NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 2, 2020

by | Jan 2, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 2, 2020

The Dallas Stars defeat the Nashville Predators in the 2020 Winter Classic, John Tortorella fined again, injury updates, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: The Dallas Stars overcame a 2-0 deficit to double up the Nashville Predators 4-2 in the 2020 Winter Classic before over 85,000 fans at the sold-out Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. Alexander Radulov tallied the game-winner over five minutes into the third period, teammate Mattias Janmark had a goal and an assist, and Stars goaltender Ben Bishop made 31 saves. Matt Duchene had a goal and an assist for the Predators.

Alexander Radulov tallied the game-winner as the Dallas Stars defeated the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Winter Classic (Photo via NHL Images)

Stars winger Corey Perry was ejected early in the first period for elbowing Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis in the head. Ellis left the game and didn’t return. Perry faces a disciplinary hearing from the league’s department of player safety. He insists the incident was unintentional, and hopes Ellis will be ok.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 2020 Winter Classic was among the most entertaining games since the league began staging outdoor contests. The Perry incident aside, the game had a good pace and the crowd was definitely into it. No word on Ellis’ status, but we should learn more later today.

The Minnesota Wild will host the 2021 Winter Classic at Target Field in Minneapolis. Their opponent has yet to be determined, but reports suggest the Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and Winnipeg Jets have been discussed.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild have a natural local rivalry with the Jets, but the other three clubs could draw bigger ratings in the U.S. TV market. The defending Stanley Cup champion Blues and the upward-trending Avalanche would be better opponents than the declining Blackhawks, who’ve been in more Winter Classics than any other NHL club.

SPORTSNET: Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella was fined $20,000 by the league for his post-game comments about the officiating following his club’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Blackhawks. He’s also been assessed a conditional $25,000 fine which will be collected in the event of what the league calls “similar inappropriate behavior” through Dec. 29, 2020.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Former Sportsnet analyst John Shannon reports this is the ninth time Tortorella has been fined by the NHL. He’s also been suspended three times.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Alex Stalock was fined $2,000.00 for diving/embellishment during his club’s 6-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 21.

THE DETROIT NEWS: Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou will be sidelined two-three weeks with a lower-body injury.

WBNS: Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier is on injured reserve with a lumbar stress fracture.

TSN: Los Angeles Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid will have a hearing with the department of player safety regarding an illegal hit to the head on Philadelphia Flyers blueliner Ivan Provorov.










NHL Sense or Nonsense: Holiday gift list for Western Conference

by | Jan 2, 2020

NHL Sense or Nonsense: Holiday gift list for Western Conference

 










NHL Gold & Mold: Hot Streaks in the Sunshine State

by | Jan 1, 2020

NHL Gold & Mold: Hot Streaks in the Sunshine State

 










NHL Rumor Mill – January 1, 2020

by | Jan 1, 2020

NHL Rumor Mill – January 1, 2020

Check out the latest on Chris Kreider, Brandon Saad, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Galchenyuk and more in the New Year’s Day edition of the NHL rumor mill.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIEDMAN’S LATEST “31 THOUGHTS”.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports there’s lots of interest in Chris Kreider, but no word yet if the New York Rangers intend to trade the pending free agent winger. He points out they re-signed Dan Girardi in late-February 2014 and Marc Staal in January 2015, plus they took Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes to the wire last season before trading them. Contenders like the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues are said to be interested. There’s speculation about the Montreal Canadiens, but Kreider’s partial no-trade clause affects that.

Will the New York Rangers trade or re-sign Chris Kreider? (Photo via NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kreider might not be keen to accept a trade to the Canadiens if the Rangers shop him before the deadline. He might be more receptive to one of those contenders mentioned by Friedman.

Friedman also believes there will be interest in Brandon Saad once the Chicago Blackhawks winger returns from injury. He carries an annual average value of $6 million through next season. He believes the Edmonton Oilers looked into Saad, but the dollars won’t fit.

Speaking of the Oilers, Friedman believes they’re wary of trading draft picks. “They didn’t have a second- or third-rounder in 2015; their 2016 first-rounder is estranged from the organization; didn’t have a second-rounder in 2017; nothing in round three-to-five in 2018; and six picks last year.” He feels that’s one of the reasons why they passed on bringing back Taylor Hall.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That could hamper efforts to bolster their struggling roster leading up to the Feb. 24 trade deadline.

As of today, players on one-year contracts are allowed to sign contract extensions. Ottawa Senators winger Anthony Duclair and Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Robin Lehner are two worth watching.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Both will draw considerable interest if they hit the open market this summer. Duclair has resurrected his career with the Senators, and they could be intent on re-signing him. Lehner is outplaying long-time Blackhawks starter Corey Crawford. Both are due to become unrestricted free agents this summer, and Lehner seems the most likely to be re-signed.

Other goaltenders eligible for UFA status this summer include Washington’s Braden Holtby, Vancouver’s Jacob Markstrom, the Islanders’ Thomas Greiss, Boston’s Jaroslav Halak, Dallas’ Anton Khudobin, Colorado’s Pavel Francouz, and Winnipeg’s Laurent Brossoit.

