NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 10, 2023

by | Mar 10, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 10, 2023

The Stars enjoy a 10-goal performance against the Sabres, the Oilers down the league-leading Bruins, Erik Karlsson sets a career-high for points, Kirill Kaprizov sidelined, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Dallas Stars crushed the Buffalo Sabres 10-4, marking their first 10-goal performance during a road game since October 1985. Jamie Benn and Mason Marchment each had a goal and two assists, Jason Robertson had three assists and Radek Faksa tallied twice for the Stars as they improved to 35-17-13 to sit atop the Central Division with 83 points. Jeff Skinner had a goal and an assist for the Sabres (32-28-4) as they sit six points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 68 points.

San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Stars as Tyler Seguin left the game in the first period after being cut by a skate blade above his left knee. There was no postgame word regarding his condition but he was spotted on crutches following the game.

San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson scored his 20th goal of the season in a 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich each had two points for the 28-31-5 Blues while the Sharks fell to 19-35-12 on the season. Karlsson set a career single-season high with 83 points and reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time since 2014-15.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Karlsson, 32, leads all NHL defensemen this season in goals and points. He’s considered the front-runner for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top blueliner.

The Edmonton Oilers nipped the Boston Bruins 3-2 to snap the latter’s 10-game winning streak. Darnell Nurse tallied the winning goal late in the third period as the Oilers (36-22-8) hold the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 80 points. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist as the league-leading Bruins (103 points) are at 49-9-5.

An overtime goal by Brock Nelson completed a three-goal rally by the New York Islanders as they dumped the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3. Anders Lee tallied twice and Ilya Sorokin stopped 33 shots as the Islanders (34-25-8) hold the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 76 points, two ahead of the 32-22-10 Penguins as they remain in the final Eastern wild-card spot. Jeff Petry had two assists for the Penguins.

Patrick Kane scored his first goal for the New York Rangers as they downed the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on a shootout goal by Mika Zibanejad. Kane finished with two points while Artemi Panarin collected three assists for the 36-19-9 as the Rangers sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 81 points. The 26-33-6 Canadiens have dropped five straight all by one goal.

Los Angeles Kings forwards Phillip Danault and Adrian Kempe each scored twice to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. Anze Kopitar had three assists, Joonas Korpisalo had 28 saves and Trevor Moore collected an assist in his return to the lineup for the 38-20-8 Kings as they sit in second place in the Pacific Division with 84 points. Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche (35-22-6) as they cling to third place in the Central Division with 76 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speaking of the Avalanche, there’s concern over whether captain Gabriel Landeskog will return in time for the 2023 playoffs. He’s still recovering from the knee injury that has sidelined him for the entire season thus far.

An overtime goal by Alec Martinez lifted the Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jonathan Quick made 32 saves for the win as the Golden Knights (39-20-6) hold first place in the Pacific (84 points) with a game in hand over the Kings. Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov each had three points for the slumping Lightning (38-21-6) as they sit third in the Atlantic Division with 82 points.

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 on a shootout goal by Timo Meier. Dawson Mercer extended his points streak to 11 games with a goal and an assist as the Devils (42-16-6) as they sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points. The Capitals sank to 31-28-7 (69 points) and sit five points behind the Penguins for the final Eastern wild-card berth.

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov made 19 saves to shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0. Andrei Svechnikov’s first-period goal held up as the winner as the Hurricanes improved to 43-12-8 and sit second in the overall standings with 94 points. Felix Sandstrom made 28 saves for the 24-30-11 Flyers.

The Ottawa Senators kept their playoff hopes alive with a 5-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken thanks to third-period goals by Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat. With 70 points, the 33-27-4 Senators are four points behind the Penguins. Jared McCann tallied twice for the Kraken (37-22-6) as their five-game win streak came to an end. They sit third in the Pacific Division with 80 points.

Arizona Coyotes goalie Ivan Prosvetov kicked out 39 shots for his first NHL win to beat the Nashville Predators 4-1. Clayton Keller collected two assists for the 23-32-10 Coyotes while the Predators (31-24-7) are six points out of the final Western Conference playoff berth with 69 points.

