NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 31, 2023

by | Jan 31, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 31, 2023

The Jets down the Blues, reaction to the Bo Horvat trade, the three stars of the week are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey (NHL Images).

  NHL.COM: The Winnipeg Jets overcame a 2-0 deficit with four unanswered third-period goals to double up the St. Louis Blues 4-2, snapping a three-game losing skid. Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey each scored twice as the Jets improved to 32-19-1, moving to within one point of the Western Conference-leading Dallas Stars with 65 points. Jack Neighbours had a goal and an assist as the Blues slipped to 23-25-3, sitting eight points out of the final Western wild-card berth with 49 points.

THE PROVINCE: Bo Horvat said he thought he would be a Canuck for life as he reacted to Vancouver trading him yesterday to the New York Islanders. In return, the Canucks received winger Anthony Beauvillier, prospect center Aatu Raty, and a top-12 protected first-rounder in 2023.

Horvat confessed it’s been a difficult season dealing with the uncertainty regarding his contract negotiations with the Canucks. While the news of his trade hasn’t sunk in yet, he’s looking forward to joining the Islanders. He also thanked Canucks fans and the province of British Columbia for their support during his nine seasons in Vancouver. “It’s a tough goodbye,” he said.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin admitted it was difficult to trade Horvat. However, he said the club is excited to add “a high-quality 25-year-old right winger in Beauvillier, a young center in Raty, and a protected first-round draft pick.” The Canucks also retained 25 percent of Horvat’s $5.5 million cap hit for this season.

Allvin brush off concerns that the Canucks might’ve gotten a better return had they waited until the March 3 trade deadline to move Horvat. “The timing was right. It was a good trade for both teams.”

NYI HOCKEY NOW: Horvat said he’s familiar with several players on the Islanders. He’s played with Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey at the World Championships.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The New York Post’s Larry Brooks believes Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello’s willingness to acquire Horvat stems from his confidence that he can re-sign the 27-year-old center. Those talks have not yet started but Lamoriello stressed this deal wasn’t just about this season. “It’s our intention to retain him certainly for more than this year,” he said.

NHL.COM: Ottawa Senators winger Claude Giroux, Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander and Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy are the league’s three stars for the week ending Jan. 29, 2023.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: Injured Kraken center Matty Beniers will miss the upcoming 2023 NHL All-Star Game and was replaced by Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson. There won’t be anyone representing the Kraken at the game because most of their players made advance vacation plans and left immediately following Saturday’s game again the Columbus Blue Jackets.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the 2023 All-Star Game, George Richards published a complete guide to all the events taking place in Sunrise, Florida.

NHL.COM: League commissioner Gary Bettman was named the 2023 recipient of Sports Business Journal’s lifetime achievement award. He will receive the honor on May 24 in New York City.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 28, 2023

by | Jan 28, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 28, 2023

Recaps of Friday’s game, Auston Matthews sidelined for at least three weeks, updates on Gabriel Landeskog and Cole Caufield plus some potentially bad news for hockey-related revenue in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes got a 5-4 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks with Martin Necas scoring the tying and winning goals. Sebastian Aho also scored twice for the Hurricanes (31-9-8), who sit in first place in the Metropolitan Division with 70 points. Michael Eyssimont had a goal and two assists for the Sharks as they dropped to 14-25-11 on the season.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Necas became the first player in Hurricanes/Whalers history to score an overtime goal in consecutive games and the fifth player in NHL history to score the tying goal in the final minute of regulation and the game-winner in the first minute of overtime.

New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes scored twice (including the winner in overtime) in a 3-2 victory against the Dallas Stars. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek made 33 saves for his ninth straight win as the Devils (32-13-4) sit two points behind the Hurricanes in second place in the Metro Division. Roope Hintz tallied his 20th goal of the season for the 28-13-10 Stars, who hold a three-point lead over the Winnipeg Jets for first overall in the Western Conference with 66 points.

The Calgary Flames got a 29-save performance from Dan Vlader to beat the Seattle Kraken 5-2. Vladar tied a franchise record for the most games without a regulation loss with 13. Elias Lindholm and Blake Coleman each had a goal and two assists as the 24-17-9 Flames held the first wild-card berth in the Western Conference with 57 points. Martin Jones made 33 saves for the Kraken (28-15-5) as they sit in second place in the Pacific Division with 61 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Kraken announced rookie center Matty Beniers will be sidelined for two games with an undisclosed injury and is considered day-to-day.

