NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 6, 2020

by | Jan 6, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 6, 2020

Capitals stage late rally to upset the Sharks, an update on the NHL and the Olympics, and more in today’s morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Goals by Jakub Vrana and T.J. Oshie within the final minute of regulation set the stage for Lars Eller’s overtime tally as the Washington Capitals upset the San Jose Sharks 5-4. Vrana scored twice for the Capitals while Sharks winger Evander Kane netted a hat trick.

Lars Eller’s overtime goal lifted the Washington Capitals over the San Jose Sharks 5-4 (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks seemingly put this out of reach after Logan Couture made it 4-2. They collapsed defensively in that final minute, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their win streak to eight games by defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist. Bolts blueliner Ryan McDonagh missed the game with an upper-body injury. The Hurricanes have dropped five of their last seven contests.

Ryan Getzlaf’s shootout winner gave the Anaheim Ducks a 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators. Getzlaf also collected three assists while teammate Adam Henrique scored two goals and chipped in an assist. Predators captain Roman Josi collected an assist to extend his points streak to 10 games, setting the team record for defensemen. Craig Smith scored twice for the Predators.

Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger made 31 saves in a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mike Hoffman and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and an assist.

A shootout goal by Dillon Dube put the Calgary Flames over the Minnesota Wild by a score of 5-4. Flames forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Mikael Backlund each collected two assists, while Wild winger Marcus Foligno scored twice.

The Chicago Blackhawks overcame a 2-0 deficit to double up the Detroit Red Wings 4-2. Corey Crawford picked up the win in his first start since Dec. 23. Adam Boqvist tallied the winner in the third period.

TSN: International Ice Hockey Federation chief Rene Faisel said the NHL must decide by August if it intends to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. He wants to ensure his organization has more time to make the appropriate preparations one way or the other. “We are working on an early decision made by the NHL and NHLPA,” Fasel said. “We need to know before that.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: NHL players remain keen to participate in the Olympics. The league, on the other hand, is still cool to the idea, largely because the International Olympic Committee declined to pick up the costs of travel, insurance, and accommodations for NHL players. I daresay they’d also like a share of the sponsorship and media revenue. If the IOC maintains its previous position, we can forget about NHL participation in any future Olympics.

CBS SPORTS: Vegas Golden Knights rookie Cody Glass is suffering from a bone bruise on his leg and won’t require surgery. He suffered the injury during Saturday’s win over the St. Louis Blues.

 

 

 










World Traveler Thomas Puts Canada Atop The Junior Hockey World

by | Jan 6, 2020

World Traveler Thomas Puts Canada Atop The Junior Hockey World

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 5, 2020

by | Jan 5, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 5, 2020

Game recaps, injury updates and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Mikko Rantanen tallied his second career NHL hat trick as the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2. Linemate Nathan MacKinnon picked up two assists.

Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen picked up his second career NHL hat trick in a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils (Photo via NHL Images).

The Buffalo Sabres took a 3-0 lead over the Florida Panthers and held on for a 3-2 victory. Sam Reinhart and Marcus Johansson each picked up two points for the Sabres. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled after giving up three goals on seven shots, further highlighting what’s been a miserable performance this season by the former two-time Vezina Trophy winner.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bobrovsky’s stats are truly horrid, sporting the second-worst goals-against average (3.33) and seventh-worst save percentage (.895) among NHL goalies with at least 15 games-played this season. To say this is not what the Panthers expected from Bob when they signed him last summer to a seven-year, $70-million contract is an understatement.

A three-goal third period carried the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Victor Hedman picked up two assists for the Lightning, who’ve won six straight and moved into third place in the Atlantic Division.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was only a matter of time until the talent-laden Lightning overcame their slow start to the season and surged back among the playoff contenders.

An overtime goal by Eric Staal gave the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Staal’s teammate Zach Parise made contact with Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck in the crease but it was ruled he was shoved into Hellebuyck. Jets coach Paul Maurice disagreed with the call but withheld further criticism of the officiating. “It’s goalie interference all day long for me and there’s not a lot of gray area on that one, but I’m not giving them any money. Not one dime,” he said in his postgame press conference, referring to recent fines levied at Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella for his tirade last week against officials.

Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller scored two goals in a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a costly victory for the Coyotes as goaltender Antti Raanta left the game with a lower-body injury following the second period.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Coyotes starter Darcy Kuemper is still sidelined with a lower-body injury. They’ll be hoping Raanta won’t be sidelined for long.

The Vancouver Canucks extended their winning streak to seven games by nipping the New York Rangers 2-1. Jacob Markstrom made 38 saves for the win as Tyler Myers tallied the game-winner late in the third period.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks have recovered nicely from what appeared to be another season-threatening swoon a month ago. They’re now third in the Pacific Division with 50 points.

