NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 18, 2024

by | Nov 18, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 18, 2024

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin nets a hat trick, Hurricanes forward Martin Necas moves up in the scoring race, Leafs forward Ryan Reaves is suspended, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin netted a hat trick in a 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson stopped 40 shots against his former team while Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas each had two assists. Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar replied for the Golden Knights.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The 39-year-old Ovechkin became one of the oldest players in NHL history to tally a hat trick. He’s tied with Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl and Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart atop the goal-scoring leaderboard with 13 goals. The Capitals captain has 866 career regular-season goals, putting him 29 goals from overtaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.

I made a preseason prediction that Ovechkin would have one more 40-goal season left. That prediction doesn’t look so crazy now.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas had a hand in each of his team’s goals to defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-1. The red-hot Necas scored twice and collected two assists to extend his points streak to 13 games. Teammate Eric Robinson had a goal and two assists. Jake Neighbours tallied for the Blues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Necas has 30 points and sits third among the points leaders. The Hurricanes (13-4-0, 26 points) sit first in the Eastern Conference.

The New York Rangers blanked the Seattle Kraken 2-0. Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick made 24 saves for his second straight shutout while Alexis Lafreniere and Zac Jones were the goal scorers. Philipp Grubauer stopped 21 shots as the Kraken’s four-game win streak ended.

Nashville Predators winger Steven Stamkos tallied two power-play goals in a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Rookie forward Zachary L’Heureux opened the scoring for the Predators with his first NHL goal and Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the win. Elias Pettersson scored for the fifth time in seven games for the Canucks, who’ve dropped seven of their last 10 home games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks center J.T. Miller was benched for all but two shifts in the third period. Before the game, the Canucks placed defenseman Derek Forbort (lower body) on injured reserve. This win for the Predators was their third in their last 11 games (3-5-3).

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: The department of player safety handed down a five-game suspension to Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves for an illegal hit to the head of Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse on Saturday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the longest suspension of Reaves’ career after getting three games in 2016, one game in the 2020 playoffs, and two games in the 2021 playoffs.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk received a $5,000.00 fine for clipping Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist on Saturday.

SPORTSNET: The Colorado Avalanche placed goaltender Alexandar Georgiev on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Anaheim Ducks placed center Mason McTavish (upper body) on IR retroactive to Nov. 8.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings goaltender Jack Campbell was cleared to return from the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on Sunday. The Wings placed him on waivers because they have no room for him on their NHL roster. When they signed Campbell, they originally intended to have him serve as a mentor for promising Sebastian Cossa with their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report indicates they have no room for Campbell with their AHL affiliate because Ville Husso is now paired with Cossa in Grand Rapids. Campbell is on a one-year contract with a cap hit of $775,000.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 17, 2024

by | Nov 17, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 17, 2024

Check out the recaps of Saturday’s games in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Florida Panthers got a 27-save shutout from Sergei Bobrovsky to blank the Winnipeg Jets 5-0, handing the latter consecutive losses for the first time this season. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov had a goal and two assists while Sam Reinhart collected three assists. Jets goalie Connor Hellebucyk stopped 26 of 31 shots.

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets remain atop the overall standings (15-3-0, 30 points) but must take their game to another level against the defending Stanley Cup champions, who were well-prepared for this contest.

Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy turned aside 29 shots in a 4-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils. Victor Hedman and Anthony Cirelli each had a goal and an assist while Nikita Kucherov collected two assists to extend his points streak to seven games. Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom made 23 stops.

An overtime goal by Mitch Marner lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Marner’s goal was the 200th of his career and he also collected an assist on one of Bobby McMann’s two goals. Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves was ejected in the second period for a blindside hit to the head of Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, who left the game and didn’t return. There was no postgame update regarding Nurse’s condition but it was reported he was aware and joking with the trainers.

Reaves apologized to Nurse in the Oilers dressing room during the third period but could face supplemental discipline from the league. During his NHL career, Reaves has received three suspensions totaling six games.