Los Angeles Kings goalie Pheonix Copley kicked out a career-high 45 shots to hold off the Florida Panthers 4-3. Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist as the Kings improved to 28-17-6 and moved into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division with 62 points. Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk each had two points as the Panthers slipped to 23-22-6 and remain five points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff berth with 52 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was named to the Atlantic Division roster for the upcoming 2023 NHL All-Star Game as a replacement for sidelined Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews. Speaking of the Leafs and Matthews…

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk tallied twice to thump the Maple Leafs by a score of 6-2, snapping the latter’s points streak at five games. Anton Forsberg stopped 33 shots for the 22-23-6 Senators. William Nylander scored his 27th goal of the season for the Leafs (30-12-8), who are tied with the New Jersey Devils for third place in the Eastern Conference but the Devils hold a game in hand.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The reason Barkov is replacing Matthews in the All-Star Game is that the Leafs center is sidelined for at least three weeks with a knee sprain suffered Wednesday against the New York Rangers.

The New York Rangers downed the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 with Jaroslav Halak making 33 saves to win his fifth straight start. Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist for the Rangers (27-14-8) as they sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 62 points. Phil Kessel replied for the 29-18-3 Golden Knights, who are tied with the Kraken for second in the Pacific Division but the latter holds two games in hand.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights activated defenseman Shea Theodore and forward William Carrier off injured reserve for this game.

New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin turned in a 23-save shutout to blank the Detroit Red Wings 2-0, ending his club’s six-game winless skid. Anders Lee and Brock Nelson scored as the Islanders improved to 24-22-5, sitting four points out of the final Eastern playoff spot. The Wings fell to 21-19-8 and sit seven points out of that wild-card spot.

The Vancouver Canucks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2. Elias Pettersson tallied twice and Bo Horvat collected a career-high four assists for the 20-26-3 Canucks. Kirill Marchenko scored both goals for the 15-31-3 Blue Jackets, who sit in last place in the overall standings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Following the game, the Canucks announced forward Ilya Mikheyev will undergo season-ending knee surgery next week. Earlier in the day, the Blue Jackets announced winger Gustav Nyquist was sidelined indefinitely with an undisclosed injury.

HEADLINES

THE DENVER POST’s Bennett Durando reports Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee injury) could start skating under team supervision following the upcoming All-Star break. However, there is no definitive start date.

TSN: Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield told reporters yesterday that he injured his shoulder twice before undergoing season-ending surgery. The first time was on Dec. 23 against the Dallas Stars and on Jan. 3 against the Nashville Predators. Both times, he was able to pop it back into place.

Three different doctors subsequently recommended having surgery or risking further damage to the shoulder. The surgery will take place on Feb. 1. Caufield admitted he would’ve continued playing if the Canadiens were in playoff contention.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens’ placement near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Caufield could’ve wound up suffering more serious damage that would’ve meant a much longer recovery period that would’ve stretched well into next season.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Speaking of the injury-plagued Canadiens, they’ve called up prospect Owen Beck on an emergency basis after Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak missed practice on Friday for medical treatment.

Pat Hickey reports the looming bankruptcy of US sports network Bally Sports Regional Networks could have an adverse effect on the NHL’s hockey-related revenue. Los Angeles, Anaheim, Arizona, Dallas, St. Louis, Nashville, Minnesota, Detroit, Carolina, Columbus, Tampa Bay and Florida are the NHL markets directly affected.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hickey pointed out the network owes a number of sports teams billions of dollars in rights fees. While it’s unknown how much money is owed to those NHL teams, Hickey speculated that it could have a negative effect on HRR that drives down the salary cap, ensuring players pay more in escrow to offset the difference.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 26, 2023

by | Jan 26, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 26, 2023

The Leafs, Hurricanes and Blues Jackets each collect 3-2 overtime wins, the surging Kraken take over first place in the Pacific Division, the Avalanche and Sharks make a four-player trade, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner scored 19 seconds into overtime in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers after teammate Timothy Liljegren tied it late in the third period. The Leafs improved their record to 30-11-8 and are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes with 68 points. Filip Chytil tallied twice for the 26-14-8 Rangers as they sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 60 points.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner (NHL Images).

Speaking of the Hurricanes, they got an overtime goal from Martin Necas to beat the Dallas Stars by a score of 3-2. Sebastian Aho scored his 200th career NHL goal as they extended their points streak to six games. The Hurricanes (30-9-8) sit second overall in the overall standings with two games in hand over the Maple Leafs. Jason Robertson scored his 33rd goal of the season for the 28-13-9 Stars as they hold a two-point lead over the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the Western Conference with 65 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen left this game following the first period with an upper-body injury. There was no post-game update as to the severity of his injury. He was activated off long-term injury reserve on Jan. 11 after missing over two months with a lower-body injury.

