NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 4, 2023

by | Jun 4, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 4, 2023

The Golden Knights take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Blue Jackets will reportedly hire Mike Babcock as head coach, highlights from Gary Bettman’s “State of the League” press conference, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS WIN GAME 1 OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL

NHL.COM: The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 5-2 in Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Zach Whitecloud tallied the winning goal in the third period to break a 2-2 while Mark Stone and Reilly Smith put the game out of reach for Vegas.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (NHL Images).

Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill got the win with a 32-save performance, including a big paddle save on Florida’s Nick Cousins early in the second with the game tied at 1-1. Vegas’ Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore finished the night with two points each. Eric Staal and Anthony Duclair scored for the Panthers.

Game 2 is Monday night in Las Vegas at 8 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: While the score was 2-2 after two periods, the Golden Knights were the better team over that stretch and took control of the game in the final frame. The Panthers kept it close until the third but the rust from their 10-day layoff was evident in this contest.

This game got rowdy at times and the Panthers’ frustration boiled over after Vegas made it 4-2. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett each drew misconduct penalties for throwing punches at Golden Knights defenseman Nic Hague during a scrum behind the Panthers’ net late in the period. Vegas center Chandler Stephenson also received a misconduct.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice was unperturbed by the loss. Following the game, he reminded reporters that his club fell behind 1-0 and 3-1 in the first-round series against the Boston Bruins. “Everybody just f**king breathe, alright?” said Maurice. “I feel like you people have been here, you’re tight. Loosen up a little bit.”

HEADLINES

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets are reportedly set to hire Mike Babcock as their new head coach pending the completion of his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1.

Babcock signed an eight-year, $50 million deal in 2015 to coach the Leafs but was fired in November 2019 amid accounts from former Leafs and Detroit Red Wings players that he bullied players, staffers and arena employees.

The 60-year-old Babcock has 17 seasons of NHL coaching experience with the Leafs, Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks. He’s 12th all-time in wins among NHL coaches (700), won a Stanley Cup with the Wings in 2008 and coached them to the Cup Final in 2009. He also guided the Ducks to the Final in 2003.

THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline reports Babcock and Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen was unavailable for comment on Saturday.

A team source told Portzline that Kekalainen and members of the club’s staff spoke with the veteran players on the roster to see how they would feel about the possibility of Babcock becoming head coach. Nevertheless, Portzline believes Babcock’s hiring could be met with consternation among some of the players.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The reaction toward this news on social media was mostly negative. Regardless, it appears Kekalainen believes Babcock deserves a second chance. As Portzline noted, there’s no disputing his successful record in the NHL and on the international stage for Canada despite his baggage.

Portzline also cited interviews Babcock have in 2021 where he pushed back against the allegations. Perhaps his nearly four-year banishment from the NHL has given him time to reflect and change for the better. We’ll find out in due course.

SPORTSNET: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly gave their annual State of the League news conference prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Among the highlights:

The league remains committed to Arizona despite the Coyotes’ failed bid to construct a new arena in Tempe. Bettman said the club is looking at other areas in the Phoenix area for a long-term home. He pointed to the size of the Arizona market and the Coyotes being a “victim of circumstance” as to why the league remains so patient in keeping the club in Arizona.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’ve said for years (and I’m not the only one) that the Arizona market is the reason Bettman has stubbornly worked to keep the Coyotes in their current location. A successful franchise in that market would significantly boost NHL revenue.

Bettman was asked about interest in Salt Lake City, Quebec City or a second team in Toronto. He said relocation currently isn’t being considered.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs would certainly have something to say about another club in their market. Sadly, Quebec City remains a long shot despite its state-of-the-art arena and rabid hockey fanbase. Salt Lake City, on the other hand, would be intriguing to the league as a potential relocation or expansion destination given its market size.

The Ottawa Senators are close to getting sold for what Bettman estimates could be around $1 billion USD.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bettman didn’t indicate who the front-runner is but it’s been reported that Toronto billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos has made the highest bid.

Bettman will be meeting individually with former Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and former head coach Joel Quenneville to determine whether they’ll be reinstated to work in the NHL. Both resigned in 2021 over their roles in mishandling Kyle Beach’s sexual assault allegations against former video coach Bradley Aldrich in 2010.

Daly said the league’s independent investigation into the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal has wrapped up and expects to release its report in July. Several players currently in the NHL were accused of sexually assaulting a young woman in 2018 while members of Canada’s world junior team. Their names have not been revealed.

Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin remains eligible to play in the NHL next season despite an incident in a Seattle hotel involving an intoxicated woman in his room that sparked a team investigation. Bettman said there will be no league investigation, adding that the Avalanche handled the situation appropriately.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nichushkin was not charged by Seattle police and there is no further investigation into the matter.

Two Stadium Series games will be held at New Jersey’s Metlife Stadium next February. The Philadelphia Flyers will face off against the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 17 followed by the New York Rangers facing the New York Islanders on Feb. 18.










2023 Stanley Cup Final Prediction

by | Jun 2, 2023

2023 Stanley Cup Final Prediction

Well, my Stanley Cup playoff prediction record for this season is in ruins.

I went a respectable four-for-eight in the first round, a pathetic one-for-four in the second round and an embarrassing oh-fer in the Conference Finals.

