to have a face lift. This group or core of players is just not the right mix.They have fired coach after coach looking for some magic,that just is not there.Marner is crazy if he signs there. This is is one big chance to get out of purgatory.Unless they turn this series around this group should be excommunicated.
Leafs need the Wizard of Oz
From the movie
“If I only had a brain”
“A heart”
“A home”
“The nerve” (well the Lion [Burt Lahr] actually says “da noyve”)
Leafs need all 4 to win this series now
Yes, that was a singularly pathetic effort by the Leafs … much like the 4-0 loss at home to the Senators in the last series. But they did bounce back with a better effort in Ottawa, and I remind you that, in their 2 games in Florida, they just missed going up 3-0 in the series with the game 3 5-4 OT loss. Nor was the 4th game – a 2-0 loss – a runaway by Florida by any means.
Their collective embarrassment alone should ensure a strong effort in game 6 Friday.
It was a pathetic showing wasn`t it, but still they are playing the Stanley Cup Champs, not the Penguins. One well placed meaningful elbow can change a series, can`t it. After Bennett took out Stolarz, Toronto could`ve sunk down to the Panthers level and went after Bobrovsky. But they didn`t and I`m glad. Marner gets a lot of criticism for his lack of production at key points of the playoffs, while Matthews pretty much walks away unscathed and yet Matthews bad numbers is what brings down Marner`s production. Marner played some of his best hockey when Matthews was injured. While having Stolarz in the lineup would`ve made a difference, having some one to play with Marner would`ve of made a bigger difference. Whether Toronto can bounce back depends a lot on Matthews showing up. Sadly I`m not holding my breath on that one. The big embarrassment for me is that “C” on Matthews jersey
I am wondering what will happen to the pens franchise, very loyal fans, but they were lucky in their drafts- 66, 68 and 87- these were generational players, what happens now – if they cannot retool with a generational player?
This is where you see how loyal than fans really are
For George re our exchange from yesterday
A friendly wager
If Dubas makes those changes and Pens do NOT make the playoffs next year, I will buy either (A) any Leafs jersey of your choice ; or (B) a Wilson Jersey (you choose A or B (not both); and I will wear that Jersey to every lecture, every faculty meeting, every meeting with any students; and at Church; for three (3) weeks
But if Dubas makes those changes and Pens do make the playoffs next year; you have to locate and buy a Matt Cooke Penguins jersey ; and wear it everywhere in public for a full week (shopping; at friends places; mowing lawn; etc , etc)
Deal???
If ….. if my uncle had different equipment he’d have been my aunt!
Let’s just say that, while I admire fierce loyalty in a fan base – like those poor souls standing hopefully outside the Toronto arena – when it comes to assessing a team’s strengths and weaknesses and their chances of immediately reversing a deteriorating trend, I view things pragmatically.
I look at Pittsburgh, purely from a cold, distant viewpoint based upon their roster make-up, the ages of some and their cap hits and the likelihood of any team giving up something of any remote promise to acquire any of them. And what I see is a long re-build process in its infancy.
If I’m wrong, I’ll be the first to admit it and give credit where credit is due. If I’m right, I will expect the same sort of admission from you.
Let’s just leave it at that.
Wow George
You are seriously afraid of having to walk around wearing a Matt Cooke jersey. W O W!
C’mon , take a leap of faith in your assertions and take the bet
It’s a long shot either way as Dubas is likely to do between none and only a couple of those things; so the bet statement is nullified just by the expected apathy of Dubas moves
You seemed (yesterday) totally convinced that those moves would NOT get Pens in playoffs.
I am convinced that those moves WILL get them in the playoffs
Take the bet
Remember, you have to wear the jersey for a shorter time than I; AND you get to choose which jersey I wear.
Remember, it is highly unlikely that Dubas does but more than a couple of those moves (thus nullifying the bet)
Take the bet
i stopped engaging in juvenile bets a long, long time ago. nor do I pay much attention to juvenile mocking challenges. so shove your wow where your proctologist does his best work.
when you’re ready to discuss the Penguins in terms of who you think will carry them past 7 teams into a playoff spot, then we can engage in a serious discussion
Geez George picking a fight with an unarmed troll. I tried reading his so called changes to get Pittsburgh into the playoffs. I couldn`t stop laughing after the Karlsson trade. Dubas has a better chance of going after UFO`s than UFA`s, but then he doesn`t say any of the players he`s acquiring gave to be any good, just tall. Trading Rust and Rakell you might as well tell Sid to take a hike too. I heard Dubas was scouting a figure skating contest, a lot of tall and fast skaters there. Hahahahahahahaha
George O…surprise I disagree with your point on the Penguins. They aren’t far off they were two games under 500 and look how quickly Washington turned it around.
Penguins have descent prospects who did well in the short stint Koivunen McGroarty improved they have this stud goalie Murashev coming soon..
$24 million in cap space to spend and a ton more than that the following 2 years. They have 30 picks in the top three rounds the next three years so it can be done at least a solid playoff team maybe not a cup but im not betting against 87
Crosby still elite 91 points
Malkin will thankfully retire/move to wing
Karlsson will be moved.
Rebuild the defense which was horrible add a goalie boom playoffs. this can be done a smart trade and ufa signing.
lets say they somehow get Isaac Howard from Tampa and trade for Marco Rossi from Minnesota both doable
Sign UFA Ryan Donato move Malkin to wing where he belongs with that shot
It is totally doable..interesting draft coming up and off season in the Burgh !!
