NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 9, 2026
Oilers captain Connor McDavid leads his club to a big win over the Sharks, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin talks about his future, the Masterton Trophy finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid had a five-point performance (three goals, two assists) to lead his club to a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Macklin Celebrini and Kiefer Sherwood replied for the Sharks. With 90 points, the 40-29-10 Oilers hold first place in the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, the loss leaves the 37-33-7 Sharks (81 points) sitting three points behind the Nashville Predators for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images)
SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid has 133 points, opening a five-point lead over Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov for the lead in the scoring race. Celebrini is fourth with 108 points. Meanwhile, Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram left this game after two periods with an undisclosed injury. Forward Jason Dickinson departed in the third period after taking a shot to the foot.
The Buffalo Sabres got three unanswered third-period goals from Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker, and Zach Benson to defeat the New York Rangers 5-3. Benson had two goals while Zucker and Ryan McLeod each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres (48-23-8), who have sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division with 104 points. Alexis Lafreniere tallied twice for the 33-37-9 Rangers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres are two points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes, who hold a game in hand.
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson turned in a 21-save shutout in a 4-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dylan Strome and Martin Fehervary each had a goal and an assist for the 40-30-9 Capitals (89 points), who sit three points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz left the game early with a lower-body injury. Joseph Woll made 14 saves on 17 shots in relief for the 32-32-14 Leafs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals rookie Ilya Protas collected his first point with an assist in his NHL game, while his older brother Aliaksei also had an assist.
Before the game, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said he won’t decide his future until after this season is over.
The 40-year-old left wing is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He said he intends to speak with his family and Capitals management before deciding during the summer.
Some observers think Ovechkin will retire or return to Russia to finish his player career where it started. TSN’s Chris Johnston said he wouldn’t be surprised if last night’s game against the Maple Leafs was his last in Toronto as an NHL player.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, and Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark are among the 32 players nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA).
Other notable players nominated this season include Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin, Carolina Hurricanes winger Taylor Hall, Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, and Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to all the nominees. You can see the complete list by following the above link.
OTTAWA SUN: Ullmark had mixed feelings about being nominated for the Masterton. He was honored to be recognized, but knows that it was based partially on the hardships he went through off the ice.
“It’s both good and bad, in a way, because it’s one of those honors where you don’t really want it, because that means you’ve gone through a lot of stuff, and it means you’ve gone through hardships that maybe people don’t want you to go through,” Ullmark said.
The 32-year-old Senators goaltender took time away from the team earlier this season to seek help dealing with his mental health. He expressed his gratitude to the Senators organization, his teammates, family, and friends for their support.
“They haven’t treated me any differently, which I don’t want them to, either. I’m still the same person. The only difference is that I’m now more aware that I am broke, that I was broken, and am still very much fighting the demons every day,” he said.
THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken announced Ron Francis is stepping down from his role as president of hockey operations by mutual agreement.
Francis was named the Kraken’s first general manager in 2019, a role he held until last summer when Jason Botterill was promoted as GM and Francis was shifted into his current role. His contract runs through 2026-27.
During his tenure with the Kraken, Francis was unable to bring a scoring star to Seattle. Their expansion draft core has struggled offensively, while former Kraken players such as Morgan Geekie and Tye Kartye have found success with other teams.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Botterill will be staying on as general manager.
NHL.COM: Calgary Flames forward Ryan Strome was fined $5,000 for cross-checking Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson on Tuesday.
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins signed top prospect James Hagens to a three-year entry-level contract.
THE ATHLETIC: The Utah Mammoth is only five games away from becoming the first NHL team in the salary-cap era to go a full season without a single game ending in a shootout.
This season looks like it s going to be a photo finish. Last period of the last game of the year. First place in the Atlantic is up for grabs. Same thing for the wild card. Scoreboard watching every night has been great.