The Columbus Blue Jackets also picked up 3-2 overtime victory by downing the Edmonton Oilers thanks to Kent Johnson’s winning goal. Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves as the Blue Jackets improved to 15-30-3 on the season. Zach Hyman tallied his 25th goal of the season for the 27-18-4 Oilers, who hold the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 58 points.

Seattle Kraken winger Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice and Jared McCann collected three points to crush the Vancouver Canucks 6-1 and move into first place in the Pacific Division with 61 points. It was the first loss for Rick Tocchet since taking over as Vancouver’s head coach on Sunday. The Canucks slipped to 19-26-3.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kraken rookie Matty Beniers left the game with an upper-body injury. No update was provided as to his condition.

The Ottawa Senators got goals by Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux to hold off the New York Islanders 2-1, handing the latter their sixth straight loss. Brock Nelson replied for the Islanders (23-22-5) as they sit five points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot with 51 points. The Senators improved to 21-23-3.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello shouldered the blame for his club’s struggles this season. He also expressed confidence in his coaching staff. Meanwhile, Senators goaltender Cam Talbot left the game midway through the second period with a leg injury. The club is expected to have an update on his condition on Thursday.

HEADLINES

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW/SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: The Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Ryan Merkley and forward Matt Nieto from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Jacob MacDonald and forward Martin Kaut.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nieto previously played for Colorado from 2016-17 to 2019-20 and is being brought in to improve the Avalanche’s penalty kill. Merkley and Kaut are two young players in need of a fresh start after struggling to stick with their former clubs. Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now believes MacDonald’s inclusion in this swap suggests sidelined defensemen Bowen Byram and Josh Manson could be returning to the Avs’ lineup soon.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry will be sidelined with an undisclosed injury until after the upcoming All-Star break. The club recalled goalie Dustin Tokarski.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Flames defenseman Chris Tanev (upper-body injury) is also sidelined until the All-Star break.

ARIZONA SPORTS: Coyotes signed defenseman Juuso Valimaki to a one-year contract extension worth $1 million. He was also fined $4,189.19 by the NHL department of player safety for slashing Anaheim Ducks forward Max Jones.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 28, 2022

by | Nov 28, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 28, 2022

The Kraken keep rising in the standings, the Canucks are clawing their way back into playoff contention, plus the latest on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Daniel Sprong lifted the Seattle Kraken to a 5-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Matty Beniers had a goal and two assists for the Kraken (13-5-3) as they pick up their fifth straight win. Mason McTavish and Adam Henrique scored in the third period for Anaheim to force overtime as their record falls to 6-15-1). Ducks forward Trevor Zegras collected three assists.

Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With the win, the Kraken moves one point ahead of the Dallas Stars for second place in the Western Conference standings with 29 points. Beniers leads all NHL rookies this season with 18 points. Meanwhile, Ducks goaltender John Gibson left the game in the third period with an undisclosed injury.

Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko scored in overtime to nip the San Jose Sharks 4-3. Kuzmenko, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller each collected two points as the Canucks (9-10-3) have won five of their last six games. Luke Kunin scored twice and Erik Karlsson picked up two assists for the 7-13-4 Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks have overcome a poor start to this season. With 21 points, they’re one point out of a wildcard berth in the Western Conference. Kuzmenko’s been a key part of that improvement. After netting just two points in his first seven NHL games, he now has 19 points in his last 14 contests, including two game-winning goals.

The Winnipeg Jets thumped the Chicago Blackhawks 7-2. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Saku Maenalanen each scored twice while Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey each had three-point performances as the Jets improved to 13-6-1. Taylor Raddysh and Jujhar Khaira replied for the Blackhawks (6-11-4) as their winless skid reached seven games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Since their 4-2-0 start, the Blackhawks have won only twice in their last 15 games. Jets forward Morgan Barron collected an assist as he returned to action for the first time since being sidelined by an injury on Oct. 30. With 27 points, the Jets are fourth in the Western Conference.

Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists as his club held off the Arizona Coyotes by a score of 4-3. Joel Eriksson Ek collected two assists for the Wild (10-9-2) while Matias Macelli also picked up two assists as the Coyotes slid to 7-10-3.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Macelli sits second among this season’s rookie scorers with 13 points but he’s their leader in assists with 12.

The Ottawa Senators downed the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on an overtime by Claude Giroux. Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Thomas Chabot each had two points as the Senators boosted their record to 8-12-1. Arthur Kaliyev scored both goals for the Kings (12-9-3) as they’ve dropped four of their last five contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a big win for the struggling Senators as they salvage four points from this four-game western road trip.

