NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 12, 2026
Recapping Sunday’s games and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: Carolina Hurricanes forwards Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov each scored a goal and recorded an assist in a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Christian Dvorak replied for the Flyers, who placed sidelined winger Travis Konency on injured reserve before this game.
Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (NHL Images)
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game was the second meeting between these two clubs, who faced off in the second round of last spring’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Hurricanes needed overtime to defeat the Flyers 3-2 on Oct. 3 for their first win of the season.
This contest showed two teams going in different directions.
After stumbling through their first two games (0-1-1), the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes regained their footing and now sit atop the overall standings (5-1-1) with 11 points. Aho is on a torrid scoring streak, with six goals and five assists for 11 points, and is among the league’s top-10 scorers.
The Flyers, meanwhile, are winless in their first seven games (0-5-2), setting a franchise record for the most season-opening losses. They’ve been outscored 28-8 and sit last in the Eastern Conference, prompting some pundits to suggest their season may be unsalvageable.
During last week’s episode of Puck In Deep, I suggested it was too early to panic about the Flyers’ slow start, noting they had plenty of time to turn things around. I’ve since changed my mind. They look nothing like the club that rode a strong late-season surge to the playoffs and upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round of the playoffs. If they don’t find a way to halt this skid, they risk ending up in an early-season hole too deep to climb out of.
New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand stopped 19 shots in a 6-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Tye Kartye and Will Cuylle each tallied twice while Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault each had a goal and an assist for the 5-2-0 Rangers, who sit one point behind the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference standings. Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson replied for the Canucks (2-5-0), whose losing skid reached four games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Garand’s performance should provide short-term relief for Rangers fans worried about how the club would replace starting goalie Igor Shesterkin, who suffered a season-ending leg injury Friday against the Washington Capitals. Nevertheless, the speculation persists, and you can read about it in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
The Seattle Kraken beat the Washington Capitals 5-3 on third-period goals by Jared McCann and Ryan Winterton. Joey Daccord made 33 saves for the Kraken, who improved to 4-2-0. Jordan Kyrou, Alex Ovechkin, and Boone Jenner scored for the 3-2-0 Capitals.
IN OTHER NEWS…
THE ATHLETIC: Julian McKenzie reported on the creator of Hellebucks.com, which is a website that calculates how much money Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is forfeiting because he’s suspended without pay for refusing to report to the club. The 33-year-old netminder is staging a holdout to force a trade.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: As I write this at 8:43 am Atlantic Time today, Hellebuyck has forfeited over $513,000 of his $7.5 million salary that he’s slated to earn this season.
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils forward Evan Rodrigues was fined $5,000 by the NHL’s department of player safety for high-sticking Canucks center Marco Rossi on Saturday.
Former NHL defenseman Adam Boqvist has signed with Swiss club Geneve-Servette. The eighth-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Boqvist had 103 points in 272 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, and New York Islanders.
When I look at the money that Helly has surrended
that is half my lifetime earnings. I am now retired.
Nice to be rich George O. Nice to be rich.
Now if I could only been a motivational speaker.
Well, FREDO20, just so you know what it would take to become a motivational speaker, your approach would be labeled a “demotivational speaker” – someone who intentionally discourages, highlights futility, or punctures false hopes with harsh realism or cynical humor. There may be money in that, so take heart.
On a more pertinent topic, light schedule tonight with just 3 games, but tomorrow a rare day with all 32 teams in action, So, be prepared to get up early Wednesday, Lyle!
These 6 will be facing back-to-backs:
Florida – from Buffalo to Columbus
Buffalo – to Montreal
Ottawa – from New Jersey home to meet St. Louis
New Jersey – to Detroit
Vegas – from Minnesota to Nashville
Minnesota – to Winnipeg
This season’s Rick Murray.
There is money in that…we call them comedians….
The city of Brotherly love is going through a tough time right now. Maybe the hockey gods are punishing Briere for his offer sheet to Carllson and driving contracts up in the league. Not many GMS feeling bad for him now! Is Calgary going to ever be competitive again?
The Flyers are certainly digging a huge hole for themselves in the early going, Sr., a far cry from their start last season over the first 7 games:
This season: 0 – 5 – 2 – 2pts .143 8gf 28ga -20
Last season: 4 – 2 – 1 – 9pts .643 20gf 17ga +3
And last season in their 8th game they went on to down the Islanders and improve to 5-2-1 .688.
This season their 8th game, coming up tomorrow at home, is against Seattle who are 4-2-1 .643 to start the season and 3-1-0 .750 away. They’d better start getting it together.