And even then there will be several multiple-team ties in final points
I don’t expect Hagens to light it up. But he may help re ignite the bruins power play that has simply been bad since returning from the Olympic break
It’s been bad most of the season. They had a decent stretch before the break. Hopefully Hagens has a bee in his bonnet and something to prove. He’s got all the speed and skill let’s hope he put on enough weight and muscle to withstand hits from the big boys. I do believe Sweeney has learned a lesson from Potsy. Tough break for the kid. 3 injuries and a surgery before he was in the league a year. I don’t think the Bruins make that mistake again
I would have preferred he did more time in the minors, but I have a preference for that with every prospect that isn’t really elite. The AHL is the development league, the NHL is the deliver wins league.
The playoffs in Providence is still an option depending how far they go in both. That would be a great experience for him.
B’s must have thought he showed enough, or maybe they were worried he would back to BC, I dunno.
Agree the PP needs a boost.
At least they waited to close to almost having it locked up. If he gets a chance to celebrate clinching with the big, good for him.
Now that he is signed, Go James Go! And I look forward to watching him.
I read a Sportsnet article that listed the best prospects outside the NHL, Hagens was at the top, which surprised me, but good for us if he’s right. Ahead of Hage, who seems to be getting the most attention.
Letourneau made the list too, although they think like most of us, he will need more time.
Link is below.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/scouts-analysis-the-top-32-prospects-not-yet-in-the-nhl/
Paul
You are mistaken. See stats below
Before the 2026 Olympic break, the Boston Bruins boasted the NHL’s third-ranked power play, operating at a 26.3% success rate (44-for-167
Overview
After the 2026 Olympic break, the Boston Bruins’ power play experienced a significant collapse, plunging to 26th in the NHL (16.9%
So with the drop they are now
As of April 9, 2026, the Boston Bruins power play is ranked 9th in the NHL for the 2025-26 regular season, operating at a 23.5% success rate
It is the after Olympics that has me wondering if Hagens can reverse the trend
Paul part of the problem with Poitras was that he did not have the natural speed to avoid physical confrontations. Hagens I believe is quicker and more elusive!
Guys, I go back to my post the other day showing a StatMuse link which reflects how the East has had it significantly over the West in head-to-head games. That same site shows the Bruins with a 28% pp success rate in their games against Western teams (24 for 85).
Could the overall % drop be simply another manifestation of just how much more competitive the East has become within their own Conference?
Might be interesting to take time to look up the entire Conference vs Conference pp success rates then compare that to to those just within the Eastern Conference. Could be a few surprises.
The bruins finally signed Hagens. Although I agree it will take some years for him to develop. I think he’ll be one of the best players on the bruins. Just having him with the big club increases their speed and depth. Do I think he’ll score right away probably not. But right now he’s already better than some of the players on the bruins. I’ve only seen him play on the Providence bruins once and his speed and ability his two way game was evident. I just hope the naysayers don’t come on after three games and start picking the guy apart give him time. Excited about the game Saturday. Hope he plays.
Ray Bark,I was told by Bob Beers that if Hagens plays in the NHL he is ineligible to play for Providence in the A H L playoffs.
100% correct
Thanks for the clarification Sr.
That’s unfortunate.
Weird rule? Other prospects play games in the NHL and get sent back down all the time before they are waiver eligible.
Hard to believe that an NHL team could go 20 seasons (3 of them shortened seasons) without ONE game going to a SO! Where Utah is concerned that certainly accounts for their being among the 14 teams ”below average” when it comes to the ubiquitous “loser points” gained so far this season, where the average is 10.
These 12 are above average: 19 – Los Angeles; 16 – Vegas & Pittsburgh; 14 – Toronto & Chicago; 12 – Winnipeg, St. Louis, Columbus, Philadelphia; Minnesota; Dallas; 11 – Seattle.
These 6 are right on the average of 10: Colorado, Montreal, Boston, Ottawa, Edmonton, Nashville.
