NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 24, 2025
Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks to their first win, Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller lead the Mammoth to victory, the Lightning’s early-season woes continue, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: Macklin Celebrini tallied a hat trick and added two assists as his San Jose Sharks got their first win of the season (1-4-2) by nipping the New York Rangers 6-5. Will Smith scored in overtime and in regulation to finish the night with four points, and William Eklund had three assists. Tayler Raddysh had a hat trick for the Rangers, who dropped to 3-4-2 and remain winless at home (0-4-1).
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers also lost center Matt Rempe to an upper-body injury following a first-period fight with Sharks forward Ryan Reaves.
Sharks defenseman Nick Leddy left this contest in the first period with an upper-body injury. Teammate Timothy Liljegren returned to action after being sidelined on Oct. 14 with a lower-body injury.
A natural hat trick by Logan Cooley powered the Utah Mammoth to a 7-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Cooley finished with four points, and teammates Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther, and JJ Peterka each had three points for the 6-2-0 Mammoth. Jordan Binnington replaced Joel Hofer after the Blues’ backup allowed three goals on six shots. The loss drops the Blues to 3-3-1.
Chicago Blackhawks winger Ryan Donato tallied twice, including the winning goal, as his club upset the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2. Nikita Kucherov and Ryan McDonagh each had two points for the Lightning, who are off to the worst start in franchise history (1-4-2). The Blackhawks improved to 4-2-2.
Anaheim Ducks center Mikael Granlund netted a career-high five points (two goals, three assists) as his club rolled to a 7-5 win over the Boston Bruins. Nikita Nesterenko picked up four assists as the Ducks improved to 4-2-1. Morgan Geekie scored two goals for the struggling Bruins, who have dropped six in a row (3-6-0).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas left this game with a lower-body injury in the first period.
The Edmonton Oilers blew a 3-1 lead but overcame a 5-3 deficit to beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-5 on a late goal by Vasily Podkolzin. Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored power-play goals to set the stage for Podkolzin’s game-winner, and Connor McDavid collected three assists for the 4-3-1 Oilers. Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook each scored twice for the 6-3-0 Canadiens.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens were furious over those two penalty calls that led to the Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins’ goals. Pundits in both cities considered those calls questionable. Still, the Habs were guilty of sloppy defensive play and some shaky goaltending from Sam Montembeault.
Speaking of the Canadiens, center Kirby Dach returned to action after missing three games with a lower-body injury. Earlier in the day, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said sidelined winger Patrik Laine’s lower-body injury isn’t related to the sprained knee he suffered last season.
Meanwhile, the Oilers announced that winger Kasperi Kapanen (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored twice and collected an assist to lead his team to a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers. Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, and Rickard Rakell each had two points as the Penguins collected their fourth straight victory and improved to 6-2-0. Brad Marchand tallied two goals for the 4-5-0 Panthers, who have dropped five of their last six contests
The New York Islanders got two goals from Emil Heineman as they thumped the Detroit Red Wings 7-2. Anders Lee had three assists, and David Rittich stopped 31 shots as the Islanders improved to 4-3-0. Dylan Larkin and Jonatan Berggren replied for the Red Wings, who slipped to 5-3-0.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer’s six-game season-opening points streak ended, but he played a team-leading 25:14 of ice time and finished with a plus-minus of plus-2. Earlier in the day, the Isles announced they’ve placed defenseman Alexander Romanov (upper body) on injured reserve.
A shootout goal by Seth Jarvis lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Jarvis also had a goal and an assist in regulation for the Hurricanes, who improved their record to 6-1-0. Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin tallied twice, and Trent Miner made 20 saves after Scott Wedgewood was pulled after giving up four goals on 11 shots.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Both clubs honored their heritage in this game with the Hurricanes wearing Hartford Whalers jerseys and the Avalanche sporting Quebec Nordiques jerseys. Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin was placed on injured reserve earlier in the day with a lower-body injury.
Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord kicked out 32 shots for a 3-0 shutout of the Winnipeg Jets. Jaden Schwartz scored two goals, and Jordan Eberle also tallied for the Kraken, who improved to 4-2-2. Connor Hellebucyk stopped 25 of 26 shots for the Jets (5-2-0) as their five-game win streak ended.
An overtime goal by Adrian Kempe gave the Los Angeles Kings a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars, handing the latter their fourth straight loss (3-3-1). Kempe finished with two points, and Quinton Byfield picked up two assists for the 3-3-1 Kings. Wyatt Johnston and Roope Hintz each had two points for the Stars.
The Ottawa Senators got a 22-save performance from Linus Ullmark to nip the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1. Michael Amadio and Olle Lycksell scored for the 3-4-1 Senators, and Tyson Foerster replied for the Flyers (3-3-1).
Nashville Predators winger Cole Smith snapped a 1-1 tie to give his team a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Juuse Saros turned aside 21 shots, and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for the Predators (3-3-2) as they snapped a four-game losing skid. Max Sasson replied for the 4-4-0 Canucks.