IN OTHER NEWS…

STARTRIBUNE.COM: Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov will be sidelined for three to four weeks with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaprizov is the Wild’s leading scorer with 39 goals and 74 points. He’s their main offensive engine so losing him is a significant setback as they jockey for a playoff berth in the Western Conference. How they adapt to his absence will be a big test that could decide their postseason hopes in the very close Western standings.

SPORTSNET: cited a report by Sportico indicating nine different groups have submitted bids to purchase the Ottawa Senators. Some of those bids value the franchise at over $900 million USD.

The list of potential buyers is expected to be narrowed down within the next several days. The Remington Group (a Toronto-based real estate developer) and billionaire Michael Andlauer (minority owner of the Montreal Canadiens) are among the most prominent bidders.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It appears the league hasn’t had any difficulty finding suitors willing to pay big bucks to purchase the Senators. Eugene Melnick, the club’s late owner, paid $92 million USD to purchase the team in 2003. Accounting for inflation, that would be worth nearly $150 million in 2023.

TRIBLIVE.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins are planning upgrades to PPG Arena for 2023-24 starting at the conclusion of this season. They include a new video board, LED ribbon boards, sound system, control room, and content management system.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 9, 2023

by | Mar 9, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 9, 2023

Wild extend points streak by downing the Jets, Tony DeAngelo receives a two-game suspension, an update on the sale of the Senators and Hall-of-Famer Henri Richard suffered from CTE. Details and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Minnesota Wild extended their points streak to 11 games (9-0-2) by doubling up the Winnipeg Jets 4-2. Marc-Andre Fleury made 46 saves and Marcus Foligno had a goal and an assist as the Wild (37-21-7) held second place in the Central Division with 81 points. Nino Niederreiter and Logan Stanley replied for the Jets (36-26-3) as they’ve won only twice in their last 10 games and sit in the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 75 points.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Wild as Kirill Kaprizov left the game midway through the third period after Stanley fell on him. There was no postgame update on his condition. Speaking of the Wild, forward Ryan Hartman was fined $4,594.59 for slashing Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson on Tuesday.

The Jets, meanwhile, played without center Pierre-Luc Dubois due to an upper-body injury. It’s hoped he’ll rejoin the club at some point during its three-game road trip.

Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller scored twice, including the winner in overtime, in a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Elias Pettersson collected two assists as the Canucks improved to 27-32-5 on the season. Lukas Dostal made 31 saves for the Ducks as they dropped to 21-35-9.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speaking of the Canucks, they recently re-signed defenseman Guillaume Brisebois to a two-year contract extension.

The Detroit Red Wings snapped a six-game losing skid by nipping the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3. Lucas Raymond and Dominik Kubalik tallied third-period goals as the Wings (29-26-9) rallied for the win. Taylor Raddysh tallied twice for the 22-37-5 Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri left the game in the first period following an inadvertent knee-on-knee collision with Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson. No word postgame regarding his condition.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo received a two-game suspension for spearing Tampa Bay Lightning winger Corey Perry on Tuesday.

San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn was fined $25,000.00 for comments that demeaned officials resulting in a game misconduct last Saturday.

OTTAWA SUN: Sources reveal the league received at least three bids for the Senators and possibly a fourth. There could be more as league commissioner Gary Bettman recently said as many as 15 groups were given permission to examine the franchise’s finances.

The Remington Group (a Toronto-based real estate development corporation), billionaire Michael Andlauer (part-owner of the Montreal Canadiens and sole owner of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs), and the Kimel Family (one of Southern Ontario’s biggest real-estate developers) are believed to have made bids for the franchise.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Whoever wins the bidding and purchases the Senators do so with the understanding that the franchise will not be relocated to another city. The club is currently working on a plan that would bring about the construction of a new arena close to downtown Ottawa.

Speaking of the Senators, goaltender Cam Talbot has been sidelined for three weeks with a “mid-body injury.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill missed practice yesterday with a lower-body injury.

NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov on an emergency basis after backup Antti Raanta left Tuesday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an injury.

DAILY FACEOFF: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly denied the league has any plans afoot to expand to 34 teams. His comments come following cryptic tweets by ESPN’s John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes last week showing images of Houston and Atlanta.

“Expansion isn’t our priority right now,” wrote Daly. However, he didn’t rule out the league listening to groups who have interest, including Atlanta and Houston.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I wouldn’t rule out further NHL expansion but I have my doubts they can make it work in Atlanta again. They tried it twice and both times the franchises struggled to draw fans.

