NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 24, 2025
The Oilers defeat the Stars in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final, the GM of the Year finalists are revealed, Alex Ovechkin wins the Messier Leadership Award, the Islanders name Mathieu Darche as GM, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
OILERS DEFEAT STARS IN GAME 2 OF WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner made 25 saves for his third shutout of this postseason to blank the Dallas Stars 3-0 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (NHL Images).
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the winning goal and collected an assist while Brett Kulak and Connor Brown also scored for the Oilers, who tied this series at a game apiece. Jake Oettinger turned aside 22 shots for the Stars.
The series shifts to Edmonton for the next two games, with Game 3 on Sunday, May 25, at 3 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a better team effort by the Oilers, holding the lead in this game after blowing a 3-1 lead in the third period of Game 1. Skinner rose to the occasion again, bouncing back from a shaky performance in his previous start to tie Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky for the most shutouts in this postseason.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid collected an assist, becoming the fourth player in NHL history to record four straight 20-plus point postseasons.
The Stars were furious over a slash by Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse on Dallas center Roope Hintz early in the third period. Hintz left the game and didn’t return but Nurse only received a minor penalty. There was no postgame update on his status.
“We didn’t like it. If that was McDavid walking down the tunnel, I would like to see the result of that,” said Dallas captain Jamie Benn. Head coach Pete DeBoer echoed that sentiment, while Stars winger Mason Marchment said he and his teammates won’t forget Nurse’s actions.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Kevin Cheveldayoff of the Winnipeg Jets, Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars, and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers are the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award finalists for 2024-25.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nill won it in 2023 and 2024. This is the second time Cheveldayoff has been a finalist and the third straight season for Zito.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award.
The New York Islanders named Mathieu Darche their new general manager. He had been the assistant GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the past three years.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Isles also named Darche as their executive vice president, indicating in their statement that he will “manage all aspects of the team’s hockey operations.”
The Islanders were permitted to speak with former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan before they hired Darche. Their statement suggests they won’t be hiring a team president.
Ethan Sears of the New York Post believes Darche’s first order of business should be addressing their head coach position. Patrick Roy currently holds that role on a multi-year contract. If Darche fires Roy, Sears listed Greg Cronin, Peter Laviolette, Mitch Love, Jay Leach, Jay Woodcroft and Kirk Muller as potential candidates.
TSN: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Keith Pelley said he wasn’t looking to replace Shanahan as the Leafs’ team president. He indicated he intends to work closely with GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube.
MAYOR’S MANOR: Marc Bergevin is staying on as an advisor to Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bergevin was among the finalists for the Isles GM job.
RG.ORG: The New York Rangers could add Russian goaltending coach Rashit Davydov to their coaching staff. He’s closely connected to Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin and has also worked with goalies like Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers, and Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: The International Ice Hockey Federation has reportedly banned Russian teams from competing in the men’s and women’s ice hockey tournaments in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That will affect NHL stars such as Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov, the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin, the Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild.
While the Nurse slash on Hintz probably deserved a harsher penalty, I still have to laugh at the hypocritical reaction of Benn, easily at or near the top of any list of cheap-shot artists. Just ask Scheifele or any of the other many recipients of his tendency to be a tough guy when no one is looking.
Where’s John Ferguson when you need him?
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I’m with you on that. I hate to see (almost) anyone get hurt, but I still hold a grudge against Benn for cross-checking Dylan Larkin in the back of the next, face first into the ice, resulting in Larkin wearing a neck brace for weeks. I’m waiting for someone to give Benn what he deserves.
How is that deserving of a harsher penalty ? Two officials , in the moment , after just watching the player carried off deemed it a 2 minute penalty. There was no wind up , no intent , more a reaction to the cross check to the back he just got from HIntz , it was also not a heavy shot . Nurse turns and swings at shin pads , catches a soft spot . That’s 2 minutes , all day , every day , in the regular season or the playoffs . . Mcdavid has taken harder shots in these playoffs , several of them . Pete is off his rocker if he thinks the stars in the NHL are protected . What’s he been watching ?
I was waiting for the indignant “oh yeah?” responses to my opening statement.
A slash – when hitting a so-called “soft spot” – will invariably end up hurting someone. Nurse, nor anyone else, delivering a slash can pin-point it to padded areas only. So, to all intents and purposes, it’s an intent to injure.
Yeah, the “stars” do receive far more than their fair share of hacks, jabs and slashes – I fully agree – but what does that have to do with the officials applying the rules as they are written?
There’s the breakdown.
All I was alluding to is that, if applied as it is written, the slash by Nurse could have resulted in a stiffer penalty.
