NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 5, 2025
Four-point performances for Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Drasaitl, the Islanders snap the Avalanche’s 17-game point streak, Rangers winger Artemi Panarin reaches a scoring milestone, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPPING THURSDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each collected four points as the Edmonton Oilers thumped the Seattle Kraken 9-4. McDavid had a hat trick and collected an assist, while Draisaitl had a goal and three assists as the Oilers improved to 12-11-5. Kraken winger Kaapo Kakko picked up two assists as his club dropped its fourth straight game, slipping to 11-8-6.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images)
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kraken winger Mason Marchment missed this game with an undisclosed injury and is day-to-day.
The New York Islanders ended the league-leading Colorado Avalanche’s 17-game points streak with a 6-3 victory. Mathew Barzal had a goal and two assists, and Ilya Sorokin stopped 35 shots for the 15-10-3 Islanders. Martin Necas netted a goal and an assist for the Avalanche (19-2-6), who suffered their first regulation loss since Oct. 25, when they fell 5-1 to the Boston Bruins.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders honored Avalanche center Brock Nelson with a tribute video in his first game back as a visitor. He spent 12 seasons with the Isles from 2013-14 to 2024-25, scoring 310 goals and 294 assists for 604 points in 901 games before being traded to the Avs last March. Nelson collected an assist in this game.
Meanwhile, Islanders winger Jonathan Drouin was a late scratch from this game with a lower-body injury.
New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist to reach 900 career NHL regular-season points as his club doubled up the Ottawa Senators by a score of 4-2. J.T. Miller had three assists, and Mika Zibanejad scored to extend his points streak to five games as the Rangers improved to 15-12-2. Drake Batherson and Jake Sanderson each had two points for the 13-10-4 Senators.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators center Shane Pinto left this game in the first period with a lower-body injury and will be reevaluated on Friday. Before the game, the Senators indicated that defenseman Thomas Chabot will be out for another 10 days with an upper-body injury, while blueliner Artem Zub (lower body) and forward Lars Eller (undisclosed) are day-to-day.
Evgeni Malkin scored two goals (including the game-winner) and picked up an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins nipped the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3. Rookie winger Ville Koivunen tallied his first career NHL goal for the Penguins (14-7-5). Brandon Hagel potted two goals for the 16-9-2 Lightning.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy missed this game with an undisclosed injury. He is expected to return to action on Saturday against the Islanders.
Before the game, the Lightning announced the signing of Ryan McDonagh to a three-year contract extension. Beginning in 2026-27, the 36-year-old defenseman will earn an average annual value of $4.1 million.
Meanwhile, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now reports a source has dismissed rumors that the sale of the Penguins by Fenway Sports Group to the Hoffman Family of Companies had fallen through. According to Kingerski’s source, the transaction remains in process, but has been held up due to “complications” on external details.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Bobby McCann scored twice in a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Matthew Knies had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who picked up their third straight win and improved to 13-11-3. Seth Jarvis tallied for the Hurricanes (16-8-2).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll left this game after the second period with a lower-body injury. The severity of the injury remains unclear.
The Nashville Predators got an overtime goal from Steven Stamkos in a 2-1 upset of the Florida Panthers. Ryan O’Reilly tied the game in the third period for the 10-13-4 Predators, who’ve won four of their last five games. Carter Verhaeghe scored for the Panthers, as the struggling Stanley Cup champions have lost four straight, falling to 12-13-1.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stamkos scored with the Panthers’ net knocked off its moorings. However, the goal was allowed based on rule 63.7, which states that a goal can be awarded on a dislodged net if there’s an imminent scoring chance for the attacking team.
Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard scored for the third straight game as his club held off the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 2-1. Wyatt Kaiser’s first of the season held up as the game winner for the Blackhawks (12-9-6). Trevor Moore replied for the 12-8-7 Kings.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kings defenseman Drew Doughty returned to action for the first time since being sidelined with an injured left foot in mid-November.
The Columbus Blue Jackets clipped the Detroit Red Wings 6-5 on a shootout goal by Kirill Marchenko. Adam Fantilli scored two goals (including the tying goal late in the third period), while Sean Monahan and Zach Werenski each had three assists for the Blue Jackets, who improved to 13-9-5. Lucas Raymond and Patrick Kane each had a goal and an assist for the 14-12-2 Red Wings, who’ve lost five of their last six games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marchenko returned to action after missing four games with an upper-body injury.
Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha had two goals in a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm each had three points, and Joonas Korpisalo made 37 saves for the 16-13-0 Bruins. Pavel Buchnevich and Pius Suter replied for the Blues, who dropped to 9-12-7.
The Calgary Flames tallied three unanswered third-period goals to upset the Minnesota Wild 4-1. Dustin Wolf made 26 saves, while Matt Coronato and Rasmus Andersson each had a goal and an assist for the 10-15-4 Flames. Yakov Trenin replied for the 15-8-5 Wild.
IN OTHER NEWS…
THE GAZETTE: The Winnipeg Jets will host the Montreal Canadiens in the 2026 NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026.
DAILY FACEOFF: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
San Jose Sharks winger Jeff Skinner returns to action on Friday against the Dallas Stars. He’s been sidelined for 10 games with a lower-body injury.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said rookie winger Justin Sourdif will miss “a little bit of time” with a lower-body injury.
