NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 30, 2026
A record-setting night for the Red Wings’ Patrick Kane, the Sabres’ Alex Tuch and Alex Lyon, the Hurricanes’ Brandon Bussi, and the Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: Patrick Kane collected an assist to set the league record for most career regular-season points by a U.S.-born player (1,375), but his Detroit Red Wings dropped a 4-3 decision to the Washington Capitals on a shootout goal by Nic Dowd. Jacob Chychrun had three assists and Dylan Strome a goal and an assist for the Capitals (26-22-7), who blew a 3-1 lead as Alex DeBrincat tallied twice to force overtime and the shootout for the 32-17-6 Red Wings.
Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kane surpassed Hall of Famer Mike Modano, who gave a videotaped tribute to the Red Wings stars that was aired after the record was broken. The next milestone for Kane is to become the first American-born player to reach the 1,400-point milestone.
The Capitals were without starting goaltender Logan Thompson for this game as he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Backup Charlie Lindgren suffered a lower-body injury near the end of overtime, but toughed it out and remained in goal for the shootout rounds. Lindgren was helped off the ice by his teammates following Dowd’s winning goal.
Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch tallied a hat trick in a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Alex Lyon made 37 saves, and Jack Quinn collected three assists for the 31-17-5 Sabres, extending their win streak to five games. Adrian Kempe replied for the Kings (22-17-13) as their three-game win streak ended.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tuch’s hat trick set a new NHL record for the most in one calendar month (30). Meanwhile, Lyon set a franchise record with his 10th consecutive win.
Third-period goals by Andrei Svechnikov, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Jordan Staal rallied the Carolina Hurricanes from a 4-2 deficit to defeat the Utah Mammoth 5-4. Svechnikov and Gostisbehere finished the game with two goals and an assist each as the Hurricanes (33-15-5) hold first place in the Metropolitan Division with 71 points. Kailer Yamamoto had two goals and an assist for the 28-22-4 Mammoth as their win streak ended at four games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi set an NHL record as the fastest goaltender to earn 20 career regular-season wins, accomplishing the feat in 24 games.
New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer scored what proved to be the winning goal as his club held off the New York Rangers 2-1. Former Ranger Carson Soucy also scored for the Islanders (30-19-5) as they collected their third straight win. Mika Zibanejad replied for the 22-27-6 Rangers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Schaefer has four game-winning goals, breaking Hall of Famer Denis Potvin’s franchise record for the most in a season by a rookie defenseman. He now has 14 goals this season, moving past the legendary Bobby Orr for the second-most by an 18-year-old NHL rookie blueliner. Hall of Famer Phil Housley holds the record with 17 goals.
Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki had two goals and an assist in a 7-3 upset over the Colorado Avalanche. Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, Oliver Kapanen, and Zach Bolduc each collected two points for the Canadiens (30-17-7). Brock Nelson, Joel Kiviranta, and Ross Colton scored for the 35-8-9 Avalanche, who lead the league with 79 points but are 2-4-2 in their last eight contests.
The Tampa Bay Lightning got a goal and two assists each from Darren Raddysh and Yanni Gourde to down the Winnipeg Jets 4-1. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 shots for the 34-14-4 Lightning, who’ve won 16 of their last 18 games and hold first place in the Eastern Conference with 72 points. Kyle Connor scored for the Jets (21-25-7).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh returned to action after missing 15 games with a lower-body injury.
Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson’s shootout goal lifted his club to a 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Mavrik Bourque scored twice for the 31-14-9 Stars, who had a 4-1 lead until the Golden Knights (24-14-14) rallied on third-period goals from Reilly Smith, Ivan Barbashev, and Mitch Marner to tie the game. The Stars have won three straight, while the Golden Knights hold first place in the Pacific (64 points) but are 1-3-2 in their last six contests.
The Edmonton Oilers overcame a 3-0 deficit to nip the San Jose Sharks 4-3 on an overtime goal by Zach Hyman. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard each had a goal and two assists, and Connor McDavid netted a goal and an assist for the 28-19-8 Oilers, who have won three straight games. Collin Graf, Adam Gaudette, and Michael Misa scored for the Sharks (27-21-4).
Boston Bruins forwards Casey Mittelstadt and Fraser Minten each had a goal and two assists to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-3. Jeremy Swayman kicked out 33 shots for the Bruins (32-20-3), who are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games. Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist for the 24-20-9 Flyers, who have dropped three straight contests.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Boston center Pavel Zacha left this game midway through the second period with an upper-body injury. The Bruins were already shorthanded as Elias Lindholm missed this contest with an upper-body injury. Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson left the game with an apparent injury to his right leg.
