NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 7, 2025
The Oilers and Hurricanes win the opening games of their second-round series, plus the latest on Sam Bennett, Mark Scheifele, Torey Krug and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF TUESDAY’S STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ACTION
NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers overcame a 2-0 deficit to double up the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 1 of their best-of-seven second-round series.
Corey Perry, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Connor Brown scored while Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard collected two assists apiece. Mark Stone scored both goals for the Golden Knights.
Game 2 is Thursday, May 8, in Las Vegas at 9:30 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers are the first team in Stanley Cup Playoffs history with five straight comeback wins in a single postseason. Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo missed this game with an illness and winger Pavel Dorofeyev was sidelined by an undisclosed injury.
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin (NHL Images).
An overtime goal by Jaccob Slavin lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals in the opening game of their second-round series.
The Capitals opened the scoring in the second period as Aliaksei Protas netted his first goal of this postseason. Hurricanes forward Logan Stankoven tied it in the third period.
Game 2 is Thursday in Washington at 7 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Despite the close score, the Hurricanes controlled most of the play, outshooting Washington 33-14, out-hitting them 44-31 and winning 55.6 percent of the faceoffs. Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson kept his club in this one.
HEADLINES
TORONTO SUN: Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett avoided supplemental discipline for elbowing Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the head during Game 1 of their second-round series. Stolarz left the game and was hospitalized overnight for observation. He was released yesterday and the Leafs aren’t ruling him out for Game 2.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Bennett said he wasn’t attempting to injure Stolarz, claiming he was taking the puck to the net and inadvertently bumped the Leafs netminder. He cited his friendship with Stolarz, who played for the Panthers’ Stanley Cup-winning team last season, adding he reached out to the goalie after learning he’d been hospitalized.
THE ATHLETIC: The Leafs and Panthers are trying to dial down the heat from this incident. Panthers coach Paul Maurice attempted to downplay it while blaming the Toronto media for fanning the flames. Meanwhile, Leafs coach Craig Berube said he wants his players to focus on the game rather than retribution.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bennett plays a hard, physical two-way style, but he has a history of questionable hits, with the most infamous among Leafs followers being his takedown of Matthew Knies during the second-round series between the two clubs in 2023.
Bennett isn’t the only Panther to draw the ire of opponents. Matthew Tkachuk has a well-deserved reputation as an agitator. Aaron Ekblad concussed Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel during their first-round series with a forearm to the head.
Every team has players who use such tactics to distract their opponents, but the Panthers have taken it to a higher level. It makes them the team you love to hate, but there’s no denying that it’s been successful for them.
Florida has taken a page from the Philadelphia Flyers of the mid-1970s, who combined talent with brawling to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. The mayhem of the “Broad Street Bullies” era has been long eradicated, but it’s been replaced with sneaky hits and chippy play that often goes uncalled in the postseason.
The Panthers are an undeniably talented team. However, their “in-your-face” style has garnered them a reputation around the league as cheap-shot artists, tarnishing their success since 2022-23.
TSN: Mark Scheifele, Josh Morrissey and Logan Stanley are all considered day-to-day after skating in non-contract jerseys during the Winnipeg Jets’ optional skate on Monday. They’re considered day-to-day and will be game-time decisions for Game 1 of their second-round series with the Dallas Stars.
The puck drops for that contest at 9:30 pm ET on Wednesday, May 7, in Winnipeg.
STLTODAY.COM: Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said sidelined defenseman Torey Krug’s playing career could be over. The 34-year-old Krug missed all of this season recovering from surgery to address pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle last September.
Krug is in the fifth season of a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $6.5 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Krug has not officially spoken about his condition or his future. He’s unlikely to retire if his playing career is over. Instead, he’ll go on long-term injury reserve for the remaining two years of his contract.
Armstrong also revealed that forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Tyler Tucker suffered undisclosed season-ending injuries. Holloway was sidelined on Apr. 3 and underwent surgery, while Tucker appeared to injure a knee in Game 4 of the Blues’ first-round series with the Jets.
THE DENVER POST: Colorado Avalanche management indicated head coach Jared Bednar would return behind the bench next season. However, assistant coach Ray Bennett was relieved of his duties. Bennett ran their power play for eight seasons.
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Kings president Luc Robitaille expects head coach Jim Hiller to return next season. The Kings tied franchise records for wins (48) and points (105) this season but suffered their fourth-straight first-round exit at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.
OTTAWA SUN: The Senators parted ways with associate GM Ryan Bowness. It’s expected that director of player personnel Rob DiMaio will move into that role.
Two dominant performances by road teams last night that were not apparent on the scoreboard.
Oilers win late plus an assurance goal but controlled play from about 5 minute pt. (Of 1st) onward.
Canes were definitely strong enough to win in regulation (outshooting in game 33-14). Appropriate winner in that game.
Question for all re 4 minute high sticking penalty last night.
