Why Don’t More NHL Teams Grow Their Own Goalies?
Why Don’t More NHL Teams Grow Their Own Goalies?
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 9, 2021
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 9, 2021
Recaps of Monday’s action, three stars of the week, plus updates on Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, Dougie Hamilton and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: Minnesota Wild goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 26 saves for his first career NHL shutout to blank the Vegas Golden Knights 2-0, snapping the latter’s six-game win streak. Kevin Fiala and Jonas Brodin were the goal scorers. With 29 points, the Wild moved into third place in the Honda West Division.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).
The San Jose Sharks ended a three-game losing skid on Evander Kane’s overtime goal to edge the St. Louis Blues 3-2. Vladimir Taransenko picked up an assist in his second game back from offseason shoulder surgery. The Blues (32 points) moved within one point of the first-place Golden Knights in the West Division.
Connor McDavid picked up two assists and Leon Draisaitl scored a goal as the Edmonton Oilers held off the Ottawa Senators 3-2. Rookie Tim Stutzle scored one of the Senators’ two goals. The Oilers vaulted over the idle Winnipeg Jets into second place in the Scotia North Division with 32 points.
A third-period goal by Johan Larsson lifted the Arizona Coyotes over the Colorado Avalanche 3-2. Antti Raanta made 16 saves for the win in relief of Darcy Kuemper, who left in the third period with an apparent injury. Clayton Keller and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each collected two assists for the Coyotes (27 points), who moved within one of the fourth-place Avalanche in the West Division.
Bo Horvat scored the winner in a shootout as the Vancouver Canucks edged the Montreal Canadiens 2-1. Adam Gaudette tied the game for the Canucks within the final minute of the third period. Thatcher Demko made 29 saves for the win while Montreal’s Carey Price turned aside 28 shots. The Canucks (26 points) moved to within three points of the fourth-place Habs in the North Division.
The Anaheim Ducks blew a 5-3 lead but went on to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 6-5 on an overtime goal by Adam Henrique. Rickard Rakell scored twice and collected an assist for the Ducks while Kings forward Adrian Kempe tallied a hat trick. The Kings sit two points behind the Avs in the West Division.
HEADLINES
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko and Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending March 7.
TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews admitted he still hasn’t fully recovered from a nagging hand injury. Matthews leads all NHL scorers this season with 18 goals but has gone goalless in his last five games.
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Patrik Laine’s status is unclear after leaving practice early yesterday following a spill during a drill. Head coach John Tortorella provided no update on the winger’s condition.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton has only one goal this season after scoring 20 in 2019-20. He leads the clubs with 15 assists.
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Anaheim Duck general manager Bob Murray gave a vote of confidence to head coach Dallas Eakins. However, they’ve discussed bringing in an experienced assistant coach.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ah, the infamous “vote of confidence”. Given the Ducks’ struggles over the last three seasons, I wonder if Ducks ownership has any confidence left in Murray. If they don’t, he and Eakins could be replaced in the offseason.
SPORTSNET: released its list of the 25 most powerful women in hockey to commemorate International Women’s Day (March 8). Among the notables were NHL executive Kim Davis, Los Angeles Kings AHL scout Blake Bolden, Team USA captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Cassie Campbell-Pascall and Toronto Maple Leafs assistant director of player development Hayley Wickenheiser.
SPORTSNET: The NHL has proposed more changes to its draft lottery format. Among them are teams being limited to no more than two lottery wins within a five-year period, teams being allowed to jump no more than 10 spots in the draft order with a lottery win, and a reduction in the number of picks decided by the lottery from three to two.
Also, a final decision on whether to postpone the 2021 NHL Draft is expected in the next several days. It is tentatively slated for July 23-24.
NHL Betting: Matthews Still A Rocket Richard Favorite But Others Lurk
NHL Betting: Matthews Still A Rocket Richard Favorite But Others Lurk
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 8, 2021
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 8, 2021
Recaps of Sunday’s action plus the latest on Brandon Carlo, Tom Wilson and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: First-period goals by Anders Lee and Brock Nelson 62 seconds apart powered the New York Islanders to a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. It was the Isles’ fifth straight victory and the Sabres’ seventh consecutive loss. Nelson scored twice while Jeff Skinner tallied his first of the season for Buffalo.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders (34 points) hold a two-point lead over the Washington Capitals for first place in the MassMutual East Division.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).