An overtime goal by Nico Hischier gave the New Jersey Devils a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators. Jacob Markstrom turned aside 27 shots while Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt also scored for the 28-24-2 Devils. Michael McCarron and Filip Forsberg replied for the Predators (24-23-6) as their losing skid extended to three games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils center Jack Hughes left this game in the first period with a lower-body injury. It’s not considered serious, but he will be reevaluated on Friday.
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Anthony Mantha had a goal and two assists as his club beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2. Connor Dewar tallied twice for the Penguins (27-14-11) as they collected their fifth straight victory. Connor Murphy and Connor Bedard scored for the 21-24-9 Blackhawks, who are 0-2-2 in their last four games.
St. Louis Blues winger Jimmy Snuggerud’s goal with nine seconds left in the third period lifted his team to a 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers. Jordan Kyrou had a goal and two assists for the 20-25-9 Blues, snapping a five-game winless skid (0-4-1). Matthew Tkachuk tallied two goals and picked up an assist for the Panthers 28-22-3.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers winger Brad Marchand missed the third period with an undisclosed injury. The Blues activated Oskar Sundqvist from injured reserve for this game but placed winger Dylan Holloway (ankle) on IR.
The Minnesota Wild defeated the Calgary Flames 4-1. Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves while Kiril Kaprizov had a goal and an assist for the 31-14-10 Wild. Morgan Frost scored for the 21-26-6 Flames, who are winless in their last five (0-3-2).
Vancouver Canucks goalie Nikita Tolopilo turned in a 32-save shutout to blank the Anaheim Ducks 2-0. Drew O’Connor and Teddy Blueger scored for the Canucks (18-31-5) as they ended a three-game losing skid. Lukas Dostal turned aside 24 shots for the 28-23-3 Ducks, who have dropped two straight games.
Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright scored twice in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jared McCann and Brandon Montour each had a goal and an assist for the 25-19-9 Kraken as they collected their third straight win. Nick Robertson and Morgan Rielly replied for the Maple Leafs (24-21-9), who are 0-5-1 in their last six games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kraken forward Berkly Catton exited this game midway through the first period with an undisclosed injury.
For what it’s worth, in that busy schedule last night (all but 2 teams in action – Ottawa and Columbus) there were 9 games involving East vs West teams, with the East winning 7 of them, 2 in OT/SO, outscoring the West 39 – 26. All 7 wins were in East rinks, with the only two losses on the road – Florida at St Louis (a 5-4 loss) and Toronto at Seattle (a 5-2 loss).
To date this season, just one Eastern team has a losing record in games against the West. Here are the records – best to worst:
Tampa 18-4-1 37 of 47 pts .787
Montreal 18-6-0 36 of 48 pts .750
Detroit 16-7-1 33 of 48 pts .688
Carolina 15-6-3 33 of 48 pts .688
Philadelphia 14-6-3 31 of 46 pts .674
New Jersey 17-9-0 34 of 52 pts .654
Buffalo 13-7-2 28 of 44 pts .636
Pittsburgh 12-6-6 30 of 48 pts .625
Florida 14-9-2 30 of 50 pts .600
NY Islanders 13-9-1 27 of 46 pts .587
Boston 14-10-2 30 of 52 pts .577
Washington 11-10-3 25 of 48 pts .521
Ottawa 12-11-2 26 of 50 pts .520
Columbus 11-11-1 23 of 46 pts .500
Toronto 9-9-4 22 of 44 pts .500
NY Rangers 7-14-4 18 of 50 pts .360
Overall, the East has gone 204 134 34 442 pts out of 744 for a .594 % pace, outscoring the West 123 – 112.
The best to worst Western teams in head-to-head games vs the East will follow.
Here are the West teams vs East teams records:
Colorado 17-7-3 37 of 54 pts .685
Vegas 12-7-6 30 of 50 pts .600
Minnesota 11-7-4 26 of 44 pts .591
Dallas 11-7-5 27 of 46 pts .587
Calgary 10-8-4 24 of 44 pts .546
Anaheim 12-10-2 26 of 48 pts .542
San Jose 11-10-1 23 of 44 pts .523
Seattle 9-8-7 25 of 48 pts .521
Utah 12-11-2 26 of 50 pts .520
Nashville 10-10-3 23 of 46 pts .500
St. Louis 10-10-5 25 of 50 pts .500
Edmonton 12-12-3 27 of 54 pts .500
Winnipeg 9-10-4 22 of 46 pts .478
Los Angeles 8-9-3 19 of 40 pts .475
Chicago 7-13-4 18 of 48 pts .375
Vancouver 8-17-2 18 of 54 pts .333
Overall, the West has gone 134 204 34 302 pts out of 744 for a .406 % pace.
