NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 4, 2025

by | May 4, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 4, 2025

Mikko Rantanen leads the Stars to a Game 7 victory over the Avalanche, the schedule for three of the four second-round series are revealed, the latest on Mark Scheifele, Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, Mattias Ekholm, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Mikko Rantanen tallied a hat trick and collected an assist on Wyatt Johnston’s winning goal to lead the Dallas Stars to a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 of their first-round series.

Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen (NHL Images).

Josh Manson and Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche, who held a 2-0 lead in the third period until Rantanen broke the game open for the Stars. Rantanen leads all playoff scorers in the first round with 12 points.

The Stars await the winner of Sunday’s Game 7 matchup between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rantanen’s efforts in this game will be remembered as one of the greatest single-period performances in NHL playoff history. The Avalanche were on the verge of winning this series until their former teammate took over.

MacKinnon was shocked by how quickly things fell apart for his team, crediting Rantanen as the difference-maker in this game.

Trading away one of their best players (and a proven postseason performer) at midseason only to have him almost single-handedly beat them in Game 7 will haunt the Avalanche for years.

Stars head coach Peter DeBoer holds the North American pro sports record for the most Game 7 wins by a head coach or manager, going a perfect 9-0.

The NHL released the schedule for three of the four upcoming second-round series.

It begins on Monday, May 5, with Game 1 of the Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers series, starting in Toronto at 8 pm ET.

On Tuesday, May 6, the Washington Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 starting at 7 pm ET. The Edmonton Oilers travel to Las Vegas to meet the Golden Knights in Game 1 starting at 9:30 pm ET.

TSN: Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele will be a game-time decision for Game 7 on Sunday against the St. Louis Blues in Winnipeg. Scheifele left Game 5 with an undisclosed and missed Game 6 in St. Louis, which the Blues won 5-2 to tie the series at three games apiece.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets missed Scheifele’s presence in the last game. He could provide them a lift if he’s good to go for the seventh and deciding game.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators captain Brady Tkachuk dismissed speculation that he wants out of Ottawa. Speaking with the media on Saturday, Tkachuk called the rumor an obvious lie, maintaining his commitment to helping the Senators become a winning team.

Tkachuk also said he suffered a hip injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and played through that over the rest of the season after missing a couple of games. He also suffered an upper-body injury on March 30 and took off the final game of the regular season to prepare for the playoffs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tkachuk is under contract through 2027-28. Before this season, the speculation about his future was based on the Senators’ long postseason drought. Their recent improvement, partly thanks to Tkachuk’s performance and leadership, is testament to his commitment to this club.

Senators forward Claude Giroux hopes to return next season. The 37-year-old forward has no plans to retire. If the Senators don’t re-sign him, he’ll join another club.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Giroux prefers to stay with the Senators. He’s completing a three-year contract with an average annual value of $6.5 million. His production has declined over that period (79 points in 2022-23, 64 points last season, 50 this season) and he’ll have to take a pay cut, but they have the room to re-sign him to a one or two-year deal.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers will be without defenseman Mattias Ekholm for their second-round series against the Golden Knights. He missed their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings with an undisclosed injury.

MAYOR’S MANOR: Speaking of the Kings, John Hoven cited multiple sources claiming it appears that general manager Rob Blake and head coach John Hiller will return for 2025-26.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hoven is well-connected with the Kings’ organization. He indicated there’s nothing official yet on the status of Blake and Hiller as the club’s powers-that-be are taking the weekend to decompress following another first-round elimination at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.

CALGARY SUN: The Flames signed Matt Coronato to a seven-year contract extension with an AAV of $6.5 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Coronato is completing his entry-level contract, receiving a substantial raise over his current AAV of $925K. The 22-year-old winger earned it with a solid sophomore season, finishing third among Flames scorers with 24 goals and 23 assists for 47 points in 77 games. Flames management anticipates big things to come for this promising forward.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Carolina Hurricanes signed Frederik Andersen to a one-year contract extension. He’ll receive a base salary of $2.75 million and upward of $750K in performance bonuses.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Andersen is a steady presence in the Hurricanes’ crease when healthy. They felt it was best to stick with the oft-injured netminder for another season rather than find an affordable replacement among the limited options in this summer’s trade and free-agent markets.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sharks forward William Eklund may have avoided serious injury after being cut on his left wrist by a skate during a World Championship tune-up game.