These 14 are below: 9 – Detroit; Washington, NYR; Calgary; 8 – Vancouver; Buffalo; 7 – San Jose; 6 Carolina; Tampa; Utah; 5 – NYI; Anaheim; 4 – Florida; 3 – New Jersey.
The “loser point” can certainly be a contentious issue for some fans of the game, with many arguing that it should either be abolished (a loss is a loss), or reduced in scope by a revision of the entire points structure.
It would be Interesting to see how it’s viewed among the contributors here.
George you are indeed the king of stats. If Ottawa does make the playoffs they are gonna give a lot of teams fits. Would love to see Brady on the bruins.
Heh – I imagine some might say “Pain-In-The-Butt Of Stats” John .. but I just think looking at things in stark black & white, as it were, puts things in their proper perspective.
If, for example, there were no “loser points” this is how the Wild Card standings would look today, with those tied in points separated by virtue of regulation wins – some quite interestingly different positions:
EAST
Atlantic
1. Buffalo 96
2. Tampa 96
3. Montreal 92
Metropolitan
1. Carolina 100
2. NY Islanders 84
3. Washington 80
WC
1. Boston 86
2. Ottawa 82
3. Pittsburgh 80
4. Detroit 80
5. New Jersey 80
6. Philadelphia 80
7. Columbus 78
8. Florida 74
9. NY Rangers 66
10. Toronto 64
WEST
Central
1. Colorado 102
2. Dallas 92
3. Minnesota 90
Pacific
Anaheim 82
Edmonton 80
San Jose 74
WC
1. Utah 82
2. Nashville 74
3. Vegas 72
4. Winnipeg 68
5. St. Louis 66
6. Seattle 64
7. Calgary 64
8. Los Angeles 64
9. Chicago 56
10. Vancouver 54
George, not sure you heard, but Chabot back tonight against Panthers. Incredible that he’s back just a few days that he had surgery from a broken arm sustained by that cheap shot crosscheck from Miller. That should fire up the team.
No, hadn’t heard that Owen. I knew they said the other day that he could be back sooner than expected, but I was sort of figuring maybe Saturday vs NYI. Thanks for the head’s up.
With Jensen gone for the season, he’ll likely pair with Spence, with Sanderson-Zub the other top-two pairing. That leaves Lassi Thompson to switch the left side with Matinpalo on the 3rd pairing, and maybe Cameron Crotty dressed as the 7th D.
Ullmark will probably start and we can only hope there’s no repeat (all-around) of that ugly 6-3 loss back in late March in Miami where he gave up 5 goals on 16 shots, including one in 8 seconds of the opening whistle and another before the game was 2 minutes old!
Be nice if they gave us an up-date on Tyler Kleven. Surely by now they must know if his jaw is broken!
I read somewhere that Kleven was expected back around April 15th.
Fingers crossed.
Slam dunk landeskog for masterton; if not something seriously wrong!
Jonathon Toews is equally legit with two years away from the game trying to recover. Like GL most had written him off. Looks like he will play 82 games this year.
I’d be more inclined to go with Mantha. He’s having a career best season after having ACL surgery in 2024. Toews is playing, and might play all 82 games, but isn’t exactly having an otherwise notable season.
Tommy Boy – how is it a slam dunk?
What about Toews? And if don’t expect a win but because they are my team what about Ingram from starter to waived to trade to minors back to starter.
And Landeskog was a finalist last season as well BTW.
He may well win but it’s premature and perhaps even inconsiderate to presume it is a slam dunk. Lots of players, many stars have battled through to be where they are this season.
Just sayin
Ya, 1Oilerfan plenty of good options.
Kind of agree on Landeskog, that was a loooong road back.
Matt Robertson. Has overcome a lack of NHL talent to get a 3rd pair spot on 4th worse team in league.
Personally I hope Ovechkin stays until he hits 1000 goals. But that may not be possible.
N Ot sure Capitals feel the same way. Think it s time to move on. Not the easiest person to coach especially when playing on the power play and empty net situations.
yeah one of many reasons I believe it will not be possible 🙂