The balance of power seems to have shifted a bit east George.
Still some of the best teams out west, including the Avs, but also the most teams that are struggling.
The bottom 4 teams are all in the West, and 6 of the bottom 7 are western.
But don’t give up on the Leafs falling to the #6 or 7 spot! They currently sit 8th from the bottom. Won’t be getting a Stenberg, Verhoff or McKenna but should be a good player at that spot B’s fans!
Watch the Leafs win the lottery, which would be a bit of a dick punch.
LOL. That had crossed my mind too, Ray. Worst case scenario for the Bruins … but it would get the Toronto media talking Cup, Again.
Ray, perhaps the hardest to understand are the Flames.
Here they are with the 5th best record among Western teams in head-to-head games against the East with a .546 % pace – but an overall .453 % pace thanks to a woeful 11 18 2 .387 % pace in their own Conference.
Ray Bark overall I agree that the balance of power looking at the entire division has moved east. However in a tough 7 game series I would take Vegas,Colorado,Minnesota and Dallas against anyone in the east. Taking into account that Fla. looks like the last 3 years are physically catching up to them!
Ya Sr, Florida is in tough to get in. Tkachuk will help once he gets back to full speed and timing back.
But will still be tough without Barkov and Jones and some others. Plus Bob is struggling, like quite a bit. Tarasov might start to see more time if it doesn’t improve.
Doesn’t hurt my feelings.
Sr and Ray – the 4 Western teams mentioned have a combined record against the East of 51-27-18 for 120 pts out of a possible 192, for a % pace of .625.
The top 4 teams in the East (Tampa, Montreal, Detroit and Carolina) have a combined record against the West of 67-23-5 for 139 pts out of a possible 190, for a % pace of .732.
Now, before anyone says “yes, but that Eastern record also includes games against 4 sub-par .500 Western teams and 3 right on the cusp at .500” – in compiling their lofty records, so too do the top 4 Western teams play against those 7 teams – and many more times than do any Eastern team.
For the Hurricanes, it was reportedly only the 3rd time in NHL history where a team was down by 2 with less than 2:00 remaining and won the game in regulation.
last night was the first time Ive seen Utah play this year. They are a very good team. They outplayed Carolina for most of the game. Bussi gave up a couple of bad goals but got better as the game went on.
Carolina may have played their worst game of the year. I would bet on them to win the second game of a back to back before I would bet on them to win with 4 days rest. Carolina stole the game with 3 goals in 90 seconds during the last two minutes of the game.
Yes they are GP, and should actually keep improving now that they can spend to the cap and now that they have stable ownership. Plenty of promising prospects as well. Desnoyers, Iginla & Beaudoin up front, and some D like Simashev who has all the tools to be a good defender, big, mobile and can absolutely wheel.
Another younger team that should get some valuable playoff reps.
The Oilers – what is wrong with these guys? For more than few years they start the games like they dont realize they are in a hockey game.
That dman making a line change…a minor hockey player would have been benched for that.
Maybe they should simply visualize the first period is really the 2nd period and mentally just never play a 1st period lol…idk. but it is ridiculous.
Yep 1Oilerfan, flippin’ weird.
Its like regular season games are a microcosm of their regular seasons. Start slow for 3 straight years, decide they best get at er, and off they go. Rinse repeat.
Heck the playoffs started that way last year against the Kings. Then off and running to the finals. That game was a snooze fest until the 3rd. Lucky to be playing a young inexperienced team or they lose that game 95 times out of a 100.
And that is the frustrating part Ray…they can do it, they score, they can check, they can play a tight defensive game…we have seen it but it feels like they are not happy unless doing things the hardest way possible.
With goaltending issues at the top of various pin-pointed reasons for a lot of team’s struggles, and many well into their 30s, you can’t help but wonder if we could see more goalies drafted this year than we’ve seen in many years. Normally, you don’t see any drafted in the first to third rounds, but that could change this year, with this crop led, on a consensus basis so far, by Dmitri Borichev (8-6-2 1.79gaa 0.942 save %) with Yaroslavl Loko of the Russian MHL
Others listed, and showing a heavy preference for European kids, are Yegor Rybkin, Dmitri Ivchenko, Matvei Karbainov, Vladislav Yermolenko, Sergei Gorbunov and Nikolai Skryabin, all from Russia, Czechia’s Marek Sklenicka, currently with Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, Tobias Trejbal, currently with the Youngstown Phantoms & Frantisek Poletin, Finland’s Pyry Lammi, Swiss Martin Neckar, William Lacelle of Gatineau, Quebec, currently with Blainville-Boisbriande of the Q, and from the U.S. Harrison Boettiger, currently with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, Brady Knowling, currently with the U.S. National Development Team, and Xavier Wendt, currently with the Tri-City Americans.