HEADLINES

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will be sidelined for the next two games with a non-COVID-related illness.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers placed forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan McLeod on injured reserve.

WGR 550: The Buffalo Sabres placed forward Riley Sheahan on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract after he declined to report to their AHL affiliate in Rochester.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former Canucks coaching staff member Rachel Doerrie filed a complaint with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal last week. She alleges she was discriminated against by the team and assistant general manager Emilie Castonguay for her mental and physical disabilities.

Doerrie, who has PTSD and a heart condition, was hired by the Canucks in January as an analyst and promoted to the coaching staff on Aug. 1. She indicated she had revealed her medical conditions to Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford during the hiring process. She was terminated from her position in September.

The Canucks issued two statements saying they “strongly disagreed” with Doerrie’s allegations.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 22, 2022

by | Nov 22, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 22, 2022

The Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron tallies his 1,000th career point, the Devils tie a franchise wins record, the Avalanches’ Cale Makar reaches a milestone for defensemen, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron collected an assist for his 1,000th career NHL point in a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci each had two-point performances for the Bruins (17-2-0), who picked up their seventh straight win and sit atop the overall standings with 34 points. Nick Paul scored twice for the Lightning, whose record drops to 11-7-1.

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bergeron joins Raymond Bourque, John Bucyk and Phil Esposito as the only Bruins to reach the 1,000-point plateau. The 37-year-old Bruins captain is off to a good start to this season with 18 points in 19 games.

The New Jersey Devils tied a franchise record 13-game winning streak as they defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-2. Nico Hischier collected three assists while Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each collected two points for the 16-3-0 Devils, who sit two points behind the first-place Bruins in the overall standings. Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins replied for the Oilers as they slide to 10-9-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The red-hot Devils are drawing considerable praise for their strong start to this season. However, not everyone thinks they’re going to make the playoffs. Sportsnet’s Keith Yandle is a doubter, citing their goaltending while suggesting they’ll start cooling off following the upcoming US Thanksgiving weekend. It’ll be interesting to see if the Devils can prove him wrong.

Oilers goalie Jack Campbell left the game in the second period after being clipped by the puck near his eye while sitting on the bench as a backup for Stuart Skinner. He left the bench and didn’t return. Head coach Jay Woodcroft had no update on Campbell’s condition following the game but Skinner told reporters Campbell had a bloody nose but was joking around and was otherwise okay.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar became the fastest blueliner in NHL history to reach the 200-point plateau in a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars. Makar opened the scoring to achieve the milestone in 195 career games. Meanwhile, Miko Rantanen scored the only goal in the shootout as the Avalanche improved to 11-5-1. Jason Robertson scored both goals for the 11-5-3 Stars.

Three unanswered goals by William Carrier, Reilly Smith and Alex Pietrangelo lifted the Vegas Golden Knights to a 5-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Pietrangelo finished the night with three points while Carrier tallied two goals as the Golden Knights remain atop the Western Conference with a record of 15-4-1. Quinn Hughes and Andrei Kuzmenko each had two points for the struggling Canucks as they drop to 6-10-3.

The St. Louis Blues picked up their seventh straight win by downing the Anaheim Ducks 3-1. Noel Acciari scored twice while Justin Faulk netted the winning goal in the third period. The surging Blues are now at 10-8-0 on the season while the Ducks are at 5-13-1. Colton Parayko returned to the Blues lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury.

An overtime goal by Anthony Beauvillier lifted the New York Islanders over the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 3-2. Josh Bailey scored the only goal in the third period, setting the stage for Beauvillier’s game-winner for the Islanders (12-8-0). John Tavares and Auston Matthews replied for the 10-5-5 Leafs, who also lost defenseman Morgan Rielly to an apparent knee injury in the third period.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs went into this game with defensemen Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie sidelined by injuries. No word yet on how long Rielly could be out. He will undergo imaging on the knee today.

The Nashville Predators nipped the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 on a shootout goal by Cody Glass. Roman Josi and Mikael Granlund each had a goal and an assist for the Predators (9-8-2)while Nick Bjugstad scored twice for the Coyotes as they fall to 6-9-3. Earlier in the day, the Coyotes announced winger Zack Kassian was moved to injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 30.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun made his much-anticipated season debut after being sidelined for weeks by offseason wrist surgery. The subject of considerable trade speculation stretching back to last season, Chychrun was held scoreless and took a minor penalty, finishing with a plus-minus of minus-1. He was credited with four hits, two shots on goal and two blocked shots while logging 23:04 of ice time.

Calgary Flames winger Blake Coleman commemorated his 400th career NHL game with a goal and two assists in a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves for the Flames as they improved their record to 9-7-2 while the slumping Flyers drop to 7-8-4.