Playing for Sweden, Eklund was injured playing against Czechia when he was clipped by Filip Hronek’s skate. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he is in stable condition. His agent, Todd Diamond, said it doesn’t appear the skate blade cut any key tendons or nerves.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Here’s hoping Eklund wasn’t seriously hurt and fully recovers from this incident.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 28, 2025

by | Apr 28, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 28, 2025

The Penguins part ways with head coach Mike Sullivan, Oilers and Blues tied their playoff series while the Capitals and Hurricanes took stranglehold leads in their respective postseason rounds. Check out the recaps and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

**BREAKING NEWS**

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas announced this morning that the club and head coach Mike Sullivan have agreed to part ways. Sullivan took over as head coach in December 2015. He guided them to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sullivan had a year remaining on his contract and had intended to honor it. It’ll be interesting to learn what brought about this development and where Sullivan’s next coaching job will be. It’s rumored the New York Rangers could be interested if he became available. 

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl scored his first NHL playoff overtime goal as his club overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in Game 4 of their opening-round series, tying it at two games apiece.

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard (NHL Images).

The Kings opened a 2-0 lead on goals by Trevor Moore and Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala made it 3-1 after Corey Perry got Edmonton on the board. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard scored two unanswered third-period goals to set the stage for Draisaitl’s OT winner. Calvin Pickard made 38 saves for the Oilers while Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 44 shots.

Game 5 of this best-of-seven series is Tuesday, Apr. 29, at 10 pm ET in Los Angeles.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bouchard has been clutch for the Oilers in this series. The puck-moving blueliner had three assists in Game 1 as the Oilers’ rally fell short in a 6-5 loss. He also scored twice (including the winning goal) in Game 3.

The St. Louis Blues scored three unanswered second-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 of their first-round series, tying it at two games apiece.

Jake Neighbours led the way with a goal and two assists and goaltender Jordan Binnington kicked out 30 shots for the Blues. Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, who replaced Connor Hellebuyck with Eric Comrie early in the third period after Hellebuyck gave up five goals on 18 shots.

Game 5 of this series returns to Winnipeg on Wednesday, Apr. 30, at 9:30 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the second straight game Hellebuyck gave up five goals. Jets followers are worried that the two-time Vezina Trophy winner could suffer another meltdown like last year against the Colorado Avalanche and in 2023 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Blues are getting plenty of production from their defensemen in this series. Cam Fowler picked up an assist in Game 5 for his team-leading eighth point. Colton Parayko had two assists and Justin Faulk scored, giving them three points each in four games.

Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker left this game after injuring his right leg (knee?) in the second period. There was no immediate postgame update, but he could miss the remainder of this series.

Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov scored his second NHL playoff hat trick to lead his club over the New Jersey Devils 5-2 in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns also scored for the Hurricanes, who took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Nico Hischier and Timo Meier replied for the Devils.

The Hurricanes can wrap this up in Game 4 on home ice in Raleigh on Tuesday, starting at 7:30 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Svechnikov is the only player in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history to score hat tricks in the postseason.

Canes goaltender Frederik Andersen left this game in the second period with an undisclosed injury following a collision with Meier. He was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov, who stopped 14 of 15 shots. Andersen will be evaluated on Monday and an update on his status should soon follow.

The Washington Capitals scored four unanswered third-period goals (two of them empty-netters) for a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of their series.

Andrew Mangiapane snapped a 2-2 tie for Washington with 3:37 remaining in the third period. Forward Brandon Duhaime tallied twice for the Capitals. Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield scored on the power play for the Canadiens while rookies Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov each collected two assists.

The series returns to Washington for Game 5 with the Capitals holding a 3-1 lead. They can wrap it up on Wednesday starting at 7 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals forward Tom Wilson’s physical play made the difference in this contest. His thunderous (but clean) bodycheck on Montreal defenseman Alexandre Carrier in the third period resulted in a turnover that led to Duhaime’s tying goal. It also knocked Carrier out of the game with an undisclosed injury, leaving the Canadiens without their best all-around defenseman at a critical juncture in the game.