A few teams are wondering what direction the Pittsburgh Penguins could go with their goaltending. Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry are restricted free agents this summer. Speaking of the Penguins, Friedman wonders if Jake Guentzel’s shoulder injury might give a new lease on life for Alex Galchenyuk, who was reportedly being shopped by the Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Galchenyuk was expected to be the odd-man-out once the Penguins’ forward lines got healthier. That could change with Guentzel sidelined four-to-six months.

The Calgary Flames have some spare bodies who aren’t happy being shuffled in and out of the lineup. Friedman said there’s interest in Mark Jankowski, who needs a fresh start. There’s also interest in versatile forward Sam Bennett, but Friedman isn’t convinced the Flames will move him unless they get an impactful return.

Friedman believes the New Jersey Devils are interested in some of the Buffalo Sabres’ available defensemen.

Free-agent winger Ilya Kovalchuk is hoping for some contenders to show more interest.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Boston Bruins were said to have had some interest in Kovalchuk. I expect they’ll look at better options in the trade market.

There could be news on Justin Williams’ plans by this weekend.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The former Carolina Hurricanes’ captain has taken time away from the game to decide if he’s ready to hang up his skates. If he decides to return to action, it’ll only be with the Hurricanes.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 1, 2020

by | Jan 1, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 1, 2020

Another milestone for Marc-Andre Fleury, hat-trick performances by James Neal, Zach Werenski, and Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel sidelined for months, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his 455th career victory as the Vegas Golden Knights downed the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. He moves into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time wins list. Jonathan Marchessault scored twice for the Golden Knights, who move atop the Pacific Division standings with 50 points.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury moves into sixth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list (Photo via NHL Images).

A hat trick by James Neal and a four-point effort by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins helped the Edmonton Oilers hold off the New York Rangers 7-5. The Oilers ran up a 6-0 lead before the Rangers made it interesting with four third-period goals. Rangers winger Artemi Panarin picked up four points. The Oilers (46 points) hold a one-point lead over the Flames for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski tallied his first career hat trick and Elvis Merzlikins picked up his first career NHL victory in a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers, spoiling former Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s return to Columbus. Earlier in the day, the Jackets announced goalie Joonas Korpisalo will be sidelined four-to-six weeks following surgery on his right knee.

Kyle Connor’s second career hat trick carried the Winnipeg Jets to a 7-4 win over the slumping Colorado Avalanche. Mark Scheifele collected four points while Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Jack Roslovic each had three-point performances. Nathan MacKinnon tallied twice for the Avs, who’s lost five of their last six games. Jets center Mathieu Perreault returned to the lineup following a six-game absence with a concussion.

Alex Killorn scored two goals as the Tampa Bay Lightning overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 6-4. Killorn and Tyler Johnson each finished with three points, as did the Sabres’ Conor Sheary. With 46 points, the Lightning move into third place in the Atlantic Division.

Patrick Kane scored twice and set up two others as the Chicago Blackhawks doused the Calgary Flames 5-3. Blackhawks goalie Robin Lehner had a 41-save performance.

The St. Louis Blues’ eight-game win streak ended in a 3-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Antti Raanta made 38 stops while Phil Kessel netted the game-winner. Earlier in the day, the Coyotes placed defenseman Aaron Ness on waivers.

The New Jersey Devils overcame a 2-0 deficit to upset the Boston Bruins 3-2 on a shootout goal by Damon Severson. Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 42 saves in a losing cause, but the Bruins did pick up a point to extend their streak to eight games.

New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov kicked out 38 shots (18 in the third period) as his club edged the Washington Capitals 4-3. Casey Cizikas scored twice for the Isles while Evgeny Kuznetsov tallied two goals for the Capitals.

The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up their seventh win in their last eight contests by beating the Minnesota Wild 4-1. Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and William Nylander each had a goal and an assist. Earlier in the day, the Leafs re-signed defenseman Justin Holl to a three-year contract extension worth an annual average value of $2 million.

The Montreal Canadiens dropped their third straight game, falling 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. They also lost winger Brendan Gallagher to a possible concussion after being accidentally kneed in the head by teammate Ben Chiarot. Hurricanes forwards Erik Haula and Teuvo Teravainen each had two points.The Habs have fallen to 12th overall in the Eastern Conference.

The Detroit Red Wings snapped a six-game losing skid by blanking the San Jose Sharks 2-0. Jonathan Bernier made 34 saves for the shutout while Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Hronek were the goal scorers.

A four-goal first period powered the Los Angeles Kings over the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3. Jonathan Quick made 32 saves while Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe each collected two points.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel will be sidelined four-to-six months following surgery on his right shoulder after Monday’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was fined $5,000.00 and Senators center Jean-Gabriel Pageau $2,500.00 for their late-game scrum.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Guentzel’s absence is a big blow to the injury-ravaged Penguins. With 20 goals and 43 points in 39 games, he had been selected to participate in the 2020 All-Star Game later this month in St. Louis. His lengthy absence could provide an opportunity for struggling Penguins winger Alex Galchenyuk, who was the subject of frequent trade speculation in recent weeks.










Brothers Nolan and Cal Foote Only Wanted To Follow In their Father’s Footsteps

by | Jan 1, 2020

Brothers Nolan and Cal Foote Only Wanted To Follow In their Father’s Footsteps