Simmons summed things up succinctly in his Sun column this morning, pointing out that the Leafs got zilch from Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares, whose combined cap hit is just under $47 mil. while Florida got goals from Mikkola, Greer, Kulikov and Boqvist, whose combined cap hit is $5.275,000.
Re Ottawa retaining this year’s first-round pick, Staios had better make sure he makes the moves necessary this off-season to keep improving his team … at least at the same pace as the teams they had to battle all season long just to get there: Columbus, Detroit, NYI, NYR, Montreal and, yes, Buffalo. If he doesn’t he risks seeing next year’s first-round pick closer to the top 10 taken away.
Since there’s little chance that anyone taken 21st in this year’s draft is going to make the team out of camp, perhaps he’ll use it as part of a trade towards improving the team where it’s need most – on the right side both at F and D.
Once in a while Simmons likes to bring things up, like me, every once in a while I like to bring up something I ate
wow man get a sense of humor you come across as arrogant George.
it is like no one is aloud to disagree with you, god forbid have a sense of humor, or actually prove you wrong..mmhhhhh
I went up and down the posts and have no clue what you’re referring to?
Your post entered in response to my reference to Simmons column, following which I commented on the Senators’ draft pick.
Skinner has had TWO good games in a row. So now all is forgiven? I call that short term memory loss based on victory. What happens when he has his Next bad game? All his detractors will come out of the wood work again.
Consistentcy is not in Skinners make up.
That’s goaltending, man. It’s pure voodoo.
Lol. Just ask Winnipeg fans!
Bruins…Morgan Geekie
Bruins really have no choice but to resign Geekie being that they are short of 3 goal scoring forwards …… But But..in his first 3 years in league playing over 70 games each year he only scored 33 goals combined…this year he scored 33 goals and hear he’s looking for $6+ million per for at least 4 years …is he really worth that much ?
We’re more than happy to take Geekie off your hands
I believe your team has 4 ex Bruins players already… you want another ?
Joe,if you play him with offensive players he will score,if he plays bottom 6 like he has done for 90 % of his career his goals will plummet. Sweeney got nothing for JDB and he scored 28 goals. I did not want him back but why let him walk for nothing?Sweeney waited to long to purge the team. He should have started 3-4 yrs ago trading one player at a time,leaving his team in much better shape avoiding a rebuild.
Credit to the Oilers. They’ve come back strong. Have won 8 of their past 9, 4 of them on the road. Their sole loss was due to a few brief letdowns and bad bounces. They’re peaking at the right down and getting contributions up and down the lineup. If Skinner keeps up his solid play, a big if of course, they could very well win the Cup.
Trouble and controversy seem to follow Mitchkov wherever he goes. That’s why teams passed on him. Too much drama. I prefer Demidov.
He was involved in an accident not of his making. What is it with you habs fans? it wasn’t Michkov’s fault your team made the mistake and passed on him. So now you hold a grudge… lol.
Michkov > Demidov by the way.
Blazing, more than just that. There was the passport issue, the extortion. Controversy just seems to follow that guy. And Demidov will be the better player.
Oh, admit it. You are just trying to make yourself feel better for your team blowing that draft pick by not picking him.
Michkov > demidov.
Amazing that Kaspari Kapanen broke out of a huge slump to score the OT winner. His cousin Oliver, a Habs prospect, scored a late GWG in the AHL playoffs last night. Quite a night for the Kapanen family.
Is there going to be a more interesting off season than the leafs.
If they decide not to retain JT and or Marner who do they bring in? Having cap to spend is great but it’s not the greatest ufa class and of those top guys, would they be willing to lock onto a team that despite tons of talent and reg season success cannot make a run in the spring?
I mean you see the team change coaches goaltenders, depth and D…would a ufa think that they are the missing piece? I thinknits a tough sell.
I think that is a tough sell.
As for Boston and Geekie…not much choice..flames and Coranato set the market. Risky signing Geekie at 6 but what are the options.
And Stu!!! I dumped on him a lot this season and he deserved it. But he earned his flowers with back to back shut outs. Do I think it’s smooth sailing here on out…not a chance.
6 million per is the low end looks like Im seeing 6.6 in print …would like to see him sign a $4 million 1 year to see if he can do it again but it don’t work that way ….lot of $$$ to bet on a player who scored 20 goals once in 4 years
I would be happy to see Matthews get traded, perhaps to the Rangers, partly because he seems to disappear in the playoffs. I’d also like to see Marner walk and sign elsewhere. Nylander’s been impressive, and adding another quick forward in the afore-mentioned Matthews trade might create some chemistry there. Keep Tavares at a cheaper price and let him finish his career with the Leafs. With the money they save on letting Matthews and Mariner go, maybe they can get a quick power forward to play on the Nylander line and a couple of good third-liners or a dman to compliment the team.
Possible Edmonton`s offseason, gear up Bouchard and McDavid. Could McDavid get that 20% share of Edmonton`s cap. I`m betting McDavid resigns with the Oilers, but it`s moves that Edmonton makes to fit that almost 20 million dollar contract in that`ll make the summer very interesting. Draisaitl Bouchard and McDavid could eat up almost 44 million. That`s going to be tough, then you have Nurse Hyman Nugent-Hopkins Kane and Arvidsson at another 29 million. Doesn`t leave much to build the rest of the roster
George..The post where you told someone you stop juvenile bets and mocking.
You said shove the wow up ur protologist area where her works
You only engage in serios conversations basically some one who agrees with you.
And you told him when he was serious then you would talk..
That post !