Mike Smith’s 35-save performance carried the Edmonton Oilers over the slumping Boston Bruins 4-1. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl scored for the Oilers while Bruins winger David Pastrnak tallied his league-leading 31st goal. The Bruins have won just four of their last 15 games (4-5-6).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Once again, the Bruins lack of secondary scoring is coming back to haunt them. Expect general manager Don Sweeney to try and address that issue in the coming weeks.

The Vegas Golden Knights overcame a 3-0 deficit to edge the St. Louis Blues 5-4 on an overtime goal by Chandler Stephenson. Vegas has won four straight. Blues winger David Perron had a three-point performance.

Toronto Maple Leafs backup Michael Hutchinson turned in a 33-save shutout in a 3-0 victory over the New York Islanders. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner each had two points.

Brandon Tanev’s overtime goal lifted the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. The Penguins have won eight of their last 10 while the Canadiens are winless in their last five (0-4-1). Artturi Lehkonen tallied twice for the fading Habs.

The San Jose Sharks held off the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2, ending the latter’s 12-game points streak. Kevin Labanc potted the game-winner while Zach Werenski scored both Blue Jackets goals.

The Nashville Predators snapped a three-game losing skid by downing the Los Angeles Kings 4-1. Predators captain Roman Josi extended his points streak to nine games by collecting two assists. Kings defenseman Alec Martinez returned to action for the first time since having his wrist slashed by a skate blade on Nov. 25.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Blackhawks goaltender Robin Lehner is day-to-day with lower-body injury suffered during Thursday’s loss to the Canucks.

CBS SPORTS: Anaheim Ducks winger Ondrej Kase missed practice yesterday tending to a bone bruise.










NHL Weekend Bets – Canucks, Predators Among Favorites on Saturday NHL Odds

by | Jan 4, 2020

NHL Weekend Bets – Canucks, Predators Among Favorites on Saturday NHL Odds

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 4, 2020

by | Jan 4, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 4, 2020

Corey Perry receives a five-game suspension, the Canadiens sign Ilya Kovalchuk, injury updates and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist while Esa Lindell collected three assists to give the Dallas Stars a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The Stars have won four straight games. Before the game, the Stars honored Pavelski for playing his 1,000th career NHL game.

Ilya Samsonov made 38 saves as the Washington Capitals held off the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. Capitals forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller each had a goal and an assist. The Hurricanes (50 points) hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

HEADLINES

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars winger Corey Perry received a five-game suspension for elbowing Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis during the 2020 NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. Ellis suffered a possible concussion and was placed on injured reserve.

Dallas Stars winger Corey Perry suspended five games for elbowing Nashville’s Ryan Ellis (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Perry’s two previous suspensions on his NHL resume and the severity of Ellis’ injury were contributing factors in the league’s decision.

Speaking of the Stars, former head coach Jim Montgomery is checking into a rehab program for alcohol abuse. Montgomery released a statement indicating his recent firing was the appropriate call by the club. He took responsibility for his actions, saying the loss of his job served as a wake-up call to get treatment.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Montgomery. Here’s hoping he lands another NHL coaching job soon. He did a good job with the Stars and should get another shot elsewhere.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens yesterday signed free-agent winger Ilya Kovalchuk to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A spate of injuries and a recent slide in the standings prompted Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin to make this move. Kovalchuk is no longer a dominant scorer and probably won’t improve the Habs’ performance, but it’s a low-cost, low-risk move. If it doesn’t work out, Bergevin has sufficient salary-cap space to make a more impactful move.

WGR550: Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson will miss the next five-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres needed forward depth before their recent acquisition of winger Michael Frolik from the Calgary Flames. Olofsson’s injury could push them back into the trade market.

TSN: Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will pass on playing in the 2020 NHL All-Star Game. He will be replaced by Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Like Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, Fleury felt it better to use the All-Star break to rest and prepare for the remainder of the season and playoffs. He’ll be suspended by the league for one regular-season game. A small price to pay for the Golden Knights to rest their top netminder.

Speaking of the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, Washington’s Todd Reirden, Boston’s Bruce Cassidy, St. Louis’ Craig Berube, and Vegas’ Gerard Gallant will serve as coaches for the event.

SPORTSNET: New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech is out for the remainder of the season with an injury to his Achilles tendon.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a big loss to the Isles’ blueline. Pelech is considered their most dependable rearguard and won’t be easily replaced.

CBS SPORTS: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dean Kukan is sidelined indefinitely with a medial meniscus tear and articular cartilage injury.

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid received a two-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head of Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov.










Canadiens Toss Life Preserver, But Fate Is Still in Kovalchuk’s Hands

by | Jan 4, 2020

Canadiens Toss Life Preserver, But Fate Is Still in Kovalchuk’s Hands