NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 18, 2021

by | Nov 18, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 18, 2021

​The Blackhawks win their fourth straight, the Canucks woes continue, plus the latest injury updates and supplemental discipline in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Chicago Blackhawks remain undefeated under interim coach Derek King, doubling up the Seattle Kraken 4-2 for their fourth straight win. Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat each had a goal and an assist while Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves to hold off a late rally by the Kraken.

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blackhawks (5-9-2) still have a ways to go if they hope to climb out of the early-season hole they dug for themselves. Another lengthy losing skid could undo their progress and damage their postseason hopes. Nevertheless, there’s no question they’re a different team under King. They’re also getting better goaltending from Fleury and backup Kevin Lankinen, which has been crucial to their recent improvement.

Caleb Jones made his season debut after being sidelined by a wrist injury, joining Seth Jones as the fifth set of brothers to play for the Blackhawks simultaneously in the franchise’s history. The others were Bobby and Dennis Hull, Doug and Max Bentley, Brent and Rich Sutter as well as Steve and Jeff Larmer.

Three unanswered third-period goals by Nazem Kadri, Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog rallied the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, handing the latter their fifth straight loss. Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen each had a goal and two assists for the Avs, who tallied all but one of their four goals on the power play.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks’ league-worst penalty kill was once again their undoing. Team owner Francesco Aquilini will reportedly remain patient with this club following a meeting on Tuesday with general manager Jim Benning, but a few more losses like this one will test his patience.

Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov kicked out 34 shots to blank the Los Angeles Kings 2-0, snapping the latter’s eight-game points streak. Two late goals by Garnet Hathaway gave the Capitals the win.

HEADLINES

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is listed as week-to-week following a knee-on-knee collision with New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield on Tuesday. Head coach Andrew Brunette said Barkov won’t require surgery.

NEW YORK POST: Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock will be sidelined four-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher was fined $2,500.00 by the NHL department of player safety for sucker-punching New York Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow on Tuesday. Head coach Dominique Ducharme said forward Mathieu Perreault will require a second surgery on his injured eye, pushing back his return date by a couple of weeks.

NHL.COM: Calgary Flames forward Mikael Backlund was fined $5,000.00 for cross-checking Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny on Tuesday.

CBS SPORTS: Vegas Golden Knights forward Michael Amadio entered COVID protocol on Wednesday.

TSN: Speaking of the Golden Knights, they claimed forward Adam Brooks off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: The Blackhawks hired Rob Cookson as an assistant coach and elevated Marc Crawford to associate coach.

THE DENVER POST: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews was saddened by the flooding that has devastated his hometown of Abbotsford, B.C. “People literally rescuing livestock from drowning is quite sad to see,” said Toews. “It’s a resilient community and I know the people will bounce back and figure it out. But it’s pretty unfortunate and sad to see some of these videos.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Daily Hive News has a list of links and information if you want to help British Columbia residents affected by this week’s flooding.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 17, 2021

by | Nov 17, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 17, 2021

​The Penguins are reportedly on the verge of being sold, Ryan Getzlaf reaches a points milestone, the Panthers extend their home winning streak, Dion Phaneuf retires and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Fenway Sports Group LLC is in advanced talks to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are the owners of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, and Liverpool FC.

The cost of the sale could be $850 million. Sources indicate Mario Lemieux would maintain a small stake in the team and continue to have a say in hockey matters. The status of co-owner Ron Burkle remains uncertain.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This move will ensure long-term stability for the Penguins. This comes at a time when they will be approaching a rebuild as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin head into the home stretch of their long careers.

As The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau points out, this is good news for the Penguins. Fenway Sports Group provides them with deep-pocketed ownership with a well-documented history of building and maintaining competitive sports franchises.

GAME RECAPS

Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf (NHL Images).

  NHL.COM: Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf collected an assist to reach his 1,000th career NHL point in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals. Trevor Zegras scored twice, including the game-winning goal while Troy Terry had an assist to extend his points streak to 15 games. The Ducks (10-4-3) have won eight straight games. Capitals center Lars Eller missed this game as he was placed on COVID protocol earlier in the day.