Capitals starting goaltender Logan Thompson returned to action in this contest after an injury forced him to leave Game 3 in the third period. Canadiens starter Sam Montembeault remained sidelined by a lower-body injury suffered in Game 3 and is considered day-to-day. Jakub Dobes took his place in Game 4, stopping 21 shots.

One bright spot for the Canadiens was the performance of their top power-play unit of Slafkovsky, Hutson, Demidov, Caufield and Nick Suzuki. Those young guns continue to give their fans a tantalizing glimpse at a promising future for this club.










NHL Rumor Mill – April 8, 2025

by | Apr 8, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – April 8, 2025

Is this Chris Kreider’s final season with the Rangers? Will the Blue Jackets attempt to improve their goaltending in the offseason? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

IS THIS CHRIS KREIDER’S LAST SEASON WITH THE RANGERS?

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks thinks this brutal season could bring a sad end to Chris Kreider’s 13 NHL seasons with the Rangers.

Kreider’s had a difficult campaign. The 33-year-old winger’s production has suffered (20 goals and five assists in 63 games), he’s missed time with a nagging lower-back injury, and he was among the trade candidates on general manager Chris Drury’s infamous memo leaked to the media last November.

New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider (NHL Images).

Brooks believes Kreider’s production and publicly stated lower-back issues likely hurt his trade value among the general managers interested in him. However, he thinks this summer will be different, citing Kreider’s production over the previous three seasons.

Brooks feels the remaining two years of his contract (with an average annual value of $6.5 million) shouldn’t be a hindrance to receiving fair value back in a trade.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The issues that hurt Kreider’s trade value this season could carry over into the offseason. There could be GMs willing to gamble on him regaining his scoring touch but they could squeeze the Rangers to accept a lesser return, retain salary in the deal, or both.

The Rangers have a projected cap space of $9.6 million next season with 18 active roster players under contract and restricted free agents K’Andre Miller and Will Cuylle to re-sign.

Drury must free up some cap space to sign Miller and Cuylle. He also needs room to bolster his roster through trades and free agency. Rivals general managers know this, and they will try to take advantage.

Buying out the remainder of Kreider’s contract is another option but it won’t provide as much cap relief as a trade. The Rangers would face a cap hit of $3 million next season and $4 million in 2026-27, dropping to $1.5 million for each of the remaining two years.

BLUE JACKETS MUST ADDRESS THEIR GOALTENDING THIS SUMMER

THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline believes the Columbus Blue Jackets’ priority this summer should be addressing their goaltending.

Starter Elvis Merzlikins is playing better than last season but his performance still hasn’t been good enough. As of Apr. 6, he was ranked 42nd with a save percentage of .890 and 44th with a 3.24 goals-against average. Meanwhile, Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason has shown little faith in backups Daniil Tarasov and Jet Greaves.

Portzline believes it’s still highly doubtful that Merzlikins is tradeable. He’s signed through 2026-27 with an AAV of $5.4 million. However, a contract buyout would cost the Blue Jackets $1.5 million for next season, $2.8 million in 2026-27, dropping to $1.63 million for each of the remaining two seasons of the buyout.

Finding a new starter this summer will be challenging in a thin free-agent goalie market. The notables could include Jake Allen of the New Jersey Devils, Dan Vladar of the Calgary Flames, Ilya Samsonov of the Vegas Golden Knights, and Frederik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Allen, Vladar and Andersen would be short-term upgrades over Merzlikins, assuming they haven’t re-signed with their current clubs before July 1.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 24, 2025

by | Jan 24, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 24, 2025

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin keeps moving closer to Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, the Red Wings unveil their Quarter-Century Team, Wild owner Craig Leipold jumps the gun on commissioner Gary Bettman’s retirement plans, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF THURSDAY’S NHL ACTION

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored his 875th regular-season goal into an empty net in a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Charlie Lindgren turned in a 22-save shutout while Aliaksei Protas and Ethan Frank tallied unassisted goals for the Capitals, who picked up their sixth straight win and sit first overall in the standings with 71 points. Kraken goalie Joey Daccord stopped 30 shots in his 100th regular-season game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin needs 20 goals to break Gretzky’s record of 894. With 34 games remaining in the Capitals’ regular-season schedule, he could break the record by April.

