NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 3, 2024

by | Nov 3, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 3, 2024

The Panthers sweep the Stars in the 2024 Global Series, more multipoint performances for Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar keep their point streaks alive, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Third-period goals by A.J. Greer and Sam Reinhart lifted the Florida Panthers over the Dallas Stars 4-2 to sweep their two-game NHL 2024 Global Series in Tampere, Finland. Reinhart finished with two points and Spencer Knight made 23 saves as the Panthers picked up their fifth straight win. Evgenii Dadonov and Matt Duchene replied for the Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars forward Tyler Seguin missed this game with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (NHL Images).

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin had his third straight multipoint game with a goal and two assists in a 7-2 thrashing of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dylan Strome also had a goal and two assists while Connor McMichael tallied twice for the Capitals, who moved into first place in the Metropolitan Division with 16 points (8-2-0). Damon Severson and Kevin Labanc scored for the Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin now has 859 career regular-season goals and needs 36 to break Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894. The Capitals announced before this game that defenseman Jakob Chychrun (upper body) was placed on injured reserve.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored two goals for the second straight game to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1. Alex Nedeljkovic got the win with 25 saves. Christian Dvorak scored the only goal for the Canadiens, who have lost three straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby needs three more goals to reach the 600-goal plateau. Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky left the game late in the third period after being elbowed in the head by Penguins forward Noel Acciari. There was no immediate update regarding Slafkovsky’s injury.

The Canadiens’ charter flight home was grounded when a tanker truck collided with the wing of the aircraft as it sat on the tarmac. The accident took place during the game and no injuries were reported.

The Nashville Predators got a goal and an assist each from Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi and Gustav Nyquist as they downed the Colorado Avalanche 5-2. Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar also each had a goal and an assist, extending their season-opening point streaks to 12 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avalanche have lost three straight despite the efforts of MacKinnon and Makar. Goaltending remains their Achilles’ heel, giving up a league-leading 4.25 goals-against per game.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko scored two goals and collected an assist in a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jordan Binnington kicked out 35 shots for the Blues. Mitch Marner and Steven Lorentz scored for the Leafs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game was the first for Leafs coach Craig Berube against his former club in St. Louis. The Blues honored him with a video tribute while the fans gave him a standing ovation. Blues defenseman Philip Broberg left the game in the second period after injuring his right leg following a collision with Marner. There was no postgame update regarding his condition.

Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 20 saves to shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0. Matthew Poitras, Justin Brazeau and Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins. Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson left this game in the first period with a lower-body injury and didn’t return. The club didn’t provide a postgame update.

The Ottawa Senators got a 22-save shutout performance from Anton Forsberg in a 3-0 win over the Seattle Kraken. Adam Gaudette, Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle tallied for the Senators. Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer turned aside 20 shots.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored both of his club’s goals in a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, snapping a three-game losing skid. Red Wings netminder Cam Talbot stopped 31 shots. Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres as they’ve dropped three straight.

A shootout goal by Ryan Donato lifted the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 upset of the Los Angeles Kings. Blackhawks forward Tyler Bertuzzi scored the tying goal that sent the game into overtime and the shootout rounds while Hawks goalie Petr Mrazek made 37 saves in regulation and OT. Alex Laferriere scored twice for the Kings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laferriere is on track for a breakout sophomore campaign. After netting 12 goals and 23 points in 81 games last season, he has eight goals and 11 points in 12 games thus far.

The Vegas Golden Knights nipped the Utah Hockey Club 4-3 on an overtime goal by Brett Howden. Noah Hanifin had a goal and two assists for the Golden Knights. Utah’s Logan Cooley had a goal and an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights called up Akira Schmid to back up starter Adin Hill for this game.

Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter scored twice, including the game-winner with 26 seconds left in the third period, to give his team a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, ending the latter’s three-game win streak. Jake DeBrusk scored his first of the season for the Canucks. Nico Sturm and Mikael Granlund replied for the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks placed forward Nils Aman on waivers Saturday.