The league-leading Florida Panthers (11-2-3) remain unbeaten at home (8-0-0) after thumping the New York Islanders 6-1. Patric Hornqvist and Brandon Montour each had two points on the night. It was the Panthers’ first win in five games but came at the cost of losing captain Aleksander Barkov, who left the game in the second period following a knee-on-knee hit by Isles defenseman Scott Mayfield. Barkov will be reevaluated today. The Islanders, meanwhile, played without Ryan Pulock (upper-body injury) and Josh Bailey (COVID protocol).

Third-period goals by Seth Jarvis and Vincent Trocheck lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Trocheck and Sebastian Aho each had a goal and an assist as the Hurricanes (12-2-0) sit one point behind the Panthers with 24 points. The Golden Knights played without Jonathan Marchessault as he entered COVID protocol earlier in the day.

The Winnipeg Jets tallied three goals in the second period on route to downing the Edmonton Oilers 5-2. Connor Hellebucyk picked up the win with a 32-save performance. Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored both Oilers goals to extend his lead in the goals (17) and points race (33) while Connor McDavid (two assists) stretched his season-opening points streak to 15 games.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski kicked out 45 shots as he backstopped his club to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Colin Miller and Kyle Okposo tallied for the Sabres (7-6-2) while Jake Guentzel replied for the Penguins, who drop to 5-6-4. Sidney Crosby collected his first point of the season assisting on Guentzel’s goal.

Jack Campbell made 24 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Toronto Maple Leafs blanked the Nashville Predators 3-0. He also leads the league among goalies with three or more games played with a 1.68 goals-against average and .943 save percentage. Auston Matthews scored the winning goal and collected an assist as the Leafs record sits at 11-5-1.

The New York Rangers (9-3-3) picked up their fourth straight win by hanging on to nip the Montreal Canadiens 3-2, whose record drops to 4-12-2. Igor Shesterkin turned aside 31 shots for the win while Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher earned a misconduct penalty late in the game for sucker-punching Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow. The Habs played without Mike Hoffman (back injury) and Jake Allen (concussion). Earlier in the day, the Rangers learned winger Sammy Blais will be sidelined for the season with a torn ACL.

An overtime goal by Cam Atkinson lifted the Philadelphia Flyers over the Calgary Flames 2-1. Flyers center Kevin Hayes scored his first of the season and pointed skyward to honor his late brother Jimmy. Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau was held off the score sheet despite tallying 10 shots on goal.

The Arizona Coyotes picked up their second win of the season (2-13-1) by dropping the St. Louis Blues 3-2. Barrett Hayton scored twice, including the game-winner in the third period, while Scott Wedgewood picked up the victory with a 34-save effort.

Jason Robertson scored two goals and collected an assist to power the Dallas Stars over the Detroit Red Wings 5-2. Jake Oettinger made 28 saves in his season debut with the Stars. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was removed from the game following the second period and placed in COVID protocol.

San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. Logan Couture and Rudolfs Balcers each collected two assists while James Reimer made 26 saves.

IN OTHER NEWS…

ESPN.COM: The Los Angeles Kings arena will be getting a new name. Starting Christmas Day, the Staples Center will become Crypto.com Arena in a $700 million arena naming rights deal.

TORONTO STAR: The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Kyle Clifford from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for future considerations. It’s Clifford’s second tenure with the Leafs, playing 16 games for them in the 2019-20 season.

THE ATHLETIC: Former AHL coach Clark Donatelli was indicted on four counts of sexual assault. The charges stem from a November 2018 incident involving the wife of Donatelli’s former assistant coach during their tenure with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.

NHLPA.COM: Dion Phaneuf officially announced his NHL retirement yesterday. Phaneuf last played in 2018-19. He spent 14 seasons in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings, tallying 494 points in 1,048 games. Phaneuf was captain of the Leafs from 2010-11 until his trade to the Senators late in the 2015-16 campaign.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Phaneuf’s best seasons were during his first four years with the Flames, netting 47-or-more points in each of those campaigns. He was captain of the Leafs during a difficult time as the club endured a number of management and coaching changes while reaching the playoffs just once. Best wishes to Phaneuf and his family in their future endeavors.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 16, 2021

by | Nov 16, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 16, 2021

Jarome Iginla and Marian Hossa are among the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inducted on Monday, COVID-19 derails the Senators schedule, Alex Ovechkin tops the three stars of the week and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Jarome Iginla and Marian Hossa were among the six inductees of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s class of 2020 on Monday. Kevin Lowe and Doug Wilson were the other notable former NHL players to be inducted. Canadian women’s hockey star Kim St. Pierre was also inducted into the players’ category while Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland was inducted into the builders’ category.

Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa and Kevin Lowe are among the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020. (NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the HHoF Class of 2020. Their induction ceremony was delayed a year due to COVID-19. The pandemic also meant there would be no inductees for 2021 as the decision was made to allow last year’s class to enjoy the same ceremony as those of previous classes.

OTTAWA SUN: The NHL has postponed the Senators’ three games this week due to the outbreak of COVID-19 that has sidelined 10 players and assistant coach Jack Capuano. The expectation is the Senators will return to action next Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL is the first major North American sports league to postpone games this season. This recent outbreak among the Senators reached the point where the club depleted their AHL affiliate calling up replacements. The San Jose Sharks endured a recent outbreak that sidelined seven players and head coach Bob Boughner but it didn’t reach the point where they could no longer call up replacements from the minors.

Everyone on the Senators and Sharks was fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Breakthrough infections, however, can still occur, especially among athletes in close contact with each other despite protocols to limit the spread. The NHL’s protocols had been loosened for this season as COVID restrictions eased throughout North America.

The Senators will make up those postponed games at later dates. Whether this leads to any tightening of the NHL’s COVID protocols remains to be seen.

Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin, Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, and Anaheim Ducks winger Troy Terry were the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Nov. 14, 2021.

GAME RECAPS

Brayden Point had a goal and an assist and Victor Hedman collected two assists to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders, handing the latter their third straight loss. The Lightning has won six of their last 10 games while the Islanders (5-5-2) sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s been an uneven start for the Isles. They were projected to be a Stanley Cup contender after reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and the semifinal last season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets overcame 2-0 and 3-2 deficit to beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3. Yegor Chinakhov tied the game for the Jackets with his first career NHL goal and Zach Werenski tallied the game-winner. Red Wings forwards Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond each had a goal and an assist.

IN OTHER NEWS…

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Two days after returning from injury, Flyers defenseman Ryan Ellis is once again sidelined by a lingering lower-body injury. His status is listed as week-to-week.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche forward J.T. Compher will be sidelined for approximately a month with an upper-body injury.

WASHINGTON POST’s Samantha Pell reports Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby won’t face supplemental discipline for throwing Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary into the boards during Sunday’s game.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Golden Knights forward William Carrier entered COVID protocol while defenseman Alec Martinez remains sidelined after suffering a facial laceration requiring 50 stitches in last Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

ARIZONA REPUBLIC: Coyotes forwards Christian Fischer and Dmitrij Jaskin were placed on injured reserve while Johan Larsson entered COVID protocol.

TSN: The St. Louis Blues placed forward Kyle Clifford on waivers.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 15, 2021

by | Nov 15, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 15, 2021

​Connor McDavid achieves a points milestone while Ryan Getzlaf is on the verge of reaching one of his own. Check out the details in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid became the sixth-fastest player to reach 600 points during his club’s 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. McDavid had a goal and an assist to reach that milestone in 421 games and now has 601 points. Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists and Kailer Yamamoto netted the game-winner with 28 seconds remaining in regulation. Robert Thomas collected three helpers for the Blues.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Drasaitl (31 points) opened a four-point lead over McDavid atop the NHL points leader board.

The Anaheim Ducks won their seventh straight game by downing the Vancouver Canucks 5-1. Trevor Zegras scored twice, Troy Terry (one assist) extended his points streak to 14 games, and Ryan Getzlaf collected two assists to reach 999 career points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Getzlaf had 17 points in 48 games last season. The 36-year-old center has the same number of points in just 16 games thus far this season.

A shootout goal by Chris Kreider gave the New York Rangers a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. Rangers winger Kaapo Kakko picked up his first points of the season with a goal and an assist. Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood left the game in the third period and entered concussion protocol. Rangers forward Sammy Blais suffered an injured leg following a collision with Devils defenseman P.K. Subban.