TVA SPORTS: A study of the brain of the late Hall-of-Famer Henri Richard revealed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Richard died in 2020 after suffering from cognitive impairment during the last years of his life. The condition is caused by blows to the head.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly rejected the link regarding blows to the head and CTE. This report will likely do little to change his mind.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 8, 2023

by | Mar 8, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 8, 2023

Sidney Crosby caps a five-goal comeback by the Penguins over the Blue Jackets, Cale Makar has a four-point night as the Avalanche shut out the Sharks, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby tallied in overtime as his club overcame a 4-0 deficit to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4. Crosby finished with three points on the night, Evgeni Malkin had three assists and Jason Zucker scored two goals for the Penguins, who improved to 32-22-9 and hold the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 73 points. The Blue Jackets fell to 20-37-7 as goaltender Elvis Merzlikins left the game following the first period with an illness and was replaced by Michael Hutchinson.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby now sits second on the all-time list for regular-season overtime goals with 20, five behind Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. Before the game, the Penguins recalled Alex Nylander and placed center Ryan Poehling (undisclosed) on long-term injury reserve.

The Colorado Avalanche blanked the San Jose Sharks 6-0 with Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin each scoring a goal and adding three assists. Alexandar Georgiev made 14 saves for the shutout as the Avalanche (35-21-6) hold third place in the Central Division with 76 points. San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson received a 10-minute misconduct in the third period for throwing his helmet on the ice in reaction to being cut by a high stick by Alex Newhook that went uncalled by officials. The Sharks dropped to 19-34-12 on the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Makar reached the 50-point mark for the third time in his career and for the second straight season. He’s also the third active defenseman to reach 50 points in fewer than 50 games multiple times in their career, following Karlsson and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Brent Burns. The Sharks, meanwhile, played without blueliner Radim Simek as he’s listed as week-to-week with recurring concussion symptoms.

Speaking of the Hurricanes, they nipped the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on a shootout goal by Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Frederik Andersen (13 saves) got the win after Antti Raanta was sidelined in the first period by an undisclosed injury, lifting the Hurricanes to 42-12-8 as they sit second in the overall standings with 92 points. Jake Allen made 36 saves and Michael Pezzetta had a goal and an assist for the 26-33-5 Canadiens.

Third-period goals by Michael Bunting and Auston Matthews lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs over the New Jersey Devils by a score of 4-3. Mitch Marner and William Nylander each had two points for the Leafs (39-17-8) while Erik Haula and Ondrej Palat each had three points for the 41-16-6 Devils. With 88 points, the Devils are four back of the Hurricanes for third place in the overall standings with the Leafs just two points behind them.

The Tampa Bay Lightning snapped a five-game losing skid with a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Andrei Vasilevskiy kicked out 33 shots while Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn each had two goals and an assist for the Lightning (38-21-5) as they hold third place in the Atlantic Division with 81 points. Philadelphia defenseman Tony DeAngelo received a five-minute major and game misconduct for spearing Lightning winger Corey Perry in the groin. The Flyers fell to 24-29-11.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning played without Victor Hedman as the veteran defenseman is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Third-period goals by Josh Bailey and Hudson Fasching lifted the New York Islanders over the Buffalo Sabres 3-2. Bailey, Fasching and Casey Cizikas each finished with a goal and an assist as the Islanders improved to 33-25-8 and hold a one-point lead over the Penguins for the first Eastern wild-card berth with 74 points. The Sabres (32-27-4) have dropped four of their last five games and sit five points back of the Penguins with 68 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres seemed poised to break through into a wild-card berth less than two weeks ago but their momentum has stalled. They and the Penguins have the same number of games remaining (19) but the Sabres hold three games in hand over the Isles, who are six points ahead of them. If they don’t snap out of their funk soon, the Sabres will miss the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season.

The Florida Panthers, meanwhile, moved two points ahead of the Sabres and three back of the Penguins with a 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Sergei Bobrovsky turned in a 31-save performance while Ryan Lomberg and Aleksander Barkov scored for the 32-27-6 Panthers. Shea Theodore replied for the Golden Knights (38-20-6) as they remain in first place in the Western Conference with 82 points by holding one more win over the Dallas Stars.

Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann extended his team-leading goal total to 31 as his club downed the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. McCanna and rookie center Matty Beniers each finished with two points as the Kraken (37-21-6) sit in third place in the Pacific Division with 80 points. Trevor Zegras and Max Comtois replied for the 21-35-8 Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McCann, 26, has blossomed into a scorer since joining the Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft. He had 27 goals and 50 points in 74 games last season and now has 31 goals and 50 points in 61 games.

The Calgary Flames kept their playoff hopes alive with a 1-0 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild. Tyler Toffoli netted the game-winner while Jacob Markstrom made 40 saves for his first shutout of the season. With 71 points, the 29-23-13 Flames are four back of the Winnipeg Jets for the final Western Conference wild-card spot. The Wild (36-21-7) are two points behind the first-place Dallas Stars in the Central Division with 79 points.

A 40-save performance by Karel Vejmelka carried the Arizona Coyotes over the St. Louis Blues by a score of 6-2, snapping a three-game losing skid. Clayton Keller had a goal and two assists while Travis Boyd tallied two goals for the 22-32-10 Coyotes. Pavel Buchnevich scored both goals for the 27-31-5 Blues.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 7, 2023

by | Mar 7, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 7, 2023

Connor McDavid enjoys another multipoint game, the three stars of the week are announced, the Leafs place Ryan O’Reilly on LTIR and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid enjoyed another multipoint game by opening and closing the scoring with a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, extending his points streak to 11 games. Stuart Skinner made 37 saves for the Oilers (35-22-8), who hold the first wild-card berth in the Western Conference with 78 points. Jeff Skinner and Dylan Cozens scored for the 32-26-4 Sabres (68 points), who’ve dropped three of their last four games and sit three points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With 54 goals, McDavid sits 10 goals ahead of second-place David Pastrnak while his 124 points are 28 ahead of teammate Leon Draisaitl for the lead in the scoring race. With 17 games remaining in the season, he has a shot at becoming the first player since Alex Ovechkin in 2007-08 to reach 65 goals in a season and the first to reach 140 points since Jaromir Jagr (149) in 1995-96.

The Calgary Flames nipped the Dallas Stars 5-4 on a goal by Tyler Toffoli with 6.2 seconds remaining in the third period to snap a five-game losing skid. Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar each collected two assists as the Flames improved to 28-23-13 and sit five points out of the final Western wild-card spot with 69 points. Jamie Benn scored a goal and an assist for the Stars (34-17-13) as they sit second overall in the Western Conference with 81 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That was a big win for the flickering Flames to keep their playoff hopes alive. They’ll need to string together some more victories if they hope to climb back into the race.

The Los Angeles Kings picked up their fourth straight win by doubling up the Washington Capitals by a score of 4-2. Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist while Pheonix Copley made 20 saves to earn his first-ever 20-win NHL campaign as the Kings (37-20-8) sit in second place in the Pacific Division with 82 points. Alex Ovechkin scored his 36th goal of the season as the Capitals dropped to 31-28-6 (68 points) to sit three points out of the final Eastern wild-card berth.

An overtime goal by Logan Couture lifted the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 upset of the Winnipeg Jets. Tomas Hertl scored the tying goal for the 19-33-12 Sharks with 11 seconds remaining in the third period. Nino Niederreiter and Nate Schmidt replied for the Jets (36-25-3) as they sit third in the Central Division with 75 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets have nosedived over the last 10 games winning just twice over that stretch.

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Alex Stalock kicked out 35 shots to shut out the Ottawa Senators 5-0. Seth Jones scored twice for the 22-36-5 Blackhawks while Ottawa slipped to 32-27-4 and remain three points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot. Senators goalie Cam Talbot was a late scratch with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: All due respect to Stalock for his stellar play but this is a game the Senators should’ve won. They can’t afford duds like this game against one of the worst teams in the league when they’re battling for a wild-card spot.

A shootout goal by Elias Pettersson gave the Vancouver Canucks a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators. Pettersson also tallied his 30th goal of the season in regulation for the 26-32-6 Canucks. Luke Evangelista tallied twice for the Predators (31-23-7) to tie the game as they sit five points out of the final Western wild-card spot with 69 points.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins defenseman Dmitry Orlov, Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux, and Minnesota Wild netminder Filip Gustavsson are the three stars for the week ending March 5.