Alex Ovechkin tallied career goal 714 and Ilya Samsonov made 36 saves as the Capitals downed the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1. Before the game, Ovechkin weighed in on teammate Tom Wilson’s seven-game suspension for boarding Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo, calling it “a kind of joke.” Wilson will not appeal the suspension.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I understand Ovechkin is sticking up for his teammate but I wonder if he’d feel the same way if, say, Brad Marchand (like Wilson, a skilled player with a history of reckless play) hit one of the Capitals in the same way Wilson did to Carlo.
New Jersey Devils goaltender Scott Wedgewood turned in a 40-save shutout to blank the Bruins 1-0. Kyle Palmieri tallied the only goal. Speaking of Carlo, he was released from the hospital on Saturday and is listed as week-to-week with a head injury.
The Tampa Bay Lightning overcame a 3-0 deficit to down the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3. Four of their goals came on the power play as they extended their points streak to eight games. Yanni Gourde led the way with two goals and two assists. Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy received a match penalty for a dangerous hit to the head of Lightning blueliner Erik Cernak and could face supplemental discipline. The Hawks also played without rearguard Calvin de Haan, who’s ailing from blocking a shot during Friday’s game between the two clubs.
Sebastian Aho had a goal and an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes doubled up the Florida Panthers 4-2. Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle played his 1,000th career NHL game. With the win, the Hurricanes (35 points) are one point behind the first-place Lightning in the Discover Central Division and one point ahead of the Panthers.
A three-point performance by Kasperi Kapanen helped the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 5-1. The Penguins blew the game open with three goals by Kapanen, John Marino and Sidney Crosby within 61 seconds in the second period. Pittsburgh (29 points) moved two points ahead of the Flyers into fourth in the East Division. Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba picked up an assist in his first game since suffering a broken thumb on Feb. 16.
The Nashville Predators nipped the Dallas Stars 4-3 on a shootout goal by Roman Josi. The Stars overcame a 3-0 deficit with three third-period goals to force overtime and the shootout.
A shootout goal by Drake Batherson gave the Ottawa Senators a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames, who dropped their second straight game since firing head coach Geoff Ward.
IN OTHER NEWS…
TSN: Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto was fined $3, 854.17 for tripping Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson during Saturday’s game.
MLIVE.COM: Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi remains sidelined by an upper-body injury suffered on Jan. 30. He hasn’t practiced in five weeks and there’s no timetable for his return.
NEW YORK POST: Rangers president John Davidson reached out to Barry Beck after the former Rangers captain recently wrote a scathing Facebook post blaming the Rangers, USA Hockey and the NHL for the death of former teammate Mark Pavelich, who passed away last week at age 63.
Beck believes Pavelich’s struggles late in his life were attributable to head trauma suffered during his playing career with the Rangers in the 1980s. He criticized the club and USA Hockey for what he considered their lack of support of Pavelich. He also called the NHL “cowards” for avoiding discussion about the lasting effect of brain and head injuries suffered while playing. Pavelich’s death is still under investigation.
NHL Betting: Calder Trophy Odds Update
NHL Betting: Calder Trophy Odds Update
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 7, 2021
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 7, 2021
Recaps of Saturday’s action, Tom Wilson receives a seven-game suspension, Wayne Gretzky eulogizes his father Walter, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
GAME RECAPS
NHL.COM: The New York Rangers got two goals from Ryan Strome to defeat the New Jersey Devils 6-3, handing the latter their fifth straight loss. Adam Fox opened the scoring for the Rangers with a beautiful end-to-end goal.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Devils (16 points) looked like they could contend for a playoff berth several weeks ago. Their recent skid sent them tumbling toward the bottom of the MassMutual East Division standings, one point ahead of the Buffalo Sabres. They could be joining the list of potential sellers at the April 12 trade deadline.
Speaking of the Sabres, they dropped their sixth straight in a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders. Mathew Barzal’s between-the-legs game-tying goal launched was the start of a four-goal outburst in the second period for the Islanders as they extended their points streak to seven games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: With the win, the Islanders (32 points) sit atop the East Division.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (NHL Images)
Evgeni Malkin scored and collected an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins held off the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3. Flyers winger Travis Konecny also had a goal and assist as his club is tied with the Penguins (27 points) but holds fourth place in the East on win percentage (.643) with two games in hand.