IN OTHER NEWS…

SPORTSNET: The Islanders got bad news on Saturday as they learned forward Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech will be sidelined for four to six weeks with upper-body injuries. Barzal was placed on long-term injury reserve while Pelech was placed on IR.

The Islanders also announced defensemen Mike Reilly and Alexander Romanov are day-to-day with upper-body injuries. They called up blueliners Grant Hutton and Samuel Bolduc from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey will make his season debut after recovering from a suspected shoulder injury suffered during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on May 24. The Rangers have returned forward Matt Rempe to their AHL affiliate in Hartford.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 2, 2024

by | Nov 2, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 2, 2024

A four-point performance for the Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov in Finland, a hat trick for the Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers, the three stars and rookie of the month for October are revealed, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov had a goal and three assists to lead his club over the Dallas Stars 6-4 in the first of two NHL Global Series games between the two clubs in Tampere, Finland.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov (NHL Images).

Sam Reinhart scored twice and collected an assist and Aaron Ekblad picked up three assists for the Panthers. Esa Lindell had a goal and an assist for the Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barkov put on a show in his hometown before a sellout crowd of 12,786 fans at Nokia Arena. The second game of the series between the two clubs is Saturday starting at noon EDT.

Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers tallied a hat trick to lead his club to a 6-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey had a goal and an assist while teammate Kyle Connor collected an assist to extend his season-opening points streak to 11 games. Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins stopped 38 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The league-leading Jets are the first team to reach 10 wins this season.

Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov had two goals and an assist to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3. Wild forward Mats Zuccarello picked up two assists. Victor Hedman had two helpers for the Lightning.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaprizov is the first player to crack this season’s 20-point plateau (21). He also set a franchise record with his seventh straight multi-point game.

The Calgary Flames got a 22-save shutout from Dan Vladar to blank the New Jersey Devils 3-0, snapping a four-game losing skid. Blake Coleman scored two goals and Jonathan Huberdeau netted his fifth of the season. Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves in his first game against his former club since being traded to New Jersey in June.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils forward Nathan Bastian left the game in the first period with a jaw injury following a fight with Flames forward Ryan Lomberg.

New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin kicked out 40 shots in a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Artemi Panarin scored his seventh of the season and Alexis Lafreniere had a goal and an assist for the Rangers. Adam Gaudette scored for the Senators, who outshot the Rangers 41-18.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Shesterkin was the difference-maker in this game as he continues to make the case to become the NHL’s first $12 million per season goaltender.

The New York Islanders ended a three-game losing streak by nipping the Buffalo Sabres 4-3. Isles forwards Bo Horvat and Maxim Tsyplakov each had a goal and an assist and Ilya Sorokin turned aside 32 shots for the win. Jason Zucker had a goal and an assist for the Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders entered this game without forward Mathew Barzal, who returned home after suffering an upper-body injury. Blueliners Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly left this game with upper-body injuries.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, Jets winger Kyle Connor and Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov were the league’s Three Stars for October 2024. Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov was named Rookie of the Month for October.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin skated with the club’s skill coach Toby Petersen and another staff member after the team finished its practice on Friday. Nichushkin can join his teammates in practice once he receives clearance from the league. He’s serving a six-month suspension as part of Phase 3 of the NHL-NHLPA player assistance program and could receive that clearance by mid-November.

THE PROVINCE: Thatcher Demko was on the ice before the Vancouver Canucks’ practice on Friday but continues to make slow progress recovering from a knee injury. Meanwhile, winger Dakota Joseph is close to returning to the lineup after recovering from offseason surgery for testicular cancer.

TSN: Former Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton has filed a $20.5 million lawsuit against Newports Sports Management Inc. and his former agent, Wade Arnott, alleging negligence, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty. Formenton is among five former NHL players charged with sexual assault related to an alleged incident in London, Ontario, in 2018.

DAILY FACEOFF: NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh announced the formation of the union’s first-ever CTE Advisory Committee.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 5, 2024

by | Oct 5, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 5, 2024

The Devils down the Sabres in the opening game of the 2024-25 season, a recap of preseason action, Utah Hockey Club names a captain, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

DEVILS WIN FIRST GAME OF THE 2024-25 NHL SEASON

NHL.COM: The New Jersey Devils defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 in the opening game of the 2024-25 season before 16, 913 fans at O2 Arena in the 2024 NHL Global Series in Prague, Czechia.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (NHL Images).