The Winnipeg Jets blew a 3-0 lead over the Carolina Hurricanes late in the third period before going on to a 4-3 win as Josh Morrissey scored in overtime. Morrissey finished the night with two goals while Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and two assists as the Jets rise to 11-5-1. Jaccob Slavin, Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas scored in the final minutes of the third as the 10-5-4 Hurricanes pulled goalie Pyotr Kochetkov to go with six attackers.

San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 37 saves and Luke Kunin collected three assists in a 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. Timo Meier tallied what proved to be the game-winner for the Sharks (7-11-3). Tim Stutzle replied for the 6-11-1 Senators.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, St. Louis Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich and Seattle Kraken goaltender Martin Jones are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Nov. 20, 2022.

ESPN.COM: Rookie center Matty Beniers is having a positive effect on the Kraken’s performance in their second NHL season. The 20-year-old’s 11 points have him tied with the Coyotes’ Matias Maccelli for the lead among this season’s rookie scorers. He’s also drawn praise from his teammates for his maturity and sociable personality.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Canadiens players are pushing back against some criticisms leveled at the club by former equipment manager Pierre Gervais in his recently-released biography. Gervais claimed former head coach Dominique Ducharme lost the room due to questionable decision-making while former general manager Marc Bergevin’s maturity issues lost him some respect among the players.

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki and alternate captain Brendan Gallagher expressed their admiration for Gervais but disputed his criticisms of Ducharme and Bergevin.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 11, 2022

by | Apr 11, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 11, 2022

More scoring milestones were reached by Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, Jordan Staal collected his first hat trick in years, the Wild stage a six-goal comeback against the Kings, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Sidney Crosby scored twice, including the winner in overtime, as the Pittsburgh Penguins nipped the Nashville Predators 3-2. With three points, Crosby reached the 1,400th career-point plateau in his 1,100th career NHL game. Rickard Rakell collected three assists for the Penguins, who sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 94 points. The Predators, meanwhile, hold the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 87 points.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penguins center Evgeni Malkin could face supplemental discipline after cross-checking Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki in the mouth. Malkin received a double minor as Borowiecki left the game after losing several teeth.

The Washington Capitals got unanswered third-period goals from Lars Eller and Alex Ovechkin to double up the Boston Bruins 4-2. Ovechkin’s goal was his 45th of the season and was his 100th career goal in the month of April, tying Wayne Gretzky for the most career months with 100-plus goals. With 90 points, the Capitals hold the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference and sit five points behind the Bruins.

Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal tallied his first hat trick since April 18, 2012, to lead his club to a 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. With the win, the Hurricanes hold a two-point lead over the New York Rangers for first place in the Metropolitan Division with 102 points. The Ducks, meanwhile, were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

The Minnesota Wild scored six unanswered goals to overcome a three-goal deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 6-3. Jared Spurgeon and Matt Boldy each had a goal and an assist while Kirill Kaprizov scored his 42nd goal to tie the franchise single-season record. The Wild are tied with the St. Louis Blues with 94 points but the Wild hold second place in the Central Division with a game in hand. The Kings, meanwhile, cling to third place in the Pacific Division with 86 points, two up on the Vegas Golden Knights.

A 28-save performance by Brian Elliott enabled the Tampa Bay Lightning to shut out the Buffalo Sabres 5-0. Ondrej Palat had a goal and an assist as the Lightning moved back into third place in the Atlantic Division with 96 points, one ahead of the Bruins.

Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson scored two goals in a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Roope Hintz collected three points for the Stars (86 points), who sit one point behind the Predators in the final Western wild-card spot. Patrick Kane and Kirby Dach each had two points for the Blackhawks.

The Winnipeg Jets kept their faint wild-card hopes alive by holding off the Ottawa Senators 4-3. Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists while Kyle Connor, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Paul Stastny each had a goal and an assist. Brady Tkachuk scored twice and chipped in an assist for the Senators. With 79 points, the Jets are seven points behind the Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Jets as center Mark Scheifele left the game near the end of the second period following a high hit from Senators forward Parker Kelly. He will not play in tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.

IN OTHER NEWS…

THE SEATTLE TIMES: The Kraken signed top prospect Matty Beniers to a three-year entry-level contract. Beniers, 19, was their first-round pick (second overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Speaking of teams signing prospects, the Flyers inked Bobby Brinks to an entry-level deal. The 20-year-old right winger helped Denver defeat Minnesota State on Saturday to win the NCAA championship.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins signed winger Oskar Steen to a two-year, one-way contract worth an annual average value of $800K.