The Pittsburgh Penguins blew a 3-0 lead but defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Evgeni Malkin’s shootout goal. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby tallied his 599th career regular-season NHL goal. Tyler Toffoli sniped two of the Sharks’ three goals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins had three rookies in the lineup, including Owen Pickering, who made his NHL debut, collecting an assist for his first point in the big league. Meanwhile, Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek left this game in the first period with an undisclosed injury. There was no postgame update regarding his status. Defenseman Jake Walman returned to the Sharks lineup after missing the past five games, four due to injury.

Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment tallied twice to nip the Minnesota Wild 2-1. Ilya Lyubushkin had two assists and Jake Oettinger made 22 saves as the Stars picked up their third straight victory. Kirill Kaprizov replied for the Wild while Filip Gustavsson kicked out 38 shots.

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Spencer Martin made 24 saves for his first-ever NHL shutout in a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. Jordan Martinook had a goal and an assist while Martin Necas picked up an assist to extend his points streak to 12 games. Senators netminder Anton Forsberg stopped 24 of 27 shots in a losing cause.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes won without one of their top forwards. Winger Seth Jarvis was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to Nov. 10.

The St. Louis Blues downed the Boston Bruins 3-2 on an overtime goal by captain Brayden Schenn. Radek Faksa collected a goal and an assist for the Blues as they snapped a four-game winless skid (0-3-1). Trent Frederic tallied both goals for the Bruins as they were outshot 31-17 in this contest.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bruins center Mark Kastelic left this game with a lower-body injury. Teammate Tyler Johnson missed this game due to a family matter. The Bruins are 1-1-2 in their last four games.

A two-goal performance by Adrian Kempe powered the Los Angeles Kings over the Detroit Red Wings 4-1. It’s the second straight game Kempe has tallied two goals. Dylan Larkin scored for the Wings, who got a 37-save effort from goalie Cam Talbot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings are 5-1-1 in their last seven home games. They activated forward Alex Turcotte off injured reserve for this game. Detroit defenseman Simon Edvinsson missed this game with a lower-body injury. The Wings have dropped four of their last five contests and sit uncomfortably close to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs turned aside 28 shots in his first game since Oct. 30 to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. J.T. Canucks center J.T. Miller led the way with a goal and an assist. Arvid Soderblom stopped 29 of 31 shots for the Blackhawks as they’ve dropped four of their last five games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blackhawks played without defenseman Seth Jones as he was placed on IR due to an injured right foot suffered during Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson scratched struggling winger Taylor Hall from the lineup, citing his need for more practice after coming off a lengthy absence due to injury last season.

The Seattle Kraken picked up their fourth straight win as they defeated the New York Islanders 3-2 on a late goal by Jamie Oleksiak. Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde each collected two points for the Kraken while Pierre Engvall and Brock Nelson replied for the Islanders, who are 1-1-2 in their last four games.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny scored twice and added an assist in a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Rookie winger Matvei Michkov collected two assists as the Flyers have won three straight. Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers rookie defenseman Emil Andrae left this game in the third period with an undisclosed injury. There was no postgame update about his status.

The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 on three unanswered third-period goals by Lucas Condotta, Jake Evans and Josh Anderson. Team captain Nick Suzuki scored what proved to be the game-winner while Cole Caufield picked up two assists. Dante Fabbro netted his first for the Blue Jackets after being claimed off waivers last week. The Jackets have only one win in their last eight games (1-6-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens honored former captain Shea Weber in a pregame ceremony inducting him into the club’s Ring of Honour alongside their other Hall of Famers. They also played without defenseman David Savard due to an upper-body injury. His absence could be short-term as he participated in the morning skate and spoke with reporters afterward.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 16, 2024

by | Nov 16, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 16, 2024

Recaps of Friday’s games plus the latest on Auston Matthews, David Perron, Mats Zuccarello, Frederik Andersen and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals forward Connor McMichael scored twice to lead his club over the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. Pierre-Luc Dubois collected two assists for the Capitals while Parker Kelly had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who pulled goaltender Justus Annunen after he gave up three goals on six shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Valeri Nichushkin, Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood returned to the Avalanche lineup following long absences. Wood was the only one to collect a point, getting an assist on a goal by Nikolai Kovalenko. Avalanche netminder Alexandar Georgiev missed this game with an upper-body injury

Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (NHL Images).