The Washington Capitals scored twice in the second period and two more in the third in a 6-1 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Conor Sheary Garnet Hathaway and Daniel Sprong all collected two points. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was held scoreless in his first game since returning from COVID protocol. Earlier in the day, the Capitals announced center Nic Dowd signed a three-year contract extension worth an annual average value of $1.3 million.

A four-goal third period lifted the Boston Bruins over the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle each scored twice for the Bruins while teammate Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist. Earlier in the day, the Canadiens announced goaltender Jake Allen was listed as day-to-day with a head injury.

Calgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar made 27 saves for his first career NHL shutout in a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan each had two points. The Senators were playing with 10 regulars on COVID protocol as Drake Batherson was the latest to make the list yesterday.

The NHL department of player safety fined Minnesota Wild defenseman Alex Goligoski $5,000.00 for high-sticking Seattle Kraken winger Jordan Eberle on Saturday. Buffalo Sabres forward Evan Rodrigues was fined $2,500.00 for a dangerous trip of Ottawa Senators forward Zach Sanford.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 14, 2021

by | Nov 14, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 14, 2021

​Check out the recaps from Saturday’s action in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi had a hand in all of his club’s goals in a 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Josi scored two goals and assisted on two others. The Coyotes have lost 14 of their first 15 games of this season. Before the game, Coyotes winger Andrew Ladd entered COVID-19 protocol.

Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi (NHL Images).

A four-point performance by Drake Batherson (two goals, two assists) powered the depleted Ottawa Senators over the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3. Evan Rodrigues scored twice for the Penguins. Nikita Zaitsev was placed on COVID protocol before game time after coming off the list early Saturday. The Senators have nine players on the list. They also lost center Shane Pinto as he left the game during the second period with a possible shoulder surgery.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard scored a goal and set up three others in a 6-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Nazem Kadri had a goal and two assists for the Avs. Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier were among seven Sharks players to return to the lineup from COVID protocols. Earlier in the day, the Avs claimed forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Rookie Rem Pitlick netted a natural hat trick as the Minnesota Wild doubled up the Seattle Kraken 4-2, handing the latter their fourth straight loss. Ryan Hartman collected assists on each of Pitlick’s goals.

Brad Marchand scored twice as the Boston Bruins downed the New Jersey Devils 5-2 to snap the latter’s four-game points streak. Charlie McAvoy collected three assists while Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak each had two points for the Bruins.

The New York Rangers scored three goals in 62 seconds in the second period to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3. Rangers forward Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider each scored twice. Blueshirts goalie Igor Shesterkin left in the third period following a collision with Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier but got a clean bill of health after the game. Earlier in the day, the Rangers placed center Filip Chytil on injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to Nov. 6.

Vegas Golden Knights forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Evgenii Dadonov both scored twice as their club rolled to a 7-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Vegas captain Mark Stone picked up an assist as he returned to action after several weeks on injured reserve. The Golden Knights have won three straight. Canucks forward Nils Hoglander scored twice and collected an assist.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored twice, including the winner in overtime to down the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. Canadiens goalie Jake Allen left the game with a concussion following a first-period collision with Larkin after the latter was shoved from behind by Habs defenseman Jeff Petry. Following the game, the Canadiens called up netminder Cayden Primeau from their AHL affiliate in Laval.

Mark Scheifele’s first goal of the season came in overtime in the Winnipeg Jets’ 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, ending the latter’s seven-game win streak. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves for the win.

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll made 23 saves to win his NHL debut 5-4 over the Buffalo Sabres. Morgan Rielly tallied the winning goal with 12 seconds remaining in the game. Rielly and John Tavares each had a goal and an assist. Jeff Skinner scored twice for the Sabres.

Brayden Point’s overtime tally lifted the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers, extending the latter’s winless skid to four games. The Panthers overcame a 2-0 deficit to force the extra frame. The Lightning’s point streak is now at seven games.

A late goal by Brendan Smith gave the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Tony DeAngelo each collected two points for the Hurricanes while Robert Thomas had two assists for the Blues.