THE ATHLETIC: The criminal case against former NHL player Ryan Kesler is headed to trial in Michigan. Kesler is charged with two misdemeanour counts of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree. He has pleaded not guilty.
LOL. If this Eastern Conference roller-coaster season – so far – keeps up for the entire season, there could be a host of the Sky-Is-Falling Nervous Nellie-type fans headed off the deep-end, screaming for coaches and GMs to be fired and every player and his uncle to be dealt … immediately.
For example, with that 3-2 loss at home last night to the Rangers (1 empty-netter and something I cautioned the other day since the Rangers are among the teams with the best road record to this point). Ottawa went from 2nd in the Atlantic to 5th … and 13th in the Conference. All of 6 points back of Conference-leading Washington (with a game in hand) and 4 back of Division-leading Tampa, who have lost 2 straight including last night at home to Pittsburgh.
Hell, the 3rd worst team in the Conference, the Leafs, are just 3 points back of NYR and Boston (tied for the last WC slot with 32 points each) and have 2 games in hand on both, while on a 3 game win-streak. And the two last-place teams (Florida and Buffalo) are just 6 out of that last playoff spot and they too have games in hand (Florida 3 and Buffalo 2).
Relax … and enjoy parity.
While the West isn’t quite as nail-biting, what with Colorado and Dallas running away from the pack, even there last-place Vancouver is just 6 back of Utah, San Jose and Edmonton, all with 29 points in 28gp in the last WC slot, with the Canucks having a game in hand on each.
ahhh, George. I may well be tilting at wind mills but the NHL’s version of parity is tough to enjoy in an aesthetic sense. I’ve whinged before about the dilution of talent that is now on display, and dread another 46 players coming to the two expansion teams soon.
Imagine how much more talent we’d be able to enjoy were there say, 26 teams, and the attendant improvement on the 4th lines of the remaining teams, the goaltending, and the 5/6 D pairings.
True … but what 6 teams do you gut?
No chance of going backwards, George. And, sadly, no chance of there not being 2 more teams added in the next couple of years. I’m peeing into the wind.
But it’s bad news for us fans. By it’s definition elite means few. It is thus impossible to have elite talent spread across so many teams. Parity in sports is the hand maiden of mediocrity. It’s why we have manufactured parity now, to paper over the cracks.
There has been the suggestion that players are bigger, stronger, and faster, which is true if the comparison is yesteryear. But the comparison is this year to the next few years, not players from the 80s or 90s.
IMO the reason we have such a tight race this year is that this manufactured parity is exacerbated by so many players being injured. There isn’t enough talent left to provide helpful replacements, so the league has dumbed down, so to speak.
Imagine how much more talent we’d see if the nhl kyboshed the chl agreement
That’s a start, for sure. NEVER understood that.
Chrisms, don’t think having more 18 or 19 yr old’s in the NHL makes the play any better?
Agree some should be allowed to play in the AHL.
Why? I’d rather watch the youngsters than most of the 35 plus bottom players.
George O. I love the parity. I hope it plays like this down to the wire.
Some folks will miss the excitement of player movement as I suspect this may make for fewer sellers during the season but I am not one of those.
Should be a fun ride.
I’m enjoying it as well, 1Oilerfan.
In the end, what will almost assuredly decide who does or does not get into the playoffs will be injuries to key players, with those teams either escaping that scourge, or having the deepest depth in their systems, prevailing.
As a Blackhawks Fan what a perfect world it would be to make the playoffs, and secure the 1OA from Florida!
Saskhawkfan, well that would make this Bruin fan happy as well. Can’t stand the Panthers, cheap pricks that they are.
How ’bout them Riders!
Funny , George O, I was thinking that there were a lot of upsets last night…but in this NHL, what is really an upset
Exactly, Starsfan. The reality is here that – really – when scouring the schedule, no team can be looked upon as an “easy” 2 points and a good time to slot in the back-up goalie.
I think we’ll see more teams opting to use their # 1 a lot more often if they don’t have a prime back-up.
Ottawa is one example. Based on last year’s performances, Ottawa management decided to let Forsberg walk in the off-season after Merilainen did very well in his 12gp with 3 shut-outs, a 1.99gaa and 0.926 save %.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case this season – so far anyway – in 7gp where he has 3.36gaa and 0.876 save %. Last night he looked weak in those 2 early NYR goals, and although he tightened things up as the game went on, the Rangers played a very good road-game style and hung on for the win.
Ullmark could wind up playing the most games in one season he has to date in his career.
Thank God DeSmith is having a really strong season so far…I dare say, better than Oettinger to be honest.
Oilers seem to be showing signs of getting the defensive game in order on more nights than not. Remarkable how this happens each of the last 3 years. Start brutal for like 2 months, slowly get it together, get it rolling. We’ll see if the rolling happens again, but seem to be making some progress.
Ray Bark,
It is dumfounding and irritating how the same core takes a third of the season to start to play well.
Then all of a sudden things start to get better like someone just flips the switch.
I give up trying to understand it.
When watching recent games, I am impressed by the young talent. I am a long time Kings fan and seeing a few young d-men on Blackhawks last night, it amazes me how rebuilding teams can quickly improve with solid drafting.
On the parity side, if not for the superstars, I would sometimes have a hard time identifying the better team on a given night without the jersey logos!