NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 14, 2021
Recaps of Saturday’s action, including the Lightning finally raising their Stanley Cup banner, plus the latest on Erik Karlsson, Keith Yandle and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
NHL.COM: Artemi Panarin collected an assist in his return to the New York Rangers lineup in a 4-0 victory over the Boston Bruins. Keith Kinkaid made 18 saves for the shutout while Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich each collected two points. The Bruins (32 points) maintain a three-point lead over the Philadelphia Flyers for fourth place in the MassMutual East Division. The Bruins played without winger Jake DeBrusk as he was placed on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list.
An overtime goal by Zach Werenski lifted the Columbus Blue Jackets past the Dallas Stars 4-3, giving the Jackets their first win in four contests. Jack Roslovic collected three assists while Max Domi had a goal and an assist for the Jackets (28 points), who sit five behind the fourth-place Chicago Blackhawks in the Discover Central Division.
Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan (NHL Images).
Two first-period goals by Sean Monahan gave the Calgary Flames a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Monahan now has 200 career goals. Jeff Petry tallied his league-leading 11th goal among NHL defensemen for the Canadiens (31 points), who hold only a two-point lead over the Flames in the Scotia North Division. It’s the Flames’ second straight win in as many games under new head coach Darryl Sutter.
Pittsburgh Penguins backup Casey DeSmith made 24 saves for a 3-0 blanking of the Buffalo Sabres, handing the latter their 10th straight loss. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby tallied his 10th of the season as his club (35 points) opened a three-point lead over the slumping Bruins for third in the East Division.
The New York Islanders picked up their eighth straight victory by edging the New Jersey Devils 3-2. The Isles overcame a 2-1 deficit on third-period goals by Kieffer Bellows as they maintained their lead in the East Division with 40 points.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 716th career goal as his Washington Capitals held off the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4. Ovechkin is one goal behind Phil Esposito for sixth place on the all-time goal-scoring list. Washington (38 points) sit two back of the first-place Islanders in the East Division. Capitals center Lars Eller left the game in the first period with an apparent injury to his right leg.
The Tampa Bay Lightning raised their 2020 Stanley Cup championship banner in front of 3,800 fans at Amelie Arena prior to defeating the Nashville Predators 6-3. Tyler Johnson and Blake Coleman each had a goal and an assist for the Bolts (40 points), who hold possession of first place in the Central Division with a game in hand over the Florida Panthers.
Speaking of the Panthers (40 points), they got two goals from captain Aleksander Barkov to double up the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. Before the game, the Panthers honored defenseman Keith Yandle for recently passing the 1,000 game milestone. They also hold a one-point lead over the third-place Carolina Hurricanes in the Central.
Third-period goals by Adam Lowry, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele carried the Winnipeg Jets over the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. The first-place Leafs (40 points) sit four points ahead of the Jets in the North Division but they’ve also dropped four of their five games.
Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone tallied twice in a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Max Pacioretty scored and collected two helpers as the Golden Knights (37 points) sit in first place in the Honda West Division, four points up on the Minnesota Wild.
The Vancouver Canucks snapped the Edmonton Oilers’ four-game win streak with a narrow 2-1 victory. Tyler Myers scored the winner in the third period while Thatcher Demko kicked out 34 shots for the win. The Oilers (36 points) slip into third place in the North Division.
Evander Kane scored in his third straight game as the San Jose Sharks downed the Anaheim Ducks 3-1. Martin Jones made 26 saves for the Sharks.
So maybe today we’ll be spared the relentless ridiculous comments from so-called Leaf fans. Winnipeg are good and they deserved to win.
End of story.
BCLF,
Winnipeg has been a very good team for a number of years and I think are seen as a #1 or #2 seed in the North by most in the country except for those folks you point out.
Side note- I’m happy to see Keith Kinkaid get a win as he plays himself out of purgatory. He’s such a good teammate, one of the few absolute failures in Montreal that fans kept hoping for and didn’t pile on.
It’s more likely that you will hear hellybuck was spraying the boys with water from the bench , distracted the boys , and he is still why they lost .
This has nothing to do with the Jets goalie and everything to do with the Leafs goalie.
Hello George O, Wendel17 and Mike29.
I said I take that bet from George O!
After a sound victory yesterday and taking 5 of a possible 6pts, maybe now some media folks and fellow posters on here will understand that Winnipeg is NOT and easy out.
Winnipeg played a much better d game with their backup goalie in need.
The ceiling once again for Boston is falling in. That was an absolute brutal game to watch. Horrific!
If Wagner and Clifton didn’t suit up anymore I be happy with that.
