NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 19, 2026
The Wild defeat the Blue Jackets, the Flames upset the Hurricanes, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
NHL.COM: Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov became the first player to score 10 goals this season, tallying the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Danila Yurov also scored for the 6-2-1 Wild, who lead the Central Division with 13 points. Cam Talbot made 32 saves, and Adam Fantilli replied for the Blue Jackets, who dropped to 3-4-0.
Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov (NHL Images)
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaprizov extended his points streak to six games. Before the game, the Wild placed team captain Jared Spurgeon (upper body) on injured reserve.
The Calgary Flames upset the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on a third-period goal by Yegor Sharangovich. Morgan Frost had a goal and an assist, and Devin Cooley stopped 34 shots for the Flames (2-6-0). Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield scored for the 7-2-1 Hurricanes, who remain one point ahead of the Boston Bruins for first place in the Eastern Conference with 15 points.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes forward Mark Jankowski missed this game with a lower-body injury. He is questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Injuries kept Flyers forward Tyson Foerster (upper body) and Sean Couturier (undisclosed) out of Sunday’s practice session. They are listed as game-day decisions for Monday’s contest with the Colorado Avalanche.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Injuries have contributed to the Flyers’ poor start to this season. Forwards Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett and defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York are currently sidelined. York (upper body) was placed on injured reserve yesterday.
COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Injuries have prevented Avalanche forwards Zachary L’Heureux, Nicolas Roy, and Logan O’Connor from taking part in the club’s two-game road trip against the Flyers and New Jersey Devils.
CBS SPORTS: The St. Louis Blues placed winger Ross Johnston (lower body) on injured reserve.
LAUSANNE HOCKEY CLUB: Former NHL forward Philipp Kurashev will play for the Swiss National League club Lausanne this season. His contract contains an NHL exit clause and an option for another season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kurashev, 27, spent the past six seasons in the NHL, five of them with the Chicago Blackhawks. He played for the San Jose Sharks last season. He has 55 goals and 95 assists for 150 points in 360 games.
Zadorov s agent causing a stir after his client was sat out in Bostons game against LA for disciplinary reasons. Anyone need a third pair physical D man,who values himself higher than that?
As I posted the other day, the Flyers aren’t a bad team by any stretch, and their wonky start has owed much to some key injuries that have exposed their lack of depth on D and at the wing positions. Now their offense will be tested even further if Couturier and Foerster are out for any lengthy stretch. But at least they … and Calgary … have avoided entering the record books by posting their first wins of the season.
Since the league went to 30 teams, that record is 11 games and 0-10-1, with the Coyotes having accomplished that twice, in 2017-18 and 2021-22, and the Sharks in 2023-24.
The league record to start a season is 15 games (0-14-1) held by the 1943-44 NYR at a time when a lot of NHLers were off fighting in WW II.
The only team this season still in the mix to challenge the modern-day record is L.A. – currently 0-4-2 after starting the season with, by far, the fewest games played to date (Carolina, NYR, Philadelphia, Vegas and Vancouver have played the most – 10 – while Anaheim sits with the second-fewest at 7.