But that was a toss-off in a post intended to highlight the hilarious irony of one of the most blatant cheap-shot artists braying ““We didn’t like it. If that was McDavid walking down the tunnel, I would like to see the result of that.” And to have that corroborated by a noted stick artist like Marchment is icing on the hypocritical cake.
Main talking point , year in , year out , the rulebook and the difference between regular season and playoffs. In the regular season that’s a 2 , all year . In the playoffs , maybe called 1/5. If the new standard for major is an injury , if I’m the coach in instructing everyone to stay down on a slash. Go to the room , get evaluated , get hydrated , will get you back after the power play . Doesn’t make any sense , it’s a 2 minute penalty all day . Watch it again , he takes a light cross check , doesn’t like it and reacts , it’s no attempt to injure , it’s whack for whack like we see all game , every game , sometimes with the official standing screaming to break it up while a wrestling match ensues . Unfortunate for hintz to go down , I understand the frustration of Dallas fans and Pete wanting the media/ officials talking and hearing about it , may get them a call somewhere down the line. He wants the attention on anything but the 5/6 periods his team was just handled at home . But it’s a 2 minute penalty , nothing more , nothing less .
I think he only deserved 2, and if we could bet on here I would throw down $20 that Hintz plays next game and will be fine.
Hintz gave him a shot in the back, Nurse retaliated and chopped him on the skate. It was supposed to sting and it did. That stuff happens every game.
I hope he plays next game, it wasn’t intent to hurt, not to injure, IMO, although it’s possible he is injured. Some small bones there I suppose, but he didn’t target a specific area. Penalty seemed appropriate, and again I think he will be fine.
If you don’t want to get chopped, don’t cross check guys in the back.
Was not wasn’t.
Matthieu Darche is a great hire by NYI, he was actually my first choice when the Habs were looking for GM a few years ago.
This guy has a great foundation from Tampa, working with BriseBois and Cooper on both the player and financial aspects of the game.
Ownership appears to have decided not to go for rebuild and have chosen to retool using their 1st over all pick and ample cap space.
Among his fortes are scouting, player development, drafting so one can reasonably expect a much improved prospect pipeline.
I have no initial feeling about Roy staying on as coach.but it wouldn’t surprise me if Darche hired Jay Woodcroft to be head coach.
as a foundation the Islanders look pretty good. if the team can have a more offensive philosophy, and not the trap team that Laroriello wanted, they seem to have the parts in place. Solid down the middle (Barzal,Horvat,Pageau), on defense (Pelech/Puloch/Dobson) and in goal (Sorokin). So Darche has some depth to build around.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Roy is kept as coach, and they reevaluate after the season.
Darche is a wonderful hire — lots of promise there. Hoping he will be a solid GM. In terms of the coach, I think there would be an instant fan revolution just in saying the name “Kirk Muller” in NYI circles. For those who don’t recall — he was traded to the Islanders and refused to report and he made no effort to hesitate confirming that Long Island was no place for serious hockey. We gave up Pierre Turgeon and mattieu Schneider for Kirk Muller. He ended up being forced to show up eventually, played 9 games and then was traded out. He is not welcome here I don’t care how “qualified” he is. I don’t think Laviolette is viable and am vey luke-warm on the other candidates. Looking at the proposed list, I feel like it would be a lateral move — just keep Roy and see how he does for the season.
Just announced today that Ottawa will forfeit their 2026 1st round pick as the penalty in that Dadonov trade screw-up by Dorion.
Picking 21st this year as a result of their 97-point 1st WC slot finish, Staios had better make sure there’s no regression next season, dropping them back to Top 10 range. You know the Islanders will be better, as will likely the NYR, Detroit and Columbus, nor are the Habs apt to fall back.
THAT would make the Dorion mistake look signifiantly minor
I get the feeling that the above-noted decision by Staios might lead to a pre-draft or draft-day trade where, perhaps involving someone like Pinto or Cozens, that 21st pick could also be involved, with the Senators moving up a few notches. Either that or, as part of the deal, Staios gets a 1st round pick in 2026 to cover the forfeited pick.
As for the UFA heap, former player and now analyst foresees some singularly dumb signings in an article that says, in part
“The NHL’s salary cap prepares for a significant jump this offseason and teams across the league are getting their pens ready to ink some top players. But according to former NHLer and hockey analyst Justin Bourne, this offseason might not be a gold rush — it could be a trap.
On Wednesday, Bourne posted: “The more I look at this offseason in the NHL the more I’m sold there’s gonna be just a raft of horrific contracts handed out. Cap way up, tons of desperate teams looking to take a step, weak UFA class. Perfect storm.
should read ” … former player and now analyst Jason Bourne …”