Also attracting interest from draft prospect compilers is just-turned 18 y/o Ryder Fetterolf of Pittsburgh currently playing for the OHL’s Ottawa ‘67’s. He has put together an impressive 21-4-1 record with a sparkling 0.926 save % and stunning 1.94 gaa. And I use the word “stunning” because goalie records like that haven’t been seen in shoot and goal-happy Major Junior hockey in quite a while.
GeorgeO with many of the teams not happy with their goaltending issues it would make sense to prioritizing that position! Next to the QB in football,goaltending might be the next important position in Professional sports.
Agree, Sr … but drafting a goalie in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Rounds is probably a bigger crap-shoot in terms of success rate.
Between 2016 and 2020 (giving reasonable time for development in the minors which is the route for most drafted goalies), there have only been two taken in the First Round: Jake Oettinger 26th overall in 2017 by Dallas (286 gp so far), and Spencer Knight, 13th overall in 2019 by Florida (131 gp so far). A 100% success rate.
Teams became a bit more adventurous in Round 2 of that period, drafting 12, with the best being Carter Hart, 48th overall in 2016 by Philadelphia (239 gp), Filip Gustavsson, 55th overall in 2016 by Pittsburgh (203 gp), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 54th overall in 2017 by Buffalo (176 gp), and Pyotr Kochetkov, 36th overall in 2019 by Carolina (125 gp). A 33% success rate.
In Round 3 caution was thrown to the wind by many, with 21 taken, but successes dropped as only Connor Ingram, 88th overall by Tampa in 2016 (113 gp), Stuart Skinner, 78th overall by Edmonton in 2017 (208 gp), and Lukas Dostal, 85th in 2018 (157 gp) have been impactful, A 14% success rate.
The rest taken between 2016 and 2020 have either never played in an NHL game or, if they have, it’s been for brief cups of coffee. Overall in that 5 year stretch a success rate of 24%. I don’t know how that matches up with other positions, but I would bet it’s somewhat lower a percentage.
Since 2020, there have been 3 goalies drafted in Round 1:
in 2021, Sebastian Cossa 15th overall by Detroit – 1 NHL gp so far; and Jesper Wallstedt 20th overall by Minnesota – 27 NHL gp so far.
In 2025, Cullen Potter, 32nd overall by Calgary.
There have been 34 1st round goalie picks since 2000 and roughly 20 of them have had a fair amount of success, some stars.
Pyotr Andreyanov (20th 2025) – Columbus
Joshua Ravensbergen (30th 2025) – San Jose
Sebastien Cossa (15th 2021) – Detroit
Jesper Wallstedt (22nd 2021) Minnesota
Yaroslav Askarov (11th 2020) -Nashville
Spencer Knight (13th 2019) – Florida
Jake Oettinger (26th 2017) – Dallas
Ilya Samsonov (22nd 2015) – Washington
Andrei Vasilevskiy (19th 2012) – Tampa
Malcom Subban (24th 2012) – Boston
Jack Campbell (11th 2010) – Dallas
Mark Visentin (27th 2010) – Arizona
Chet Pickard (18th 2008) – Nashville
Tom McCollum (30th 2008) – Detroit
Jonathan Bernier (11th 2006) – LA
Semyon Varlamov (23rd 2006) – Washington
Leland Irving (26th 2006) – Calgary
Carey Price (5th 2005) – Montreal
Tuukka Rask (21st 2005) – Toronto
Al Montoya (6th 2004) – NY Rangers
Devan Dubnyk (14th, 2004) – Edmonton
Marek Schwarz (17th 2004) – St. Louis
Cory Schneider (26th 2004) – Vancouver
Marc-André Fleury (1st 2003) – Pittsburgh
Kari Lehtonen (2nd 2002) – Atlanta
Cam Ward (25th 2002) – Carolina
Hannu Toivonen (29th 2002) – Boston
Pascal Leclaire (8th 2001) – Columbus
Dan Blackburn (10th 2001) – NY Rangers
Jason Bacashihua (26th 2001) – Dallas
Adam Munro (29th 2001) – Chicago
Rick DiPietro (1st 2000) – NY Islanders
Brent Krahn (9th 2000) – Calgary