Sweeney got some decisions to make as the Bruins are not a lock to make the playoffs
He’ll have to add because he can’t let Bergeron and Marchand last couple of seasons go to waste.
If he blew it up, what would Bergeron fetch!? Did I just say that.
No further argument from this quarter Caper, and that was without The Berlin Wall in goal. If Cheveldayov can get that key D-man some seem to think is the “missing piece” they could go a LONG way towards the Cup. Maybe the North isn’t such a crappy division the way some have tried to portray it.
Every division has strong teams and every division was weak teams.
Hellebuyck is one of the best goalies in the league and come playoff time he doesn’t need to stand on his head every games. Just 4 out of 7; like Billington did against Boston. Not very good for 3 but excellent for 4.
Winnipeg needs to add a top 4 dman still. Or 2 would be better.
very bad showing by the Bruins yesterday it has the looks they dont bring it every game…Bruins are as close to being out of the playoffs as they are to being in 3rd place…..if top line dont play well they are going to have a tough time winning a hockey game, 4 of their players have scored 42 of their 68 total goals on the season…..the 2nd & 3rd lines dont do much of anything & that 4th line has just packed it in ……Coyle 5 goals 3 helpers…Smith 4 goals 5 helpers,he missed a little time but Krejci 1 goal 12 nice helpers….this team has a very good chance of not making the playoffs and it isnt fair to the top 3 Sweeney/Neely are no help …they will try to bring in players but guaranteed whoever they bring in wont be with the team next season..
Bruins only untouchables for a trade,88,73,63 37.Everyone else is fair game.Why are they holding on ufa 46,40,41.They get nothing for them when season ends.Learn from Krug last year.
Call Colo ask them what they will give back for Rask just maybe they would like to have #46 too ….this could be the start of the Bruins rebuild
Daily wake up call for Dubas. Get an NHL starting goalie.
Now that the North playoff teams are set with Leafs, Jets, Oilers and Flames, I dont care where Leafs finish and will hope they lose every game Andersen starts until he is moved. He is brutal.
Does he start tonight in Ottawa or do they go with the back-up in what should be an easy 2 points
Keefe will go with our 3rd stringer Hutchison to at least give them a chance.
A lot is the leafs porous defence, people say it has gotten better but again it’s the goaltending making it look better. I don’t see the leafs making out of the first round this either, Tavares ,Matthews and marner don’t like the physical play in the playoffs and their defence isn’t good enough to win games. One and done again! And yes Ron wendel did call that dman the finish Bobby Orr lol
Look at Andersens stats bbb. Facts are important.
And no I did not call Lehtonen the Finnish Bobby Orr. I called him the Bobby Orr of the KHL which is a totally different level of assessment and he was. Again, look at his stats. Again, facts are important.
How bad of a defenseman must he be if he couldn’t make the Leafs?
What stats wendel? The amount of high scoring chances the leafs give up? Or how about defensive give aways? Anderson is the only reason the leafs made the playoffs before last year
Yeah, Kyle, snap your fingers and get a starting goalie. Wendel, you’re a dreamer. Give it up.
The Leafs I mean
I said to my Leaf fan pal yesterday we would each learn a lot about our teams by last night.
He learned that the Jets are a seriously good team who should now be the odds on favourites to come out of the North. But at least the Leafs competed. At least they showed push back with a victory in the mini series.
What I learned last night was that the Habs are a disgrace to their jerseys. Playing the only competition for the final playoff spot, the call went out for men last night. Wraiths showed up.
That was the single worst performance I have seen from a Habs team in years. It is one thing to go down swinging. It is another thing to do a Roberto Duran and yell “No mas!” as soon as the puck is dropped.
Every player Bergevin signed in the off season has performed well. Price is back, and Petry is playing at a Norris trophy standard. Everyone else on the team is, charitably put, under performing, underwhelming and unacceptable.
It isn’t the coaching staff, it isn’t the GM, it isn’t ownership . This is on the players. The centers have a combined total of 11 goals. The forwards only compete level is to see who can disappear for the longest stretch. Imagine if Toffoli and Petry were not on the team.
Everything you had to say about your Sens a few days ago George, I double down on the Habs. Anyone familiar with my posts have heard me say there is enough talent on the Habs, and the coaching is there. It comes down to having the will to compete. The standings tell us what that is: dismal.
Trades? Who can the Habs afford to offer to get a return that would improve them? Tatar? Danault? Byron? Yeah, right. There is a reason no Habs show up in trade rumours.