Calgary Flames rookie goalie Dustin Wolf stopped 29 shots for his first career NHL shutout in a 2-0 victory over the Nashville Predators. Daniil Miromanov and Blake Coleman were the goalscorers for the Flames. Juuse Saros turned aside 31 shots in a losing cause as the Predators have dropped six of their last seven contests.

The Vegas Golden Knights overcame a 2-0 deficit to double up the Utah Hockey Club 4-2. Golden Knights forwards Tomas Hertl and William Karlsson each scored two goals and Adin Hill made 32 saves for the win. Logan Cooley and Mikhael Sergachev were the goalscorers for Utah.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before puck drop, the Golden Knights announced they signed defenseman Brayden McNabb to a three-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $3.65 million. The deal includes a full no-trade clause in the first year, followed by a 10-team no-trade list in year two and a five-team list in the final season.

Anaheim Ducks rookie forward Cutter Gauthier scored his first NHL goal in a 6-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Olen Zellweger had a goal and two assists for the Ducks, who were down 3-1 at one point in this contest. Marco Kasper, Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat each had a goal and an assist as the Red Wings dropped three of their last four.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Ducks announced forward Robby Fabbri underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will miss six to eight weeks.

The Columbus Blue Jackets snapped a six-game losing skid by thumping the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2. Zach Werenski and Dmitri Voronkov each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets. Anthony Beauvillier and Michael Bunting replied for the Penguins, who have only one victory in their last six games (1-3-2).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry gave up five goals on 38 shots in his first game since Oct. 16. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang missed this contest with an illness while teammate Blake Lizotte (concussion) was placed on injured reserve, resulting in the Penguins activating forward Matt Nieto (knee) off IR.

HEADLINES

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews will not be in the lineup when his club faces off against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday evening. Matthews missed their last five games with an upper-body injury. Leafs coach Craig Berube said his captain has not suffered any setback as the club wants to give him time to recover fully.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators forward David Perron could suit up for Saturday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s missed the last 11 games after his infant daughter underwent surgery to remove a mass on her right lung. “We’re not fully out of the woods, but we’re getting there,” said Perron.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Perron and his family during this difficult time. Here’s hoping his daughter makes a complete recovery.

SPORTSNET: Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future with a lower-body injury. His recovery period was originally listed as week-to-week but Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicated he’ll be out “way longer” than that. Meanwhile, netminder Pyotr Kochetkov is doubtful for Saturday’s game against the Senators. He’s dealing with an undisclosed injury but isn’t expected to be sidelined for long.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Minnesota Wild placed winger Mats Zuccarello (lower body) on IR for three to four weeks.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: Kraken captain Jordan Eberle will be sidelined for at least two games with a middle-body injury requiring further evaluation.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Los Angeles Kings placed netminder Darcy Kuemper and defenseman Caleb Jones on injured reserve.

RG.ORG: Size is becoming less of a priority when drafting NHL players. From 2005 to 2009, 34 percent of first-rounders were 205 pounds or heavier, but only 11.4 percent met those criteria in the last five NHL drafts. Height, however, has remained roughly the same, suggesting bulk has been deprioritized.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Teams favor skill over bulk as the speed of the game increases and individual abilities such as puckhandling and playmaking improve.

DAILY FACEOFF: Matt Larkin examines why this season’s NHL average save percentage has dropped to .900, which, if it holds, would be the league’s lowest mark in 29 years.

Larkin attributes the decline not to changes in goalie equipment or a simple matter as offense is rising while goaltending is getting worse. He believes changes such as a crackdown on slashing have resulted in more east-west puck movement, a deemphasis on defense, an increase in power-play efficiency, and a lack of true standout goaltending stars are the main factors.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 15, 2024

by | Nov 15, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 15, 2024

Oilers captain Connor McDavid reaches 1,000 points and Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy gets his 300th career win. Get the details on these stories and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid became the fourth-fastest and the fourth-youngest player to reach the 1,000-point plateau as his club during a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators. McDavid reached the milestone with a second-period goal and picked up an assist on Darnell Nurse’s overtime tally. Nurse finished the night with two goals and an assist. Michael McCarron and Cole Smith replied for the Predators, who’ve won twice in their last nine games (2-4-3).

