Canadiens goalie Jacob Fowler posts an impressive shutout, Connor Hellebuyck gets the win in his debut with the Devils, Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer sets an overtime record, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Montreal Canadiens rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler kicked out 46 shots to shut out the St. Louis Blues 2-0. The 21-year-old Fowler stopped 24 shots in the third period. Zachary Bolduc opened the scoring, and Florian Xhekaj tipped in his first NHL goal as the Canadiens (7-4-3) picked up their third straight win. Jordan Binnington made 18 saves for the Blues, who were shut out for the second straight game as they dropped to 5-6-1.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues dominated the Canadiens, but they couldn’t put a pea past Fowler, who improved his record this season to 6-1-1 with a 1.54 goals-against average, a save percentage of .942 and two shutouts.

Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 17 shots in his debut with the New Jersey Devils for a 5-1 victory over the Dallas Stars. Nico Hischier scored two goals while Jack and Luke Hughes each had a goal and an assist for the 8-4-0 Devils. Justin Hryckowian replied for the 7-4-1 Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: For fans who’ve been out of touch for several days, the Devils acquired Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets in a blockbuster trade on Friday. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner showed no signs of rust in his first game of this season.

Stars defenseman Kyle Capobianco left this game with an apparent leg injury following a hit by Devils winger Timo Meier.

New York Islanders sophomore defenseman Matthew Schaefer became the first skater in NHL history to play all five minutes of a regular-season overtime period as his club nipped the Nashville Predators 4-3 on a shootout goal by Kyle Pamieri. Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves for his first win since Nov. 14, 2024. Filip Forsberg had a goal and an assist as the Predators (4-3-5) overcame a 3-0 deficit in regulation. Anthony Duclair, Brayden Schenn, and Bo Horvat scored for the 6-4-2 Islanders.

The Vancouver Canucks rallied from a 5-2 deficit to upset the Anaheim Ducks 6-5 on an overtime power-play goal by Filip Hronek. Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored twice to force the extra period and collected an assist on Hronek’s game-winner while Brock Boeser had a goal and two assists as the Canucks (3-10-1) snapped a 10-game winless skid (0-9-1). A.J. Greer tallied two goals and Jackson LaCombe collected three assists for the 5-6-1 Ducks.

Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov scored his league-leading 14th goal and collected an assist as his club downed the Utah Mammoth 3-1. Quinn Hughes picked up two assists while Jesper Wallstedt made 26 stops for the Minnesota Wild (9-3-2) as they hold first place in the Western Conference with 20 points. Logan Cooley netted the only goal for the 8-5-0 Mammoth.

Florida Panthers forwards Matthew and Brady Tkachuk combined for seven points in a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Matthew collected four assists and Brady had a goal and two assists for the 7-4-2 Panthers, who also got three assists from defenseman Seth Jones. Adam Lowry scored the lone goal for the slumping Jets (4-5-3), who are winless in their last six games (0-4-2).

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov collected his eighth straight win to start the season to beat the Boston Bruins 2-1. Jackson Blake and Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes (10-2-2) as they remain in first place in the overall standings with 22 points. Pavel Zacha scored for the 9-3-1 Bruins.

The Columbus Blue Jackets blew a 3-0 lead but defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on an overtime goal by Kent Johnson, who finished with two goals and an assist. Cam Talbot stopped 28 shots, and Adam Fantilli had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who improved to 5-5-0 to move out of last place in the Eastern Conference. Trevor Zegras had a goal and an assist for the Flyers (3-7-4) as they dropped behind the Blue Jackets in the Eastern standings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro returned to action after missing the first nine games with an upper-body injury. Flyers blueliner Cam York returned to the lineup after missing eight games with an upper-body injury.

A third-period goal by Wyatt Kaiser snapped a 1-1 tie to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Spencer Knight made 25 saves, and Roman Kantserov also scored for the 4-8-0 Blackhawks as they snapped a three-game losing streak. Samuel Helenius replied for the 3-6-2 Kings.

The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-1. Adin Hill made 25 saves, and Raphael Lavoie netted his first career NHL goal for the 9-4-1 Golden Knights, who hold first place in the Pacific Division with 19 points. Shane Pinto scored for the Senators (8-5-0).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights turned to Hill after Carter Hart left the morning skate with an undisclosed injury. Senators winger Warren Foegele left the game with an apparent knee injury following a hit by Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.

Buffalo Sabres goalie Colten Ellis turned in a 23-save shutout to blank the San Jose Sharks 2-0. Olen Zellweger and Zach Benson were the goal scorers for the Sabres (5-4-3). Yaroslav Askarov kicked out 38 of 39 shots for the 6-6-1 Sharks.

IN OTHER NEWS…

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins forward Ben Kindel returned to full practice with his teammates a week after suffering a vasovagal episode during a team flight. It appears the incident was more scary than serious.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Glad to hear Kindel is healthy and back with his teammates.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Speaking of the Penguins, forward Elmer Soderblom is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

NHL.COM: Former NHL and WHA forward Andre Lacroix died at the age of 81.

Lacroix was an original member of the Philadelphia Flyers, spending four seasons with the Flyers and one with the Chicago Blackhawks from 1967-68 to 1971-72. He jumped to the World Hockey Association in 1972 and became its all-time leader with 798 points, 547 assists, and 551 games played.

Lacroix returned to the NHL for one season with the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80 before retiring. In 325 NHL regular-season games, he scored 79 goals and 119 assists for 198 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Lacroix’s family, friends, and former teammates.