TSN: The Toronto Maple Leafs placed center Ryan O’Reilly (broken finger) on long-term injury reserve. He saw a specialist on Monday and is expected to return in time for the playoffs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: O’Reilly was the Leafs’ biggest acquisition leading up to the recent trade deadline. His absence won’t hurt their chances of reaching the playoffs but it could raise questions about his effectiveness for the postseason.

OTTAWA SUN: The first round of bids for the purchase of the Senators officially started on Monday. The sale of the club could eclipse $1 billion.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 6, 2023

by | Mar 6, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 6, 2023

Timo Meier and Jonathan Quick make their debuts with their new clubs, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Teuvo Teravainen combined for eight points as the Hurricanes blank the Lightning, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Timo Meier opened the scoring in his debut with the New Jersey Devils as they defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-4 on an overtime goal by Nico Hischier. Jesper Boqvist scored twice for the Devils as they improved to 41-15-6 and sit two points behind the Carolina Hurricanes in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 88 points. Jack McBain had a goal and an assist for the 21-32-10 Coyotes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils forward Dawson Mercer’s goal streak ended at eight games.

Jonathan Quick made 25 saves in his Vegas Golden Knights debut to hold off the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 4-3. Ivan Barbashev scored twice, including the winning goal, as the Golden Knights (38-19-6) vaulted over the Dallas Stars into first place in the Western Conference with 82 points. The Canadiens fell to 26-33-4 on the season.

Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barbashev now has five points in four games since joining the Golden Knights in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. The Golden Knights also played without William Carrier as he’s been sidelined indefinitely since Friday with a lower-body injury.

Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi had a goal and four assists while Teuvo Teravainen tallied a hat trick in a 6-0 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Frederik Andersen made 14 saves for the shutout while Martin Necas and Shayne Gostisbehere each had three points for the 41-12-8 Hurricanes, who sit atop the Metropolitan Division with 90 points. The Lightning fell to 37-21-5 and remain third in the Atlantic Division with 79 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning have won just two of their last 10 games (2-5-3). They also lost defenseman Victor Hedman when he fell awkwardly after being checked by Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov.

An overtime goal by Yanni Gourde lifted the Seattle Kraken to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Brandon Tanev scored the tying goal late in the third period for the Kraken (36-21-6) as they sit third in the Pacific Division with 78 points. Nathan MacKinnon scored his 25th goal of the season for the Avalanche (34-21-6) as they hold third place in the Central Division with 74 points.

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart made 25 saves to beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1, handing the latter their sixth straight defeat. The Flyers improved to 24-28-11 while the Wings sank to 28-26-9.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Two weeks ago, the Wings were surging in the standings and pushing for a wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference. Their recent decline was the reason why general manager Steve Yzerman became a seller leading up to last week’s trade deadline.

HEADLINES

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Flyers head coach John Tortorella doesn’t like the criticism general manager Chuck Fletcher received for failing to trade James van Riemsdyk before Friday’s trade deadline. “Do you not he tried to move him? Are you guys kidding me? He tried like hell to move him,” said Tortorella. He explained there were different scenarios that went on which prevent a van Riemsdyk trade.

SPORTSNET: Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Mike Stothers announced Saturday that he’d been diagnosed with an advanced form of skin cancer known as stage 3 melanoma of the lymph node. He is receiving treatment and is scheduled for more testing this week.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Here’s hoping Stothers make a swift and complete recovery.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 5, 2023

by | Mar 5, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 5, 2023

Lightning stars benched in loss to Sabres, the league-leading Bruins pick up their 10th straight win by downing the Rangers, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Buffalo Sabres forwards Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner each had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Eric Comrie made 33 saves as the Sabres (32-25-4) sit within three points of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 68 points. Alex Killorn scored two goals for the Lightning (37-20-5) as they dropped their fourth straight game and sit third in the Atlantic Division with 79 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning head coach Jon Cooper wasn’t pleased with his club’s performance. He benched his top line of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point for the entire third period. “It just felt, in the third period, that they weren’t giving us the best chance to win,” said Cooper. Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak missed this game with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

New York Islanders captain Anders Lee (NHL Images).