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid joins Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Mike Bossy among the fastest to 1,000 points, doing so in 659 regular-season games. Gretzky did it in 424 games, Lemieux in 513 games, and Bossy in 656.

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy became the fastest netminder to reach 300 regular-season wins by defeating the league-leading Winnipeg Jets 4-1, snapping the latter’s seven-game win streak. Vasilevskiy turned aside 23 shots and Jake Guentzel scored two goals for the Lightning. Adam Lowry had the Jets’ only goal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vasilevsky got the win in his 490th NHL regular-season game, breaking the previous record (521) held by Hall-of-Famer Jacques Plante.

The Dallas Stars scored seven goals for the second straight game to crush the Boston Bruins 7-2. Evgenii Dadonov tallied twice while teammates Mason Marchment, Matt Duchene and rookie Oskar Back each had a goal and an assist. Charlie Coyle and David Pastrnak scored for the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Back’s goal was his first in the NHL. The Stars’ previous seven-goal game was their 7-1 trouncing of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt tallied a hat trick in a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers to sweep their back-to-back series. Jack Hughes collected three assists and Stefan Noesen scored twice for the Devils, who’ve won seven of their last nine games. Panthers forward Sam Reinhart netted his league-leading 13th goal.

Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson turned in a 19-save shutout to blank the Montreal Canadiens 3-0. Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi and Kirill Kaprizov were the goalscorers for the Wild, who’ve won six of their last eight contests. Canadiens netminder Sam Montembealt made 25 saves as the Canadiens dropped the seventh of their last eight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaprizov has 30 points in 16 games, breaking his previous franchise record of 30 points in 22 games. Minnesota forwards Mats Zuccarello and Joel Eriksson Ek left this game with lower-body injuries. Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin missed this game with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

The New York Islanders extended their point streak to five games (3-0-2) with a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Islanders center Bo Horvat had two assists against his former club, Anders Lee had a goal and an assist and Semyon Varlamov turned aside 24 shots for the win. Canucks rookie Jonathan Lekkerimaki opened the scoring with his first NHL goal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks forward Dakota Joshua made his season debut after missing the opening 14 games of the season recovering from treatment for testicular cancer.

New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad snapped a nine-game goalless drought as his club nipped the San Jose Sharks 3-2. Vincent Trocheck’s second-period goal was the game-winner and Artemi Panarin picked up an assist to extend his points streak to six games. Timothy Liljegren and Fabian Zetterlund replied for the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Rangers as center Filip Chytil left the game following a collision with teammate K’Andre Miller in the second period. He’s listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury but there is concern given his concussion history. Meanwhile, the Sharks could loan rookie center Will Smith to Team USA for the 2025 World Junior Championship that begins next month.

An overtime goal by Rasmus Dahlin lifted the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Alex Tuch and Ryan McLeod each had a goal and an assist as the Sabres picked up their fourth win in their last five games. Brandon Saad scored twice for the Blues, who are winless in their last four games (0-3-1).

The Philadelphia Flyers overcame a 4-2 deficit to beat the Ottawa Senators 5-4 on an overtime goal by rookie Matvei Michkov. Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim had three points while Bobby Brink, Travis Konecny and Anthony Richard each had a goal and an assist. Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot and Ridly Greig each had two points for the Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers captain Sean Couturier and goaltender Samuel Ersson missed this game with lower-body injuries and are considered day-to-day.

Seattle Kraken Brandon Tanev extended his goal streak to three games in a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz also scored for the Kraken. Ryan Donato replied for the Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Schwartz’s goal was the 200th of his NHL career. Kraken captain Jordan Eberle left the game early in the second period with a lower-body injury. There was no postgame update regarding his status. Meanwhile, Blackhawks defenseman Alec Martinez returned to action for the first time since being sidelined on Oct. 15 with a groin injury.

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE DENVER POST: Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin is expected to make his season debut on Friday against the Washington Capitals. He served a six-month suspension as part of Phase 3 of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the Avalanche, they activated forwards Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood off injured reserve.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avs also placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers.

DAILY FACEOFF: The NHL reports only 55 players are wearing neck guards despite no shortage of close calls. It’s been barely a year since former NHL player Adam Johnston died from a skate cut to his neck while playing in England last year.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Players tend to be reluctant to adopt new equipment when it’s done voluntarily. It took decades for NHL players to fully adopt goalie masks, helmets and visors.