Honestly, I’ve enjoyed the chaos of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. I loved seeing the 16th-seeded Florida Panthers reach the Final. It’s been fun watching Jack Eichel giving a good account of himself in his first-ever postseason with the Vegas Golden Knights.

That being said, it’s time to have a laugh and see if I can at least get the Stanley Cup Final right.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS FLORIDA PANTHERS

The Golden Knights got this far by eliminating the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars. Meanwhile, the Panthers upset the first-overall Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the second-overall Carolina Hurricanes.

Both clubs are seeking their first Stanley Cup championship.

Looking at the Golden Knights, they should be the favorite to win this series. Their goals-per-game (3.65) is better than the Panthers (3.13). Six Golden Knights – Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Ivan Barbashev, Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Chandler Stephenson – sit among this postseason’s top-15 scorers whereas Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov are the only Panthers among that group.

The goaltending appears to be a wash. Vegas’ Adin Hill (2.07 goals-against, .937 goals-against average) has slightly better stats than Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky (2.21 GAA, .935 SP), who is a former two-time Vezina Trophy winner. It’s the first time both netminders have gone this far in postseason play.

Hill was a castoff of the Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks and was a third-stringer for the Golden Knights until pressed into service due to injuries to Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit.

Bobrovsky, meanwhile, struggled to regain his former Vezina form after joining the Panthers as a free agent in 2019. He took over midway through the first round with the Panthers down three games to one to the mighty Bruins and carried his club into the Cup Final.

The Golden Knights appear to have a deeper, more experienced roster. Their skilled blueline is anchored by former Stanley Cup champions Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez. They possess plenty of scoring punch with original Golden Knights Marchessault and Reilly Smith being Stanley Cup finalists in 2018 while Barbashev won a Cup in St. Louis with Pietrangelo in 2019.

Nevertheless, I’m drawn to the Panthers. They’re a hardworking underdog that’s been fun to watch during this postseason, upsetting three heavily-favored opponents along the way.

Bobrovsky and Tkachuk are the prime reasons the Panthers have reached this far and must be considered the front-runners for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Bobrovsky has reminded everyone this spring why he was a two-time Vezina Trophy winner. Tkachuk, meanwhile, has been clutch for the Panthers, leading them in scoring and has four game-winning goals, including three in overtime.

However, the exploits of Bobrovsky and Tkachuk overshadow a solid lineup for the Panthers. Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour, Aaron Ekblad and Anthony Duclair have all stepped up and played well. This club plays an aggressive, physical forechecking style that punishes and frustrates their opponents.

My head tells me to choose the Golden Knights. My heart says to go with the Panthers.

In the end, doesn’t everyone love an underdog story?

PREDICTION: PANTHERS WIN THE STANLEY CUP IN SIX GAMES










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 30, 2023

by | May 30, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 30, 2023

The Golden Knights advance to the Stanley Cup Final, the schedule for the Final is released, plus the latest on Milan Lucic, Oliver Wahlstrom and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Vegas Golden Knights are heading to the Stanley Cup Final after blanking the Dallas Stars 6-0 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final to win the series four games to two. It’s the second time in the Golden Knights’ six-season history that they’ve gone to the Cup Final.

Vegas Golden Knights pose with Clarence Campbell Bowl as the 2023 Western Conference champions (NHL.com).

Adin Hill stopped 23 shots for his second career playoff shutout while William Karlsson scored twice and collected an assist. William Carrier, Keegan Kolesar and Michael Amadio each had a goal and an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As in the Golden Knights’ lopsided victory in Game 3, they jumped out to an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. They dominated the Stars with their aggressive forecheck and exploited the Stars’ defensive breakdowns.

Vegas’ quick start was powered by the fourth line of Carrier, Kolesar and Nicolas Roy. They started the game on the opening faceoff and were key to their club’s quick start with Carrier and Kolesar tallying two of the Golden Knights’ three first-period goals.

It was another tough night for Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger as he gave up all six goals. However, Stars head coach Peter DeBoer pointed out that his club left Oettinger hung out to dry. “We put him in some tough spots,” said DeBoer. “We can’t ask him to win that game all by himself.”

Stars captain Jamie Benn returned to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for cross-checking Vegas captain Mark Stone in Game 3. However, he was a non-factor in this game.

The Golden Knights will face off against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final with Game 1 in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 3 at 8 pm ET.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers will have had a 10-day break from the end of the Eastern Conference Final to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. They intend on making the most of it to prepare for the Golden Knights and allow time for banged-up players to recuperate.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The downside of such a lengthy break is the Panthers could be rusty when they face off against the Golden Knights on Saturday. Practice helps but is no substitute for game action.

TSN: Milan Lucic is mulling his future after helping Canada win gold at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. The 34-year-old winger is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after spending the past four seasons with the Calgary Flames. He said he’ll spend the next month thinking about the next step in his career and the best fit moving forward.

NEW YORK POST: Oliver Wahlstrom’s role with the Islanders remains unclear heading into the offseason. The 22-year-old restricted free-agent winger is expected to be back with the Isles next season.

Because it’s unclear whether veteran wingers like Pierre Engvall, Zack Parise and Josh Bailey will return next season, it’s unclear whether Wahlstrom will move into a top-six role with the Isles next season.

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports NHL sources claimed the sale of the Senators has reached its final pivotal stages. One of the sources believes Toronto billionaire Steve Apostopoulos had the highest bid at $1 billion USD. “It’s getting there,” said one source, adding it’s hoped there will be something announced later this week.