The New York Islanders got two goals from captain Anders Lee to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1, handing the latter their fifth straight loss. The Islanders improved to 32-25-8 and vaulted over the Penguins into the first Eastern wild-card berth with 72 points. Dylan Larkin replied for the Red Wings as they fell to 28-25-9 (65 points).

Speaking of the Penguins, their four-game win streak came to an end as they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 31 shots while Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist for the 31-27-6 Panthers (68 points) as they sit three points back of the 31-22-9 Penguins (71 points). Kris Letang scored Pittsburgh’s only goal while Casey DeSmith made 38 saves.

The league-leading Boston Bruins picked up their 10th straight victory by doubling up the New York Rangers 4-2. Tyler Bertuzzi collected an assist in his Bruins debut while Charlie Coyle had a goal and an assist as their club improved to 49-8-5 and sit atop the overall standings with 103 points. Alexis Lafreniere scored both goals for the Rangers (35-19-9), who’ve dropped six of their last eight and sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 79 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The much-anticipated reunion of Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin has yet to pan out for the Rangers. In fairness, it’s only been two games and Kane is still adjusting to his new teammates after 16 seasons in Chicago. The Rangers were also short two defensemen with K’Andre Miller serving a suspension and Ryan Lindgren sidelined by an injury.

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson scored twice and collected an assist as his club snowed under the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 7-3. Roope Hintz collected two assists as the Stars (34-16-13) hold a one-point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Western Conference with 81 points. The Avalanche dropped to 34-21-5 and hold the final Western wild-card spot with 73 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cale Makar returned to the Avalanche lineup after being activated off concussion protocol. Meanwhile, Avs defenseman Josh Manson remains sidelined by a lower-body injury.

The Washington Capitals kept their playoff hopes alive with an 8-3 drubbing of the San Jose Sharks. Alex Ovechkin scored two goals and picked up an assist, Dylan Strome had a goal and two assists and Craig Smith tallied twice for the 31-27-6 Capitals, who sit three points back of the Penguins with 68 points. Erik Karlsson collected two assists for the 18-33-12 Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sharks head coach David Quinn was ejected from this game after voicing his displeasure after winger Kevin Labanc was penalized for clipping. Quinn was apologetic following the game, admitting he was embarrassed by his actions.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey tallied twice and collected an assist as his club held off the Edmonton Oilers 7-5. Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist as the Jets snapped a five-game losing skid (36-25-2) and move back into third place in the Central Division with 74 points. Leon Draisaitl collected a hat trick for the Oilers (34-22-8) as they hold the first Western wild-card berth with 76 points.

Two shorthanded goals by Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller 44 seconds apart carried the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-1 upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thatcher Demko kicked out 36 shots for the 25-32-5 Canucks. John Tavares scored for the 38-17-8 Leafs as they hold second place in the Atlantic Division with 84 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs center Ryan O’Reilly left this game in the second period after being struck in the hand by a shot by teammate Auston Matthews. An update on his condition isn’t expected until Monday.

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-2. Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist and Gabriel Vilardi scored the game-winner for the 36-20-8 Kings as they sit in second place in the Pacific Division with 80 points. Robert Thomas and Kasperi Kapanen scored for the Blues as they dropped to 27-30-5.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson kicked out 31 shots to shut out the Calgary Flames 3-0. Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy each had a goal and an assist as the Wild improved to 36-21-6 and hold second place in the Central Division with 78 points. The Flames (27-23-13) have dropped five straight and six points behind the Avalanche for the final Western wild-card spot with 67 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames were booed off the ice by the Saddledome crowd following the game. Their window of opportunity to secure a playoff berth is just about shut unless they can somehow reverse their fortunes soon.

The Ottawa Senators remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race following a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jakob Chychrun collected his first points with the Senators with a goal and an assist while Tim Stutzle scored two goals, including his 30th of the season. The Sens improved to 32-26-4 and are three points back of the Penguins with 68 points. Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic scored for the 20-37-6 Blue Jackets.

The Nashville Predators kept their playoff hopes alive by downing the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1. Tyson Barrie’s first goal with the Predators was the game-winner as they improved to 31-23-6 and sit five points back of the Avalanche with 68 points. Seth Jones replied for the 21-36-5 Blackhawks.