TSN: Defenseman Matt Irwin announced his retirement after 11 NHL seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals. He played in 461 regular-season games between 2012-13 and 2022-23, tallying 25 goals and 68 assists for 93 points. Irwin also had four points in 47 playoff games.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 14, 2024

by | Nov 14, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 14, 2024

A natural hat trick for the Avalanches’ Mikko Rantanen, a milestone game for Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the latest on Mika Zibanejad, Erik Karlsson and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: A natural hat trick by Mikko Rantanen propelled the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Rantanen also picked up an assist to finish the night with four points while teammate Nathan MacKinnon chipped in three assists as the Avs picked up their third straight win. Adrian Kempe tallied twice for the Kings.

Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rantanen’s natural hat trick was the third in franchise history. He has 12 goals, joining four others atop the league’s goal-scoring leaderboard. Meanwhile, Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper left this game in the third period with an apparent lower-body injury.

The Toronto Maple Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals 4-3 on an overtime goal by John Tavares. William Nylander and Mitch Marner scored in the third period to send the game into the extra frame. Aliaksei Protas had a goal and an assist for the Capitals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oliver Ekman-Larsson reached a notable milestone as the Leafs defenseman played in his 1,000th NHL regular-season game. Jani Hakanpaa played over 15 minutes in his season debut with the Leafs.

Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery wasn’t pleased with his club’s third-period collapse, calling it “just embarrassing”. Meanwhile, newly-acquired Capital Lars Eller didn’t join the team for this game but is expected to be in the lineup for Friday’s game against the Avalanche.

The Detroit Red Wings blew a 2-0 lead but recovered to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. Simon Edvinsson scored in overtime while Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist for the Wings. Bryan Rust and Anthony Beauvillier rallied the Penguins to force the extra period.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins honored Evgeni Malkin’s 500th career goal in a pregame ceremony. Malkin reached the milestone against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 16th. He joined Washington’s Alex Ovechkin as the second Russian-born player to reach the 500-goal plateau. Penguins forward Blake Lizotte left this game in the second period after being struck in the face by a puck.

Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka made a career-high 49 saves in a 4-1 upset of the Carolina Hurricanes. Nick Bjugstad tallied twice and Michael Kesselring had two assists for Utah, who killed off a seven-minute Carolina power-play in the third period. Hurricanes forward Martin Necas scored to extend his points streak to 11 games.

The Vegas Golden Knights held off the Anaheim Ducks for a 3-2 victory. Pavel Dorofeyev scored what proved to be the winning goal and Shea Theodore had two assists for the Golden Knights. Lukas Dostal stopped 36 shots for the Ducks.

HEADLINES

THE ATHLETIC: New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad is trying not to get buried in negativity as he attempts to play his way out of his early-season slump. He has 11 points in 14 games but has a plus-minus of minus-6 and has only scored twice.

“I will never be able to fully explain what it is when you’re in this situation,” said Zibanejad. “You have the mantras. You have the sayings to yourself. ‘Forget about the mistakes.’ ‘Just next action.’ ‘Next game, next shift.’ It’s harder than it sounds.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zibanejad’s position as one of the Rangers’ best players and among their highest-paid comes with intense pressure to perform well. A slump can take a mental toll the longer it goes on, especially when the player starts putting more pressure on themself to overcome the issue.

DAILY FACEOFF: Sweden’s former national team coach Johan Garpenlov doesn’t believe Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson is good enough to play for the country’s 4 Nations Face-Off team in February. He pointed out that Karlsson’s defensive shortcomings could be an issue for Sweden in the tournament.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Karlsson’s poor defensive play has been an issue for the Penguins this season. Nevertheless, he was among the first six players chosen for Team Sweden.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm is expected to miss weeks with a lower-body injury suffered during Boston’s 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a big setback for Boston’s blueline. They’re already missing Andrew Peeke, who’s out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. His 20:51 of ice time per game is second among Bruins skaters.

TSN: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is sidelined indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Forward Tage Thompson (lower body) and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (undisclosed ailment) are day-to-day.