The Dallas Stars picked up their first regulation victory of the season by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2. Roope Hintz and Luke Glendening each had a goal and an assist for the Stars while Anton Khudobin kicked out 31 shots for the win. Kevin Hayes and Ryan Ellis returned to the Flyers lineup after injuries sidelined them for several weeks.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2021

by | Nov 13, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2021

​Alex Ovechkin moves up again on the all-time goal-scoring list, Jack Eichel undergoes surgery, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Alex Ovechkin tallied his 742nd career NHL goal while Conor Sheary scored the game-winner late in the third period as the Washington Capitals defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3. Ovechkin overtook Brett Hull to move into fourth place on the all-time goal-scoring list. Garnet Hathaway netted two goals for the Capitals while Sean Kuraly replied for the Jackets with two goals.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin now sits 24 goals behind Jaromir Jagr for third place. At his current rate of production (12 goals in 14 games), the Capitals captain could surpass Jagr by mid-January.

The Buffalo Sabres upset the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 thanks to two goals by Dylan Cozens and a 33-save performance by Dustin Tokarski. Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl tallied twice to lead the league with 14 goals and 28 points while teammate Connor McDavid collected an assist to extend his season-opening points streak to 13 games. The Sabres improve their record to 6-5-2.

An overtime goal by Auston Matthews lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. William Nylander set up both goals by the Leafs, who’ve won seven of their last eight contests. The Flames are winless (0-2-1) in their last three games.

Carter Hart turned aside 39 shots to backstop the Philadelphia Flyers over the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1. Joel Farabee and Zack MacEwen netted third-period goals to give the Flyers the win.

The Chicago Blackhawks have three straight wins under interim head coach Derek King as they nipped the Arizona Coyotes 2-1 on Dylan Strome’s game-winner in the third period. Patrick Kane collected two assists as the Blackhawks improve their record to 4-9-2. The Coyotes, meanwhile, have just one victory (1-12-1) thus far.

HEADLINES

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Golden Knights center Jack Eichel underwent successful artificial disk replacement surgery in Denver on Friday. He’s expected to spend three weeks in Denver recovering before returning to Las Vegas for the remainder of his expected three-month rehab.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators will play the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight in Kanata and the Calgary Flames on Sunday despite their COVID-depleted roster. Nine Senators are currently on the COVID protocol list.

The league instructed the club to cancel practice for the third time this week on Friday to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The Senators had hoped to convince the NHL to postpone several games until some of the players are well enough to return to action.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: According to the report, the league sympathizes with the Senators’ plight but hopes to avoid rescheduling games until the club has almost no more players left to recall from their AHL affiliate.

While I understand the league’s reluctance to face rescheduling games as they did last season, they’re not doing the Senators any favors here by forcing them to ice a significantly depleted lineup. There’s also the risk of spreading the virus among themselves or their opponents. The good news (so far) is no other players have tested positive since Thursday.

Speaking of the Senators, defenseman Erik Brannstrom will be sidelined for up to eight weeks with a broken hand suffered during Thursday’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

SPORTSNET: Seven San Jose Sharks players (Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Kevin Lebanc, Jake Middleton, Matt Nieto and Radim Simek) and head coach Bob Boughner have returned to the active roster since being placed in COVID protocol on Oct. 30.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Karlsson, Middleton and Boughner described how their contracting COVID-19 affected their families. They were among the first of five others on the club to recently test positive for the coronavirus.

Karlsson said his wife and two-year-old daughter also tested positive. While his daughter is doing well, his wife is still dealing with symptoms. Middleton, meanwhile, had to put his girlfriend and their dog into a hotel during the 10 days he was in COVID protocol. Boughner’s parents were visiting when he got his positive test. He immediately quarantined himself into a hotel while his parents returned to Canada safe and sound.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report also indicated the Sharks organization is fully vaccinated. Neither Karlsson, Middleton or Boughner know where or when they were exposed to COVID.

NHL.COM: The department of player safety suspended Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tucker Poolman for two games for high-sticking Colorado Avalanche forward Kiefer Sherwood on Thursday.

TSN: Braydon Coburn announced his retirement yesterday after 16 NHL seasons. The 37-year-old defenseman tallied 234 points in 983 games with the Atlanta Thrashers, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders. He won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2020.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Coburn and his family in their future endeavors.