NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 24, 2026
The Avalanche and Hurricanes take commanding 3-0 leads in their respective series, the Sabres take a 2-1 series lead over the Bruins, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF THURSDAY’S PLAYOFF ACTION
NHL.COM: The Colorado Avalanche are on the verge of sweeping their best-of-seven first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings following a 4-2 victory in Game 3. Artturi Lehkonen had two points, including the winning goal on a shorthanded effort for the Avalanche, giving them a commanding 3-0 series lead. Trevor Moore and Adrian Kempe replied for the Kings. Game 4 is Sunday in Los Angeles, starting at 4:30 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings’ hardworking defensive style has limited high-scoring Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas to just one point each in three games. However, the Avs’ deep roster has been the difference in this series, putting them on the verge of sweeping the Kings.
Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson left this game with an upper-body injury. Kings winger Andrei Kuzmenko returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a knee injury on Feb. 25. He was held scoreless in this contest.
Carolina Hurricanes winger Jackson Blake’s tie-breaking goal in the second period held up as the game winner to nip the Ottawa Senators 2-1, giving the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead in their first-round series. Logan Stankoven opened the scoring for the third straight game for the Hurricanes, while Frederik Andersen made 21 saves for the win. Drake Batherson scored, and Linus Ullmark stopped 25 shots for the Senators. Game 4 goes Saturday in Ottawa at 3 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators have done a fine job limiting the Hurricanes to three goals or fewer in each game, but they’ve managed only three goals in total of their own thus far, with Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens being the goal scorers. Top center Tim Stutzle and team captain Brady Tkachuk have been held pointless. The Senators have yet to tally on the power play in this series.
Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson left this game in the second period following a hit to the head from Hurricanes winger Taylor Hall. He might be unavailable for Game 4, and if he’s in concussion protocol, he could be out for the remainder of the series if the Senators manage to push it to Game 7.
Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch (NHL Images)
Third-period goals by Alex Tuch and Noah Ostlund gave the Buffalo Sabres a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins, and a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. Bowen Byram had a goal and an assist, and Alex Lyon stopped 24 shots in his series debut for the Sabres. Tanner Jeannot replied for the Bruins. Game 4 is Sunday in Boston at 2 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lyon played a solid game for the Sabres, including shutting down Bruins winger Viktor Arvidsson’s penalty-shot attempt. Ostlund made an impact in his NHL playoff debut with two points. He drew into the lineup with Josh Norris listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
HEADLINES
TSN: Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch isn’t concerned about the availability or effectiveness of team captain Connor McDavid as their first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks continues. McDavid was held scoreless in the first two games and briefly left Game 2 with an ankle injury, though he insisted he was fine following the game.
THE ATHLETIC: Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar’s status for Game 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins is in question. Vladar didn’t participate in practice on Thursday. Head coach Rick Tocchet explained the goalie’s absence was due to a maintenance day, saying he was “a little banged up.” The Flyers hold a 3-0 series lead over the Penguins and can close out the series at home in Game 4 on Saturday.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars center Roope Hintz (lower-body injury) resumed skating on Wednesday on his own back in Dallas. He won’t be joining the team for Game 4 of their first-round series against the Minnesota Wild and is “highly doubtful” for Game 5. The Stars hold a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 on Saturday at 5:30 pm ET.
TVA SPORTS: Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson and defenseman Mike Matheson missed practice on Thursday. No reason was given for their absence but it’s believed they were each taking a maintenance day.
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: Speaking of the Canadiens, forward Kirby Dach shut down his Instagram account after some fans attacked him online for a couple of mistakes he made in Game 2 that led to the Tampa Bay Lightning winning that game in overtime.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s one thing to be critical of a player’s performance. It’s crossing the line to launch personal attacks against that player on his social media account. Those are the type of “keyboard commandos” who cowardly hide behind their anonymity to hurl insults at players that they’d never dare say to their faces.
THE ATHLETIC: Utah Mammoth forward Logan Cooley has played well thus far in his first-ever NHL playoff series. The 21-year-old has been Utah’s best player through the first two games of their first-round series with the Vegas Golden Knights, scoring the winning goal to give the Mammoth a 3-2 victory in Game 2.
DAILY FACEOFF: St. Louis Blues winger Jordan Kyrou underwent a minor surgical knee procedure. He is expected to be ready for training camp in September.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That knee injury could explain why Kyrou’s production was down this season. After three straight 30-plus goal seasons and reaching 70 points in three of the last four campaigns, the 27-year-old winger managed 18 goals and 46 points in 72 games.
When it comes to the Senators’ D this year, that hoary old adage “if it weren’t for bad luck they’d have no luck at all” has raised its head 3 times, each involving multiple injuries, and, of course, it had to continue in the playoffs involving their top pairing of Sanderson and Zub.
A few days ago The Turk predicted Carolina in 4 … I think I countered by saying Ottawa “would win more than 1 …” Looks like he’s right and I was way off.
Hey George doesn’t look good for Sens & games aka for the bruins , looks like a sweep for the Avs and the canes. Really thought Ottawa had a chance against Carolina. Avs too strong for La. Bruins have to win Sunday or they could out too. Hoping for a win Sunday.
John, as I mentioned a couple of days back, the Senators defensive system ranked 2nd in a number of key areas, and it shows in that Carolina has scored only 7 times over 3 games, including one double-OT. That’s around 2.0 goals per.