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen turned aside 18 shots for his 300th regular-season win as his club downed the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-4. Seth Jarvis scored twice and collected two assists and Sebastian Aho had a goal and two assists for the Hurricanes, who sit second in the Metropolitan Division with 63 points. Kent Johnson and James van Riemsdyk each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets (53 points) as they cling to the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Andersen became the second-fastest goalie in NHL history to reach 300 career wins (501 games played). Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightnings holds that record with 490 games played.

Edmonton Oilers forwards Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman each collected three points in a 6-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist for the Oilers (63 points) as they snapped a two-game losing skid to sit one point behind the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights. Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek replied for the Canucks (50 points), who’ve dropped four of their last five and sit three points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Draisaitl tallied his league-leading 35th goal and extended his home points streak to 17 games. Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood left this game for undisclosed reasons early in the second period.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights ended a four-game losing skid (0-3-1) by doubling up the St. Louis Blues 4-2. Mark Stone had a goal and an assist while Tomas Hertl scored in his fourth straight game to extend his points streak to seven games. Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas scored for the Blues (50 points), who also sit three points out of the final Western wild card.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights played without center William Karlsson as he’s week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg matched a franchise record by scoring in his seventh straight game in a 6-5 win over the San Jose Sharks. Forsberg finished the night with two goals while Fedor Svechkov snapped a 5-5 tie in the third period as the Predators picked up their fifth straight win. Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov gave up six goals on 38 shots against his former club.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Predators forward Cole Smith received a game misconduct for a hit to the head of San Jose forward Ty Dellandrea during the second period. Dellandrea had to be helped from the ice by the Sharks medical staff and was ruled out of the remainder of this game with an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, Sharks forwards Klim Kostin and Nico Sturm missed this game as both are sidelined week-to-week with injuries.

The New York Rangers extended their points streak to 10 games (7-0-3) by thumping the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1. Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves while Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller, Filip Chytil and Reilly Smith each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers. Owen Tippett scored for the Flyers as their three-game win streak ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Given up for dead after a six-week collapse in the standings, the Rangers (52 points) have climbed back into the Eastern playoff race, sitting one point behind the Blue Jackets for the final wild-card spot. The Flyers (50 points) are three points out.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin got a goal and an assist in his 700th regular-season game in a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Moritz Seider collected two assists as the Wings snapped a three-game losing skid. They sit four points behind the Blue Jackets. Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault kicked out 41 shots in the loss as his club is also one point back of the Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Red Wings forward Patrick Kane missed this game with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

The Boston Bruins blanked the Ottawa Senators 2-0, handing the latter their second straight shutout loss. Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo made 29 saves against his former team while Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak scored the only goals. Anton Forsberg gave up only one goal on 24 shots for the Senators, who are tied with the Rangers and Canadiens with 52 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bruins starter Jeremy Swayman missed this game with a minor upper-body injury. They called up Michael DiPietro to back up Korpisalo.

Senators winger David Perron returned to action for the first time in two months. They placed goalie Linus Ullmark on long-term injury reserve to accommodate Perron’s return. Meanwhile, it was a lousy day for Sens forward Claude Giroux as he was the victim of car theft for the second time in four months.

Anaheim Ducks forwards Mason McTavish and Alex Killorn each scored two goals to drop the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 and snap a four-game losing skid. John Gibson stopped 31 shots for the Ducks. Michael Bunting replied for the Penguins, who’ve lost nine of their last 12 contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins (48 points) are five points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot. Winger Bryan Rust left this game with an undisclosed injury.

The Utah Hockey Club got a 26-save shutout from goalie Karel Vejmelka in a 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild. Barrett Hayton tallied twice for Utah to extend their winning streak to three games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild sit second in the Central Division with 60 points but they’ve lost four of their last five games.

Calgary Flames forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri each had a goal and two assists to beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2. Dustin Wolf made 32 saves for the win as the Flames (53 points) hold a three-point lead over the Canucks in the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Mattias Samuelsson and Tage Thompson scored for the Sabres, who have lost three of their last four.

HEADLINES

THE ATHLETIC: Michael Russo and Chris Johnston report Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold said the executive committee of the NHL’s Board of Governors has been planning for the retirement of league commissioner Gary Bettman.