It was a game of firsts for several Devils’ offseason additions. Jacob Markstrom made 30 saves for the win in his first game with the Devils, Johnathan Kovacevic and Paul Cotter picked up their first points (one goal, one assist each) with the club, and Sheldon Keefe got his first win as their head coach.

Owen Power scored for the Sabres. Game 2 of their Global Series is Saturday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres also made some offseason changes and have a new head coach (Lindy Ruff) but produced the same old result. The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski pointed out that they once again gave up an early multi-goal deficit, failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities, and couldn’t overcome their mistakes.

RECAPS OF FRIDAY’S PRESEASON GAMES

NHL.COM: New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal had a goal and four assists to defeat the New York Rangers 5-2. Bo Horvat tallied twice and Anthony Duclair scored and collected two assists. Adam Fox had a goal and an assist and K’Andre Miller picked up two assists for the Rangers.

The Ottawa Senators nipped the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on an overtime goal by Noah Gregor. Ridly Greig and Carter Yakemchuk each had two assists and Anton Forsberg made 30 saves for the Senators. Marco Kasper scored two goals for the Red Wings.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Lars Eller scored two goals and set up two others as his club thumped the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-3. Noel Acciari tallied twice and Rutger McGroarty and Jesse Puljujarvi each had a goal and two assists for the Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets placed winger Dmitry Voronkov (upper body) on injured reserve earlier in the day. Captain Boone Jenner missed this game after suffering an upper-body injury during practice.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere’s overtime goal lifted his club to a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Martin Necas picked up two assists for the Hurricanes. Anthony Cirelli replied for the Lightning

The Minnesota Wild defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1. Mats Zuccarello had a goal and two assists while teammates Brock Faber, Marco Rossi and Jonas Brodin each scored a goal and picked up an assist. Seth Jones scored for the Blackhawks.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves to backstop his club to a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. Kyle Connor snapped a 2-2 tie late in the third period for the Jets. Jonathan Huberdeau and Mikael Backlund scored for the Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames winger Yegor Sharangovich left the game in the third period after an awkward fall. He was still being evaluated following the game.

The Vancouver Canucks downed the Edmonton Oilers 4-1. Arshdeep Bains and Jake DeBrusk each had a goal and an assist and Elias Pettersson picked up two assists for the Canucks. Evan Bouchard scored for the Oilers.

A shootout goal by Cutter Gauthier lifted the Anaheim Ducks to a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Gauthier also scored in regulation. Vitek Vanecek made 40 saves for the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks sent goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to their AHL affiliate earlier in the day. Askarov made headlines in August with his refusal to join the Nashville Predators’ farm team, resulting in his trade to the Sharks.

Askarov was expected to challenge Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood for one of the two goaltending jobs on the Sharks. However, an injury combined with solid camps by Vanecek and Blackwood sends Askarov to the AHL to start the season.

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Utah Hockey Club named Clayton Keller as their team captain. The 26-year-old was their leading scorer last season with 33 goals and 76 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Keller is the club’s first captain since Oliver Ekman-Larsson was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 2021.

TSN: Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty underwent successful surgery on Friday to repair his fractured ankle. He remains month-to-month.

SPORTSNET: The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Nick Robertson, Jake McCabe, and Calle Jarnkrok are listed as day-to-day with injuries.

LAS VEGAS SUN: The Golden Knights signed winger Tanner Pearson to a one-year, $775K contract after joining the club last month on a professional tryout offer.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings goaltender Jack Campbell entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Campbell’s performance deteriorated noticeably over the past two seasons. Here’s hoping he gets the help he needs to get his life and career back on track.

DAILY FACEOFF: Ethan Bear is among the players placed on waivers Friday. The Washington Capitals defenseman is in the second season of his two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.062 million.

CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: Former NHL forward Artem Anisimov, 36, officially announced his retirement on Friday. From 2008-09 to 2020-21, he tallied 180 goals and 196 assists for 376 points in 771 regular-season games with the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators. He also had 17 points in 43 playoff contests.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 31, 2024

by | Jan 31, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 31, 2024

The Blue Jackets and Sharks get shutout victories, four players face charges in sexual assault investigation, Jesper Bratt will participate in the All-Star Game, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 21 saves for his first shutout of the season in a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Blues. Dmitri Voronkov scored for the 16-24-10 Blue Jackets. Jordan Binnington turned aside 21 shots for the Blues (26-21-2) as they hold the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 54 points.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich will be re-evaluated following the upcoming NHL All-Star Game for a lower-body injury. He was sidelined during Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.

The San Jose Sharks got a 32-save performance by Mackenzie Blackwood to shut out the Seattle Kraken 2-0. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Jan Rutta were the goal scorers for the 14-32-4 Sharks. Joey Daccord stopped 20 shots for the 21-19-10 Kraken (52 points) as they remain two points behind the Blues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sharks center Tomas Hertl missed this game with a lower-body injury that could sideline him from Wednesday’s contest against the Anaheim Ducks and possibly the upcoming NHL All-Star Game.

HEADLINES

TSN/SPORTSNET: Four NHL players have been charged with sexual assault in London, Ontario in connection with an alleged incident that took place at a Hockey Canada event in June 2018.

They are Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube, and New Jersey Devils players Michael McLeod and Cal Foote. Lawyers for the players confirmed the charges in statements to the media yesterday.

They join unsigned Ottawa Senators winger Alex Formenton, who surrendered to London police on Sunday. Formenton has been playing in Switzerland since last season.

The reports indicate that none of the allegations against the players have been proven. A trial date has not yet been set.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This comes as no surprise given all five players recently took indefinite leaves of absence from their respective teams within days of each other.

The Flames have been criticized on social media for their initial statement on Jan. 21 indicating Dube’s leave of absence to attend to his mental health. The club released a statement yesterday saying they took this matter “very seriously” and they had “no knowledge of pending charges” when they granted his leave of absence.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils winger Jesper Bratt will replace sidelined teammate Jack Hughes in the upcoming 2024 NHL All-Star Game. Hughes has been dealing with an upper-body injury since Jan. 5.

NYI HOCKEY NOW: Islanders center Mathew Barzal will replace Hughes in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game skills competition.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings forward Patrick Kane (upper-body injury) won’t play in Wednesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators. The club has decided that Kane will make his return to action following the upcoming All-Star break. He’s been out with a lower-body injury since Jan. 14. The injury is unrelated to his surgically repaired hip.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Former NHL defenseman Trevor Daley is applauding the removal of former NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck’s number from the rafters of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Arena.

Vanbiesbrouck starred with the Greyhounds as an undrafted player in 1980-81. Following his NHL retirement, he returned to the Greyhounds as head coach and general manager.

In 2003, Vanbiesbrouck used a racial slur against Daley, who left the team and informed the OHL commissioner about the incident. He subsequently resigned as coach and GM of the Greyhounds and sold his stake in the franchise, issuing a statement apologizing for the incident.

Daley returned to the Greyhounds to finish the season and went on to play 16 seasons in the NHL, winning two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He said the decision by the Greyhounds to remove Vanbiesbrouck’s number “eliminates a major source of anger and frustration for me and my family.”










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 3, 2023

by | Dec 3, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 3, 2023

Recaps of Saturday’s action, the Predators allow Tyson Barrie to speak with other clubs, Nikita Zadorov faces the Flames days after they trade him to the Canucks, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck had a goal and two assists as his club overcame a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators. Igor Shesterkin kicked out 38 shots while Adam Fox picked up three assists as the Rangers (17-4-1) sit atop the Eastern Conference with 35 points. Ryan O’Reilly had a goal and an assist for the Predators as they dropped to 11-12-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Predators defenseman Tyson Barrie was a healthy scratch from this game. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the 32-year-old defenseman has been granted permission to speak with other teams. The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode indicated that Barrie had become somewhat expendable in part because young Spencer Stastney has garnered more playing time of late on the Predators’ blueline. I’ll have more about Barrie in the Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup.