Unfortunately the team they ranked 2nd TO in those categories is Carolina! And they have simply stifled the likes of Stutzle, Tkachuk, Cozens, Pinto.
Ottawa MIGHT win Saturday’s game … but that’ll likely be it, with the Canes taking the series in front of their fans.
L.A.’s lack of scoring can’t compete with that of Colorado’s. I can see the Bruins-Sabres going the full 7 … with a coin-toss scenario in game 7. Edmonton has lost home-ice advantage, so they had BETTER win one in Anaheim.
And don’t forget a probable sweep by the Flyers, who have laid bare what many of us have been cautioning about the Penguins … they are simply too old and too slow in too many key areas to withstand the rigors of playoff hockey.
Last nights game looked like game one.
BUF had the puck a lot more and Boston couldn’t generate offence or get to home plate enough.
George, similar to the Sens against Hurricanes, we defended pretty good, got quality tending, but just couldn’t get it done offensively.
BUF depth of offensive talent comes through.
Since we have been discussing Kevyn Adams on here of late, Ostlund is another Adams pick with skill and poise with the puck and only 21.
Looked unphased in his first playoff game as a rook.
Re Lyle’s post on “key commandos” (I prefer the term “gutless wonders”), the emergence of that element of society was an inevitable consequence of the Internet’s design, which made certain that anonymity would be a cornerstone of the medium, (unfortunately?) stressing that ease of communication would prevail over security. So, like cockroaches or rats taking advantage of a lack of household precautions, it’s become almost impossible to deter them, thanks to the same technologies that allow for free expression also do very little nothing to guard against what can only be described as “toxic behaviour.”
In my own ongoing efforts to protect myself from the more sinister of that element, I recall reading a while back about something called “The Online Disinhibition Effect” coined by a psychiatrist (or psychologist?) – whose name I can’t recall – which dealt with the absolute lack of restraint some feel when online where they’re not required to make eye contact with those they are attacking. Hence my preference for “gutless wonders.”
Apparently, efforts to improve security is an ongoing process, but the more technologically skilled gutless wonders quickly find ways to adapt to ensure THEIR identities are safe-guarded, using things like “disposable accounts” or what they’re now calling “botnets.”
I guess this is the price for a free and open Internet.
DJ Smith and Travis Green are having the same record in the playoffs so far!
I agree with George. Sens D has had zero luck late in the year and playoffs. I top my hat to the Sens staying in the games with no Zub, No Jensen, and obviously Kleven, and Chabot are not playing 100% with just coming off breaking bones a couple of weeks ago. Carolina are fully healthy and a very solid shut down team.
However, the Sens power play is absolute horrible and that might be credit to Canes, but in the playoffs if you go 0 for 12 you are not going very far. Granted canes are 1 for 9 or 10 , but still.
Who would have thought at the beginning of the playoffs we’d see the two biggest strengths of the Sens being goaltending and the pk!
Not thatvitbprobalyt would have mattered but I was shocked when they didn’t assess a 5 for that hit by hall. We could see some retaliation in the next game.
But it’s not a price we should be pay, George. Marner got death threats while in Toronto, Scheiffle’s family got abuse over his hit on Evans. and on it goes.
Beyond hockey, politicians routinely get targeted by vile comments and death threats.
What should happen is that the police start making an example of a few and have them in court. The catch and release of our court system is another problem, but remember Brian Burke won a defamation case against 18 on line trolls. More of that would go a long way to reducing this crap.
Bruins… very small sample for Hagens but he’s not ready for NHL hockey at this point … his size could be a issue going forward
Agree Joe, not strong enough yet, which isn’t unusual for a 19 yr old kid. Most are simply not physically mature at that age.
In a tight, physical series like this he doesn’t have much chance for success. He’s trying to win puck battles, the will is there, but he looks like a boy vs men because he is.
So unless your big like Martone or have crazy skill like Schaefer, its hard to bring value to the team.
He doesn’t have the skill yet to create the space for himself like Schaefer, and can’t fend off checks and protect the puck with his size like Martone.
He can still be a valuable player, just needs some time in the gym and experience playing pro hockey. Hard for some young guys to put on as much muscle as they need to succeed, usually gets easier in their early 20’s.
A little hard luck for Swayman last night as well both goals redirected of Bruin players
Arvi has been very good notice his play all game. Probably priced himself out of a return next year as bruins can’t afford to overpay in $ or years
MrBruin4
I wouldn’t be so quick to discount Arvidsson taking a favorable contract to remain a Bruin. After a stint in Edm where it didnt work out as well for him or the team i think he may value fit a bit more than he may have otherwise did
1oilerfan
I hope you’re right as he fits the team well. Marco luvs his game so he will get the playing time and not fitting in with oil could very well make it. Happen
Time will tell if it works out
Bruins .. Lohrei was brutal last night … you would think by now he would’ve cleaned up his play in the D Zone but he hasn’t he’s a turnover machine.. the size is there but there’s no toughness in his game at all
No scoring (or scoring ability) from the Sens and Kings are going to be their downfall. It wasn’t totally out of the question that both teams would be able to clog up the ice and make things difficult for the other team to score but they themselves can’t get that game breaking goal or produce much in the high danger chances that translate to goals…in LAs case, when you’re playing against a third line that can ice, Kadri, Roy, and Landeskog, yeah, you’re not gonna win many games no matter who you are.
Ottawa goal scorers or best players need to get going…so far their big stars are worse than the Leafs ever were right now…maybe the Sens need to pretend they are playing against the Leafs to get going…to me they don’t look like last years team.