The longest-tenured commissioner in North American pro sports, Bettman was hired by the NHL in 1992. Leipold claims the BoG is in the process of finding Bettman’s successor.

Leipold, however, hadn’t realized the 72-year-old Bettman hadn’t formally announced his retirement plans. The commissioner told The Athletic he hasn’t decided when he’ll retire but brought it up for the first time to the executive committee ahead of last month’s BoG meeting in Florida.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leipold put Bettman and the league in an awkward spot by jumping the gun. Nevertheless, Bettman will inevitably retire at some point, perhaps before the end of this decade.

Bettman’s not going anywhere before a new collective bargaining agreement is hammered out with the NHL Players’ Association. The current CBA is set to expire in September 2026 but Bettman has announced the two sides intend to begin discussions next month. He could set his retirement plans in motion after that.

NHL.COM: The Detroit Red Wings unveiled their Quarter-Century Team on Thursday.

The First Team features forwards Steve Yzerman, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall, and goaltender Chris Osgood.

Forwards Sergei Fedorov, Brendan Shanahan and Dylan Larkin, defensemen Chris Chelios and Bryan Rafalski, and goalie Dominik Hasek comprised the Second Team.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom could be sidelined for weeks with an ankle injury suffered during Wednesday’s game against the Boston Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Losing their starting goalie is a big blow to the Devils. If he’s sidelined for a lengthy period it could affect their plans for the trade deadline.

THE SCORE: New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Fortunately, he won’t require surgery.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders have struggled to remain in the playoff chase. Losing their top defenseman is a significant setback that could turn this club into a trade-deadline seller if it hampers their efforts to qualify for the postseason.

THE DENVER POST: Colorado Avalanche forward Miles Wood is expected to return to action on Saturday against the Boston Bruins. He’s been sidelined since Nov. 27 by a back injury.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 21, 2025

by | Jan 21, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 21, 2025

Recapping Monday’s games, Oilers captain Connor McDavid suspended, the Avalanche reveal their Quarter-Century Team, the three stars of the week, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF MONDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist to lead his club to a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, ending the latter’s nine-game home win streak and handing them their fourth loss in their last five games. Kevin Hayes and Anthony Beauvillier also had a goal and an assist each for the Penguins (48 points), who sit four points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Adrian Kempe tallied his 23rd goal of the season for the Kings, who sit third in the Pacific Division with 55 points.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Kings honored firefighters and first responders during a pregame ceremony in their first game in their downtown arena since wildfires devastated large parts of Los Angeles.

Crosby reached a notable milestone, reaching the 50-point plateau for the 18th time in his NHL career. The Penguins got the win without winger Rickard Rakell, who returned to Pittsburgh for family reasons.

The Utah Hockey Club upset the Winnipeg Jets 5-2. Barrett Hayton had a goal and two assists as his club picked and Logan Cooley scored to extend his goal streak to four games as Utah picked up their second straight win. Nino Niederreiter and Dylan DeMelo replied for the Jets (65 points), who’ve lost two straight and remain two points behind the league-leading Washington Capitals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets head coach Scott Arniel wasn’t happy with his club’s performance, calling the loss their most embarrassing game of the season. Utah forward Clayton Keller took a puck to the face during the second period but returned before the end of the frame after receiving several stitches. “That’s a hockey player, eh?,” said Utah coach Andre Tourigny.

An overtime goal by Sebastian Aho gave the Carolina Hurricanes a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Frederik Andersen made 23 saves in his first game since Oct. 26 when he suffered a knee injury requiring surgery on Nov. 22. Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek kicked out 44 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game was also Andersen’s 500th in the NHL. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal reached a significant milestone as this was his 1,300th NHL regular-season game. Staal scored to reach 700 regular-season points.

The St. Louis Blues blew 3-1 and 4-2 leads before defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 on a shootout goal by Brayden Schenn. Jordan Binnington stopped 28 shots and Jordan Kyrou collected two assists for the Blues (50 points), who moved within one point of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore collected four assists as his club dropped their fourth straight game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights cling to first place in the Pacific Division with 62 points. Following this game, head coach Bruce Cassidy singled out goaltenders Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov. “We need better play out of the goaltending position right now,” said Cassidy.

Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies each collected three points in a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Leafs captain Auston Matthews scored to extend his goal streak to four games as his club picked up their third straight win and sit in first place in the Atlantic Division with 62 points. Nick Paul tallied twice for the Lightning, who sit third in the Atlantic Division with 53 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marner surpassed Hall-of-Famer Borje Salming for the most multi-assist games in franchise history with 123. Leafs winger Max Pacioretty missed this contest with an upper-body injury

The New York Islanders got two goals from Bo Horvat to down the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1, snapping the latter’s seven-game points streak (6-0-1). Mathew Barzal had two assists for the Islanders. Kent Johnson replied for the Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson left this game early in the third period with an injury to his right leg following a hit from Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger. There was no post-game update on his status.

Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle tallied twice in a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Coyle finished with three points while David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Elias Lindholm each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Will Smith scored and collected an assist for the Sharks, who have lost three straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The win vaulted the Bruins (52 points) one point ahead of the Blue Jackets into the final Eastern wild-card berth. The Ottawa Senators also have 52 points but hold the first wild-card spot with two games in hand over the Bruins.

Third-period goals by Yakov Trenin and Brock Faber lifted the Minnesota Wild over the Colorado Avalanche 3-1. Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 26 shots as the Wild snapped their three-game losing skid. Nathan MacKinnon replied for the Avalanche.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild sit second in the Central Division with 60 points while the Avalanche hold the first Western wild-card spot with 57 points.

Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann had a goal and two assists in a 6-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Chandler Stephenson and Adam Larsson each had a goal and an assist as the Kraken picked up their fourth win in their last six games. Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres, who’ve dropped three of their last four games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jiri Kulich returned to the Sabres lineup after missing the last two weeks with a lower-body injury.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid received a three-game suspension for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland on Saturday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid’s cross-check resulted from Garland pinning him to the ice for over 10 seconds late in the third period with no call from the on-ice officials. I don’t believe this suspension is justified.

However, McDavid should’ve received a suspension for his sneaky elbow to the head of Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson on Jan. 15, which went unpunished by the officials and the league. Johansson remains on injured reserve.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers received a three-game suspension for cross-checking Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard. The incident occurred in the scrum following McDavid’s cross-check on Garland.

The Colorado Avalanche unveiled their Quarter-Century Team on Monday.

Goaltender Patrick Roy, defensemen Adam Foote and Cale Makar, and forwards Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Nathan MacKinnon comprised the First Team.

The Second Team featured forwards Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Milan Hejduk, defensemen Rob Blake and Erik Johnson, and goaltender Semyon Varlamov.

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg, and Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak are the league’s three stars for the week ending Jan. 19, 2025.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Former NHL winger Marcel Bonin recently passed away at age 93. Bonin played 454 goals with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens from 1952-53 to 1961-62, tallying 97 goals and 175 assists for 272 points. He also had 25 points in 50 playoff games, winning a Stanley Cup with Detroit (1954-55) and three more with the Canadiens between 1957-58 and 1959-60.

NHL.COM: Former NHL coach Tom McVie passed away at the age of 89. McVie was a long-time minor-league player from 1956-57 to 1973-74. He coached the Washington Capitals from 1975-76 to 1978-79, the Winnipeg Jets from the 1979 WHA playoffs through 1980-81, and the New Jersey Devils from 1990-91 to 1991-92.

McVie was an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins from 1992-93 to 1994-95. He spent the past 30 years as a Bruins ambassador.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the families and friends of Bonin and McVie.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 22, 2024

by | Nov 22, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 22, 2024

A 13-goal game between the Blue Jackets and Lightning, Marc-Andre Fleury reaches another career milestone, updates on Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF THURSDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: The Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning combined for 13 goals with the Blue Jackets winning in overtime 7-6.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (NHL Images).

Defenseman Zach Werenski had a five-point night with two goals (including the game-winner) and three assists, Sean Monahan had a goal and three assists and Kent Johnson tallied twice for the Jackets. Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov collected three assists to surpass the 900-point plateau.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four games, snapping Tampa Bay’s three-game win streak. Lightning forward Nick Paul missed this game with an undisclosed injury.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves in his 1,000th NHL start in a 5-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Frederic Gaudreau tallied twice and collected an assist for the Wild (13-3-3), holding second overall in the Western Conference with 29 points. Corey Perry had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who’ve dropped three of their last four (1-2-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fleury also passed Patrick Roy for the third-most games played by a goaltender (1,030) in NHL history. He also shrugged off an embarrassing start when he whiffed on a clearing attempt that became the opening goal just 27 seconds into the game.