IN OTHER NEWS…
SPORTSNET/DAILY FACEOFF: The Toronto Maple Leafs placed defenseman Chris Tanev (upper body) on injured reserve. Goaltender Joseph Woll (undisclosed)was placed on long-term injury reserve. This comes a month after Woll took a leave of absence to deal with a personal matter.
TSN: Former Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan is joining the NHL hockey operations department. He left the Maple Leafs this summer after 11 years when the club opted not to renew his contract.
VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: The Golden Knights placed captain Mark Stone on long-term injury reserve.
THE BUFFALO NEWS: The Sabres recalled goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from his conditioning stint with their AHL affiliate in Rochester.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Washington Capitals have accommodated Sheldon Rempal’s request for contract termination as he explores other opportunities overseas.
Probably the most exciting play I saw last night in the NHL was the Reaves/ Rempke bout. It was good to see a bully Rempke get bullied by Reavo. All those young SJ players can relax and play without worrying about be blown up with a hit.And to do it at the Gaaahhden was the best venue.
I said it last year. It is time for the Bruins to do a proper rebuild. Sweeney’s adjustments for this season were not enough as I expect them to be near the bottom of the league again this season. Of course if they end up choosing first in the draft, it would be a good start to that rebuild.
Paul h,all Sweeneys signings in the off-season put off the inevitable.This prolongs the rebuild at with Pasta being close to 30, does this make him think of greener pastures. Sweeney and Neeley have lived off the Bergeron,Krecji,Chara years long enough. A refreshing new,innovative attitude is needed.
The only issue that needs to be addressed is defensive zone play. Peake and Lohrei both have been brutal in their own end. Atleast 5 goals have gone off Peake and Lohrei is just too weak on his stick. PK has been fantastic and Goaltending isn’t nearly as bad as it seems. Everyone ready to throw in the towel less than 10 games in. Scoring is coming from up and down the lineup. 29 goals in 9 games has them in the middle of the NHL for goals scored. Several 1 goal loses could have easily went the other way.Still plenty of time to fix the defensive woes. Missing Lindholm is definitely hurting them but shouldn’t be this bad. Time to shake up the d core sit Peake and Lohrei. They are the weakest links. Mcavoy hasn’t been great either.
Paul that is a pretty big issue isn t it . Bad teams find ways to lose games.It is more than bad luck.You Don t think this is a playoff team do you?Wouldn t put to much stock on Lindholm s return! His track record in missing games in his career is not very good.
5 points for the teenager Celebrini, and has 11 pts in 7 games (tied for 6th in PPG)
Sharks may be struggling at/near the bottom now but their future is bright : Celibrini (19) ; Misa (18), Dickenson (19); Smith (20),Ravensberger (18; Wang (18); Eklund (23); and now potentially either McKenna (17) OR Voerhoeff (17) OR Roobroeck (17)
Sharks in 3 years should be scary
Re : “The Golden Knights placed captain Mark Stone on long-term injury reserve.”
Yogi Bera is screaming from his grave “Deja vu all over again”
Re Woll on LTIR (personal reasons)? Anybody know what happened? Death/sickness to close relative/spouse??
Pens: Great start of season; and fantastic performances by Jarry and Sid and others was great to see.
I’m not at all holding my breath for this pace to continue but it is very nice to see. One big concern is roster changes. The Brunicke out; Clifton in move almost cost Pens the game. Clifton took a stupid penalty that lead to a PPG; and was on (and literally doing nothing) on 2 other goals. Brunicke has proven himself. Concern about the size of the Panthers as a factor in the switch decision?? I don’t think so (Brunicke is 11 years younger, 4” taller, 14 lbs heavier than Clifton). Let’s not repeat that faux pas!!!
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t consider beating a team that has already lost 5 of 6 games played (Tampa) to be an upset.
Oilers did beat the Habs last night but it was weird to see the Oilers out-paced all night.
It’s usually the Oilers that are faster, smoother but the Habs served notice that they are the young guns.
It’s a long season, you win some you don’t deserve and lose others you deserve to win. Officiating gifts you some and kills on others.
Considering it was the Habs second game in two nights, they were high flying and had possession for much of the game. As a fan it’s great to see beautiful hockey return to Montreal.
I was at the game last night & the Habs did out pace them all night, which was fun to watch. Its sad just like so many games in the NHL the refs are the deciding factor. Saying that I know it wasn’t all his fault but Monty has to come up with a big save or 2, .
Premier,
You’re right about Montembeault and given his history of handling pressure and rebounding, I fully expect him to break out of his funk.
Fortunately he has an excellent backup in Dobes who just keeps winning. He’s4-0 1.47 gaa and .950 pct., pretty good start for a rookie.
As an Oilers fan I know how you guys feel. There have been so many games in the past where the Oilers out played their opponent but the refs wouldn’t call the most blatant of infractions, and the Oilers would lose by a goal.