THE BUFFALO NEWS: The Sabres reclaimed goaltender James Reimer off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The New York Islanders placed defenseman Mike Reilly (upper body) on injured reserve.

TSN: A trial by jury of five former Canadian World Junior players charged with sexual assault is scheduled for Apr. 22, 2025. It is expected to last eight weeks.

Former NHL players Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged earlier this year in connection with an alleged sexual assault in a London, Ontario hotel room in June 2018.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2024

by | Nov 13, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2024

Connor McDavid is on the verge of 1,000 points, the Jets win again, candidates for the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025, the Penguins trade Lars Eller to the Capitals, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: A four-point performance lifted Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid to within one point of 1,000 for his career in a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders. McDavid had a goal and three assists for 999 career regular-season points, including the primary assist on the overtime goal by Leon Draisaitl, who tallied twice in this game. Evan Bouchard had three points for the Oilers. Anders Lee scored two goals for the Islanders, who got a 38-save performance from goaltender Ilya Sorokin.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid can become the fourth-fastest and fourth-youngest player to reach the 1,000-point plateau when the Oilers faced the Nashville Predators on Thursday. Draisaitl has 12 goals, tying Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield and Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart for the league lead.

The Winnipeg Jets beat the New York Rangers 6-3, becoming the fastest team in NHL history to reach 15 wins while extending their winning streak to seven games. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor each scored two goals, Neal Pionk had three assists and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 33 shots for the league-leading Jets (15-1-0, 30 points). Will Cuylle had a goal and an assist for the Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets announced earlier in the day that defenseman Logan Stanley was placed on injured reserve with a middle-body injury. They also claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche.

New Jersey Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom kicked out 34 shots in a 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton each had two assists for the Devils. Sam Reinhart tallied for the Panthers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers center Sam Bennett missed this game with an upper-body injury.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak scored with 1:47 remaining in the third period to lift his club over the St. Louis Blues 3-2. The Bruins overcame a 2-0 deficit on goals by Morgan Geekie and Charlie McAvoy, setting the stage for Pastrnak’s winner. Brayden Schenn and Oskar Sundqvist scored for the Blues, who’ve lost three in a row.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Bruins as defenseman Hampus Lindholm left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury. There was no postgame update on his condition.

Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark made 27 saves in a 3-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Josh Norris, Tim Stutzle and Michael Amadio were the goalscorers and Artem Zub picked up two assists for the Senators. Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz turned aside 38 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators dominated the Leafs in this game. They would’ve won by a wider margin if not for Stolarz’s performance in the Leafs net.

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson had a goal and an assist to defeat the Calgary Flames 3-1. J.T. Miller picked up two assists and Kevin Lankinen made 28 stops for the Canucks. Justin Kirkland replied for the Flames, who got a 29-save effort from goalie Dan Vladar.

A four-goal second period carried the Seattle Kraken to a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle each had two assists and Joey Daccord made 38 saves for the Kraken. Sean Kuraly and Zach Aston-Reese each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who’ve dropped three in a row.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith, Carey Price and Ryan Getzlaf highlight the first-year eligible candidates for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025. The Hall’s bylaws allow the selection of four male inductees per year.

Other potential NHL player first-year eligible candidates include Tuukka Rask, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Dustin Brown.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chara, Thornton and Keith should be locks for next season. Price and Getzlaf could get in for 2026.

Jarome Iginla and Ed Olczyk will join the Hall of Fame selection committee commencing with 2025 nomination and election proceedings.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins traded center Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder originally from Chicago.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Eller previously spent nearly seven seasons with the Capitals (2016-17 to 2022-23), helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2018. He’ll help them shore up their third-line center position for this season. Eller is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said he’d been working on trading Eller since the spring. He added that this move brought in additional assets while freeing up space on their roster for a younger player.

Does this trade signal a fire sale in Pittsburgh? I’ll have more about that in today’s Rumors update.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Anaheim Ducks placed Robby Fabbri (lower body) and Cam Fowler (upper body) on injured reserve and listed center Mason McTavish as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. They also placed veteran goaltender James Reimer on waivers.

NHL.COM: Former Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland has joined the league’s hockey operations department as a consultant.

SPORTSNET: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league could look at playing more games overseas in the coming years as it continues to grow its brand globally.