Hertl hit by two sticks (RNH AND friendly fire)
No doubt RNH stick hit him. No doubt about cut.
So that should mean automatic 4 mins.
What happens if both friendly fire and opponent high stick, AND a cut; but review shows friendly fire actually cut his own player?
Still 4 minutes; OR reduced to 2?
Great question!
Logic dictates that it would be 2.
Alas, logic isn’t always the top priority in NHL rulings.
My thoughts as well
Ya 87, the Oil did dominate that game after the early set backs of a double minor and giving up 2.
They looked calm and composed doing it too, like they knew they would do it. Confident team right now.
Vegas went hard after their D on the forecheck, Oilers, especially Klingberg, made quick accurate first passes. Many of the stretch variety. He was butter, and a revelation. Didn’t see that coming, maybe he’s totally healthy and back? Some of the Oil forwards even flew the zone a bit when they read he would get possession. Created rush chances where the Oil will kill you. Means they trust him, and the coaches do too.
Wonder if Cassidy changes it up. But LA sat back and how did that go?
Vegas generated almost nothing in terms of chances in the final 50 minutes of that game. Squat.
Matching up Eichel against McDavid to contain him had the effect of taking Eichel’s offence right out of the game. Will Cassidy change that?
Kinda surprised by last night’s game, I like how the Oil were playing the last few, but that was a sh*t kicking.
Agree Ray
If I’m behind the Oils bench then “second verse same as the first”
If I’m behind the Knights bench; I’m watching that game’s film several times and correcting 90% of the deficiencies
Your boys looked good Whalercaner. Good on their own merit and good because having seen Washington play 6 games in the playoffs it makes me wonder how they ever won the conference championship.
The Caps will make some adjustments but I have your Canes in 5.
LJ: the Hurricanes were clearly the better team last night. I’m not convinced it will remain that way, but certainly pleased with the effort last night.
I was afraid last night that it was going to be one of those games where the better team loses.
WAS has some good depth, but it didn’t really show last night.
My issue with Bennett cheap shot isn’t the lack of a suspension. This guys targets people heads and the league doesn’t even fine the guy. If you fine him he at least goes on the books. The league won’t even put him on the books. No red flags, nothing. He has to feel like he can do these things with impunity at this point.
A fine would have been better than not doing anything. Fines serve as a warning to players that they are riding the wrong side of the edge and to step back from that side or face suspensions.
Take or not take this players history of targeting heads, skating into a goalie while the goalie is in the crease is something I thought an automatic penalty otherwise is the blue paint just for decoration?
Interesting how Robitaille announces that the coach will return before a GM is hired. Is that a sign that AGM Marc Bergevin will be promoted to GM?
Best of luck to the Kings if he does!
Mark Yannetti
Lyle, well said on the Panthers.
Made me wonder if I “love to hate” them.
I think I just hate them?
Although I have never wanted the flippin’ Leafs to win a series as much as I want them to win this one.
Does that mean I love to hate them?
I dunno.
When teams consistently hurt and cheap shot opponents it isn’t by mistake, it’s the culture instilled into the team by the coaching staff and GM.
Sure makes me want to see TML win the series.
HF30: Interesting situation in Laval. Primeau plays lights out, only to be replaced by Fowler, who plays even better.
Short body of work, but were I both Primeau an Connor Hughes I would not be seeing my future in the Habs organization.
Do you mean like how Tkachuk ran at Marner when time ran out and the puck was in the opposite corner? Or did you mean that panthers player slipping his stick into Benoits feet? Or was it when Rodrigues ran Woll for no apparent reason?
This isn’t smashmouth hockey, it’s unsportsmanlike plain and simple. I hope the Panthers get theirs and I hope it’s a costly loss. Tit-for-tat.
I’m certainly not going so far as to root for the leafs but the Panthers culture is certainly sickening. Some people here might remember the New Orleans Saints bounty gate scandal of several years ago. Coaches were suspended because of it. But never consequences in the NHL. Bettman prefers to stick his head in the sand.
So Dylan Holloway finally stays healthy for most of the year and has a breakout season. Gets hurt again late and misses the playoffs.
If memory serves, he has missed significant time every year since he was drafted until this season, and this is at least his 3rd surgery.
Tough break for the Alberta kid, hope he gets to 100%.
So they’ve finally decided on the Utah HC nickname – it’s Mammoth
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/nhl/utah-announces-mammoth-as-team-s-official-nickname/ar-AA1EkVpZ?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=2c096857525c4076affaa61650b931ae&ei=21
Tusks Up!
A sneaky deference to the word “mamon?”
https://kslsports.com/nhl/utah-hockey-club/utah-hockey-club-to-become-utah-mammoth/547274
The departure of Bowness from the Senators is just one more original Dorion hiring to hit the bricks. It figures a Staios hire, DiMaio, will step into that position.