The Vancouver Canucks nipped the Calgary Flames 4-3 with former Flame Nikita Zadorov burning his former club by assisting on Elias Pettersson’s winning goal. Pettersson, Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty each had a goal and an assist for the 16-8-1 Canucks. Elias Lindholm scored twice as the Flames dropped to 10-11-3.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zadorov was paired with Tyler Myers on the Canucks’ blueline. Before this game, the Flames signed free-agent defenseman Mark Pysyk to a one-year, two-way contract.

Vegas Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault scored twice in a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals. Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists as the Golden Knights (16-5-4) held first place in the overall standings with 36 points. Tom Wilson replied for the 12-7-2 Capitals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill missed this game as he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak (NHL Images).

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand’s overtime goal lifted his club over the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists while Linus Ullmark stopped 37 shots as the Bruins (16-4-3) sit second in the Eastern Conference with 35 points. Auston Matthews had two goals for the 12-6-4 Leafs as they overcame an early 2-0 deficit.

The Anaheim Ducks snapped an eight-game losing skid by upsetting the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in a shootout with rookie Leo Carlsson scoring the game-winner. Carlsson and Alex Killorn each had a goal and an assist in regulation time while John Gibson made 34 saves for the 10-14-0 Ducks. Bowen Byram scored twice for the Avalanche (15-6-2), who sit in first place in the Central Division with 32 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar left the game just before the end of regulation and didn’t take part in the overtime or the shootout. Following the game, Avs head coach Jared Bednar said Makar was “dealing with something” but offered little other information. Makar logged 25:03 of ice time before leaving this contest.

Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski had a goal and two assists, Jason Robertson scored twice and Jake Oettinger stopped 32 shots in an 8-1 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Pavelski extended his points streak to nine games while the Stars improved their record to 14-5-3. Andrei Vasilevskiy got the hook following the second period after giving up six goals on 25 shots as the Lightning dropped to 10-10-5 on the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov picked up an assist to become the first player to reach the 40-point plateau this season.

The Winnipeg Jets downed the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1. Morgan Barron snapped a 1-1 tie while Mark Scheifele and Cole Perfetti also scored for the 13-8-2 Jets. Blackhawks center Connor Bedard netted his 11th goal to set a franchise record for rookies with an eight-game points streak. The Blackhawks’ record slipped to 7-15-0.

New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 42 saves to hold off the Florida Panthers by a score of 4-3. Sorokin made 17 stops in the third period, Julien Gauthier scored what proved to be the game-winner while Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson each collected two assists as the Islanders improved their record to 10-7-6. Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist for the 14-8-2 Panthers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Isles center Mathew Barzal missed this game with an illness and is listed as day-to-day.

Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho netted two goals in a 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Tuevo Teravainen had a goal and an assist while Brent Burns, Jaccob Slavin, Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas each had two assists for the Hurricanes (14-8-1). Casey Mittelstadt and Tyson Jost replied for the slumping Sabres as their record fell to 10-12-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sabres winger Jordan Greenway left this game following the first period with an upper-body injury. There was no postgame update regarding his status.

An overtime goal by Jake Walman gave the Detroit Red Wings a 5-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens after the latter overcame 3-0 and 4-2 deficits to force the extra frame. Walman, Alex DeBrincat and Daniel Sprong each had a goal and an assist as the Red Wings rose to 13-7-3 on the season. Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist for the 10-11-3 Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Canadiens announced forward Alex Newhook will be sidelined for 10-12 weeks with a high-ankle sprain.

Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg turned in a 39-save shutout as his club ended a three-game losing skid by beating the Seattle Kraken 2-0. Mathieu Joseph and Drake Batherson were the goal scorers for the Senators, who sit in last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 9-10-0. Joey Daccord turned aside 26 shots for the 8-11-6 Kraken.