A hat trick by Noel Acciari powered the Florida Panthers over the Nashville Predators 6-2. Jonathan Huberdeau, Aaron Ekblad and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers (34 points), who are tied with the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning in the Discover Central Division. Earlier in the day, the Predators placed center Matt Duchene on injured reserve. He will be sidelined three-to-five weeks with a lower-body injury.
Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller each had a goal and two assists as the Vancouver Canucks doubled up the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to sweep their two-game set. Canucks goaltender Thatcher kicked out 37 shots for the win.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Demko’s play has improved since mid-February. He’ll likely get the bulk of the starts in the coming weeks as the Canucks (24 points) sit four points out of a playoff spot in the Scotia North Division.
The Arizona Coyotes overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Minnesota Wild 5-2. Darcy Kuemper made 32 saves while Lance Pitlick tallied twice for the Coyotes. The win puts Arizona (25 points) just two behind the Wild for the fourth and final playoff berth in the Honda West Division.
Carey Price turned aside 28 shots, Brendan Gallagher notched two goals and Tomas Tatar collected three assists as the Montreal Canadiens thumped the Winnipeg Jets 7-1. Josh Anderson scored in his first game with the Habs after being sidelined for three games by a lower-body injury.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: That was the most convincing Canadiens win since their 6-2 victory over the Canucks on Feb. 1. They’re now 2-1-2 in their first five games under interim coach Dominique Ducharme.
The Anaheim Ducks snapped a nine-game winless skid with a 5-4 overtime win over the Colorado Avalanche. The Ducks blew a 2-0 lead but overcame a 4-2 deficit on goals by Troy Terry and Kevin Shattenkirk to set the stage for Ryan Getzlaf’s game-winner in the extra frame. Terry scored twice and Rickard Rakell had a three-point night. Mikko Rantanen replied with two of his own for the Avalanche.
Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger made 21 saves for his first career NHL shutout to blank the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-0. Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist for the Stars to snap their four-game losing skid.
Vladimir Tarasenko’s season debut following offseason shoulder surgery couldn’t help the St. Louis Blues from dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to the Los Angeles Kings. Adrian Kempe tallied the game-winner while Anze Kopitar scored twice for the Kings. Tarasenko was held scoreless while teammate David Perron had a goal and an assist. With 25 points, the Kings sit two back of the fourth-place Wild in the West Division.
Vegas Golden Knights netminder Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his league-leading fourth shutout in a 4-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Alex Tuch scored twice to extend his goal streak to four games. Golden Knights captain Mark Stone left the game in the first period with an undisclosed injury. Vegas sits atop the West Division with 33 points.
The Edmonton Oilers got goals by Kailer Yamamoto and Connor McDavid to edge the Calgary Flames 3-2. McDavid also had two assists on the night. The Oilers (30 points) sit two up on the fourth-place Canadiens in the North Division and two back of the Jets.
HEADLINES
NBC SPORTS WASHINGTON: The NHL suspended Capitals winger Tom Wilson for seven games for boarding Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo on Friday. Carlo was taken to the hospital for treatment overnight but was released yesterday.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Given Wilson’s history of reckless hits resulting in four fines and three suspensions it’s not surprising the league handed down this judgement. He’s now been suspended for a total of 30 games in the NHL career.
SPORTING NEWS: Wayne Gretzky eulogized his father Walter during the latter’s funeral yesterday in Brantford, Ontario. “He was a remarkable man who loved life, loved family,” said Wayne. “We’d be a way better world if there were so many more people like my dad.” He also pointed out COVID-19 played no part in Walter’s passing, indicating he’d suffered a bad hip injury several weeks ago. He passed away last week at age 82.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rest in peace, Walter. Your legacy will live as long as your son’s.
LAS VEGAS SUN: The Vegas Golden Knights were left scrambling for new accommodations after the San Jose hotel they were staying in abruptly closed due to bankruptcy.
THE SCORE: A small number of NHL players in the United States have begun receiving COVID-19 vaccines. Some received it because of the city where they lived where the vaccine became available.