Perhaps it is time to think of parting with either Suzuki or KK. It is clear now that their performance in the play in/playoffs was a false spring. Yes, too early to give up on them, but the alternative is to continue to flail away and essentially write off this season. Do the Habs gamble Suzuki and KK will finally improve next season? With Price and Weber’s age, there are no attractive options.
LJ, to me there is NOTHING worse to see from a professional team in any sport than a complete lack of effort – up and down the line-up.
I can tolerate and live with seeing a team I follow lose … as long as I see complete effort and signs that things will get better with experience and some tinkering.
Looking at that Senators D I am starting to wonder what Dorion could get that would start to improve them immediately overall for Chabot. Not serious thoughts … yet … but it’s beginning to formulate somewhere in my mind 🙂 – or am I out of my mind?
No, you don’t get rid of Suzicki or KK. You rid yourself of deadwood like Tatar, Danault, Armia and Droiun. Don’t be greedy on any return. Not one of these guys is worth more than a 3rd at best. If someone is dumb enough to offer you more grab it and run.
What would you like as a return for KK? You name it, and I’d likely pay it.
I know what you are saying SOP. I would not fire sale him, but you know that tired, overused saying … if Gretzky can be traded …
You must be a Bruins fan and I don’t see what the Bs can offer that will be worth KK. But if you have some names to consider …
LJ,
It very much is about coaching and adapting to situations.
Calgary game planned the last game and the first two periods last night with exact same system, an aggressive three man forecheck and the Habs didn’t have a breakout solution.
Calgary changed the forecheck in the 3rd period and the Habs breakout and pressure was back to close to normal.
Both Suzuki and KK won most of their faceoffs, Danault was injured in the first period but played on, actually improving in the third.
I was extremely disappointed in Habs play last night but hope and expect DD to devise a solution to this structure.
The players work with what they have and they consistently had the wrong gaps, that’s a result of system breakdown.
It isn’t by mistake that Mete and Romanov had at least limited success at moving the puck but the forwards weren’t presenting good targets for passes, ergo the number of icings.
This is easily repairable with practices and extreme video in the tight schedule.
It’s on DD to prove his coaching skills and provide the players with the tools to work with.
George, most analysts, paid and casual fans, believe that the Sens have a great pool of young and developing talent. Personally I would not trade Chabot. Good young D are a prized and rare commodity, and even a handsome return is not going to make an big enough impact immediately. The Sens are in a rebuild with better days ahead, which should temper expectations. Two years from now your boys are going to please you.
What the hell are the Habs in? Given their start this year and the new additions I thought they had made a big step towards being a serious contender. Now? How does someone explain such a sh*& show? How many coaches does a team have to go through before the players own up? Who does the GM have to bring in?
Habfan 30, I say again. Is there a coach in the world that is fit to coach the Habs? Julien fired, now Ducharme is sub standard too?
X’s and O’s only get you so far. Without a will to win a game plan devised by Einstein, Copernicus and Seneca won’t work.
LJ,
DD isn’t substandard unless he doesn’t learn from his mistakes or after having time to implement his strategies.
The players are there and their 5 on 5 game is still superior on most nights, this is a team built for the playoffs not 3 on 3 and shootout gimmickry.
I haven’t seen anything to worry about, it’s halfway through the season and the team is in 4th place with games in hand.
Bigbadbruins
How far is your one line team going in the playoffs? Well…if they make it there?
LJ
Was it you who said that KK and Suzuki were stars in the making and wouldn’t consider moving them for Dubois? MTL overachieved last year after being gifted a spot in the play-in round. They were 8 or10 points out of a playoff spot when the season was halted.
The Jets have the best goalie in the North division. They may have the best group of forwards too? If they add a top 4 D or two they’re going to be tough to beat. Chevy should put a call in to Poile and Kekalainen for Ekholm and Savard.
Unfortunately the Leafs aren’t going anywhere with a goalie with a sub .900 sv%. Dubas should also be on the phone to NSH and CLB for a D or a Goalie
I did indeed say that, Daryl, based on their performance in the playoffs. So I own that. But to be fair most commentators felt that way too. So is what we are seeing young players who are still in a development curve, or who are not whom some of us thought they were?
Frankly I am way too pissed right now to give that full thought.
Farther than you 1 line no defence leafs will go Daryl
LJ. It is the GM. The players are actually overperforming. They just have no talent.
14M + on what now are 2 back up goalies is unbelievable. Leafs are paying a back up 5M and I think zdubas should be fired, but 14M????!!!!
Lyle..
The latest on Eric Karlsson???
Will be duly noted in tomorrow’s headlines.