As an Oilers fan for many years I agree with Habfan30 regarding the 2 penalties. If it happened to us, I would be equally annoyed. I do have a thought on them though. As a fan who watches the game on TV and thus gets the benefit of slow motion I am frequently perturbed at the times where McDavid get obviously hauled down (obvious in slow motion), but the fact that he wiggles his way through high traffic areas must make it nearly impossible for the refs to know if he was tripped or fell in desperation trying to make his 5th deke in 3 square feet. I agree with you completely, that yesterday’ s call was self inflicted and shouldn’t have been a penalty. On the Anderson penalty, and the Bouchard penalty earlier in the game, I blame both of those calls on Brad Marchand. I am certain that the NHL had a little private discussion about unsportsmanlike calls following Marchand’s embarrassing behavior with Dahlin’s helmet. It won’t surprise me to see an uptick in very borderline unsportsmanlike calls for the next little bit as a message. Again, that being said, Bouchard’s penalty was early in the game and he did slash Newhook, so in my book his was more deserved, and Anderson’s was at a very critical time when the Oilers were pressing and in terms of referees “game management” that was pretty harsh over something most fans would never have even known had transpired.
In general though, I thought the game was terrific and although not a Canadiens fan, I really like what they have built and I think they have a super bright future ahead of them.
Zed White,
To be clear I’m not upset about the calls in the game, like I said sometimes their calls are in your favour and sometimes against. I expect it to even out over the season.
As for McDavid, the guy is so big, so fast, so skilled, so hard working that its shameful how many calls are not made by the refs on a pretty regular basis. He’s a thoroughbred handicapped by the refs.
The 2025/26 NHL schedule is awful. The Canucks just finished a 5 game road trip that started out with a game in Dallas, a long flight to Chicago for a back-to-back game, then an afternoon game in Washington (3 games starting within 65 hours). They played their final road game in Nashville on Thursday (5th game in 8 days) only to have to fly home for back to back games with Montreal and Edmonton on Saturday and Sunday. That’s 7 games in 11 days with 2 back-to-backs and lots of travel. No wonder there’s so many injuries.
Welcome to an Olympic condensed schedule. This could have been easily fixed if they shorten the NHL preseason and start regular season games in mid September.
On the topic of yesterdays gambling news I got thinking of how someone can do something similar in the NHL. I think the main reason why it wouldn’t work in the NHL is because of how unpredictable the games are. Not one player can affect a hockey game as much as one player can affect a football or basketball game.
I also wonder how this will affect future betting on NBA games. They already had a sketchy past with that scandal back in 2007 with one of their refs.
I sort of agree with you re “Not one player can affect a hockey game as much as one player can affect a football or basketball game.”
For sure no skater can
But a goalie certainly can
In no way am I saying it has happened; just that an outcome of a game can change easily by a goalie:
Tight game , 3rd period, softie or ill-played puck (by goalie behind his net) leading to a goal against.
Again, not saying it has happened, or will happen; just that there IS a potential (to turn outcome of game) by an individual hockey player (Goalie).
A forward could purposely muff a breakaway on purpose; but maybe the goalie will/did stop it anyway?!
A D-man could purposely make an error resulting in an odd man rush/breakaway etc; still no guarantee that the goalie doesn’t stop it anyway.
To deliberately affect the outcome; a Forward and/or D would need to be colluding with their goalie.
Own goal??? They’d need to be super skilled to make it look like an accident; and then, would only once get away with it.
On the winning side or positive point spread side; no skater can guarantee that they’ll be able to (1) actually get s shot on net and/or (2) get it past the opposition goalie; without collusion with at least one opposing player
Is the possibility there. Sure. About as much possibility as a Sabres v Sharks SCF next June
I truly believe NHL is safe from those manipulated play betting on game outcome dramas
Now, some of those “player specific” stats betting (e.g. Betting on a certain player to score, get an assist etc); a player COULD “shut himself down” or even pull himself from a game
Perhaps a higher odds than a Sharks/Sabres SCF
But a successful individual scam on individual stats may be in line with same odds as a BlackHawks/Jackets SCF
“To deliberately affect the outcome; a Forward and/or D would need to be colluding with their goalie.”
Missed “opponent’s “ being placed between “their” and “goalie”.
Well it’s based on prop bets. So things like individual stats. A player can impact their own stat line negatively fairly easy. N this case he supposedly faked an injury to keep his points under. NHL player could do the same.
Yeah, many of the bets these people are getting flagged for are not wins/losses.
MLB has investigated pitchers for prop bets around 1st pitch balls or strikes.
In the NHL there are always prop bets for shots on goal. It would be real easy for a star to just not shoot one night – – – or shoot but intentionally stay under the total.
Swinging a W/L is tough, but it’s all the other prop bets that could easily bring issues.
Shots are a tough thing to bet on. After the game has ended the shot totals are still changing. Some shot that were recorded as a shot change to a missed shot and vise versa. So a player may end the game with 2 shots, but a little later they could have another one added or taken away.
“The Golden Knights placed captain Mark Stone on long-term injury reserve.”
WOW SHOCKING!! lol
Just when Carter Hart’s 2 year $4million contract ($2 million AAV) was just announced. Putting Stone on LTIR freed up $2.47 million in cap space for the Knights.