A shootout goal by Sean Couturier gave the Philadelphia Flyers a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Samuel Ersson made 26 saves while Tyson Foerster had a goal and an assist for the Flyers (12-10-2). Jake Guentzel tallied two goals for the 11-10-2 Penguins.

Arizona Coyotes forward Alex Kerfoot had a goal and two assists as his club defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-1. Connor Ingram stopped 31 shots while Lawson Crouse collected two assists as the Coyotes (12-9-2) hold the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 26 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ingram’s solid goaltending is a key reason why the Coyotes are in this position right now. He’s among the league leaders with 10 wins, a .926 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average. Earlier in the day, the Coyotes announced forward Travis Boyd will be sidelined for weeks with an upper-body injury.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 6, 2023

by | Nov 6, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 6, 2023

The Ducks upset the Golden Knights, the Devils defeated the Blackhawks, plus the latest on Jack Hughes, Igor Shesterkin, Mathew Barzal and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Anaheim Ducks tallied four unanswered third-period goals to upset the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2, ending the latter’s points streak at 12 games. Sam Carrick scored twice while John Gibson made 30 saves as the Ducks improved to 7-4-0. Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights (11-1-1), who sit atop the Western Conference with 23 points.

Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Offseason acquisition Alex Killorn made his season debut with the Ducks but was held scoreless in this contest. He’d been sidelined with a fractured finger through their first 10 games of this season.

New Jersey Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek stopped 32 shots as his club doubled up the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. Dawson Mercer scored his first goal of the season while Curtis Lazar netted what proved to be the game-winner for the 7-3-1 Devils. Taylor Hall and Ryan Donato replied for the Blackhawks (4-7-0), who got a 36-save effort from Arvid Soderblom.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the Devils’ first game without leading scorer Jack Hughes. He is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury suffered during Friday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.

HEADLINES

NEW YORK POST: Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin is reportedly day-to-day with “minor soreness.” He could miss Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.

DAILY FACEOFF: New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal was fined $5,000.00 for high-sticking Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo on Saturday.

CALGARY SUN: Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane received a one-game suspension for a “reckless cross-check” on Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann on Saturday.

THE ATHLETIC: The Toronto Maple Leafs recently held a team meeting to address what was considered their meek response to Timothy Liljegren suffering an ankle injury after being tripped by Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand on Thursday.

“I hated everything about it,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. He and general manager Brad Treliving addressed the players about the issue before their 6-4 loss on Saturday to the Buffalo Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Treliving added Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi and Ryan Reaves during the offseason in the hope they would bring more toughness and character to the Leafs lineup. So far, however, the results have been disappointing.

Bertuzzi and Domi are struggling to score and haven’t had much of a physical impact. Reaves, meanwhile, is a first-class chirper but he hasn’t backed up his words with actions. Indeed, he’s been a non-factor since getting roughed up by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj during the season-opener for both clubs last month.

THE SCORE: Kent Johnson is adjusting to his recent demotion from the Columbus Blue Jackets to their AHL affiliate in Cleveland. The fifth-overall pick in the 2021 draft, Johnson had three points in eight games to start the season with the Jackets before his demotion.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Johnson is taking his situation in stride and understands that he remains part of the Jackets’ plans. Nevertheless, his demotion and his recent change of agents sparked some speculation about his future. I’ll have more about that in today’s Rumor Mill.

SPORTSNET: A former Chicago Blackhawks player is suing the club alleging former video coach Bradley Aldrich “groomed, harassed, threatened and assaulted him” and the club hushed up his complaint during their 2010 Stanley Cup run.

The player is listed as “John Doe” and was a teammate of Kyle Beach. Both were call-ups from the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate in Rockford who practiced with the team during their Stanley Cup run in case someone got injured.

A review from an outside law firm hired by the Blackhawks in response to two lawsuits in 2021 found the club mishandled Beach’s allegations that he was assaulted by Aldrich. The club reached a confidential settlement with Beach.

General manager Stan Bowman and former coach Joel Quenneville resigned following the release of the report. Quenneville was the head coach of the Florida Panthers at the time.