Oilers forwards Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson missed this game due to undisclosed injuries. Hyman will miss four to seven days while Arvidsson was placed on injured reserve. Defenseman Darnell Nurse also missed this game due to a concussion.

Colorado Avalanche forward Miles Wood broke a 1-1 tie early in the third period as his club held on for a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Washington forward Pierre-Luc Dubois opened the scoring but Mikko Rantanen tied it for Colorado in the second period. Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev stopped 28 shots for the win in his first game since Nov. 13 after being sidelined by an injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals announced before this game that captain Alex Ovechkin suffered a fractured fibula and would be out for four to six weeks. That could jeopardize his attempt to break Wayne Gretzky’s goalscoring record (894) this season. Ovechkin needs 27 goals to reach 895.

The New Jersey Devils doubled up the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. Jesper Bratt scored two goals and picked up an assist while Jack Hughes had three helpers for the Devils. Jack Roslovic and Andrei Svechnikov replied for the Hurricanes. The Devils and Hurricanes each have 28 points but the Hurricanes hold first overall in the Eastern Conference with three games in hand.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Hurricanes announced goaltender Frederik Andersen will undergo knee surgery sidelining him for eight to 12 weeks. Andersen’s last game was an Oct. 26 win over the Seattle Kraken.

St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington made 22 saves in a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Jake Neighbours netted the winning goal in a shootout. Alexander Wennberg scored both goals for the Sharks while rookie Yaroslav Askarov made 29 saves in his debut with the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a milestone victory for Binnington, tying him with Mike Liut for the Blues’ record of 151 wins.

The Boston Bruins got their first win under new head coach Joe Sacco as they nipped the Utah Hockey Club 1-0. Elias Lindholm scored the only goal while Joonas Korpisalo turned in a 21-save shutout. Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 shots.

A third-period goal by Connor Zary lifted the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers. MacKenzie Weegar had three assists while Yegor Sherangovich and Matt Coronato each had a goal and an assist for the Flames. Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin kicked out 46 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau reached a personal milestone with his 500th career NHL assist.

The Chicago Blackhawks upset the Florida Panthers 3-1. Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek turned aside 32 shots while Nick Foligno had a goal and an assist. Panthers forward Sam Reinhart netted his 15th goal of the season, tying Ovechkin and Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for the league lead.

Vegas Golden Knights netminder Ilya Samsonov made 38 saves backstopping his club to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, handing the latter their fourth straight defeat (0-3-1). Ivan Barbashev had two assists for the Golden Knights while Linus Ullmark stopped 29 shots for the Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo missed this game with an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day.

The Senators are once again on the brink of falling into a hole in the standings too deep to climb out of. With 17 points, they’re second-last in the Eastern Conference. The good news is they’re only four points out of a wild-card berth but they must string some wins together soon or risk another lost season.

Third-period goals by Jonatan Berggren and Lucas Raymond lifted the Detroit Red Wings over the New York Islanders 2-1. Alex Lyon made 22 stops for the Red Wings while Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Red Wings announced that Hall-of-Famer Pavel Datsyuk had signed a one-day contract to retire officially as a Wing. He spent his entire 14-season NHL career with Detroit.

IN OTHER NEWS…

SPORTSNET: The NHL department of player safety released a video clarifying its rule regarding illegal hits to the head after three controversial checks resulted in two suspensions.

Those hits included Los Angeles’ Tanner Jeannot’s hit on Vancouver’s Brock Boeser (three-game suspension), Toronto’s Ryan Reaves on Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse (five-game suspension) and Vegas’s Zach Whitecloud’s hit on Toronto’s Matthew Knies (no suspension).

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs are cautiously optimistic that Knies won’t miss much time after leaving Wednesday’s game against the Golden Knights following that big hit by Whitecloud.

THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks returned forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki to their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. It suggests Brock Boeser may be close to returning to action. Boeser’s been sidelined since that hit by Jeannot on Nov. 7.