NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 26, 2024

by | Nov 26, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 26, 2024

A record night for Lightning winger Brandon Hagel, Hurricanes winger Martin Necas sits on top of the scoring race, the three stars of the week are revealed, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF MONDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel collected a career-high five assists in an 8-2 drubbing of the Colorado Avalanche. Hagel tied an NHL record with four assists in the first period. Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists and Jake Guentzel tallied twice for the Lightning. Ivan Ivan scored two goals for the Avalanche as their three-game win streak ended.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel (NHL Images).

Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas had a goal and an assist to take over first place in the NHL scoring race (35 points) as his club downed the Dallas Stars 6-4. The Hurricanes got a goal and three assists from Sebastian Aho plus a goal and two assists from Seth Jarvis. Tyler Seguin, Mason Marchment and Miro Heiskanen each had a goal and an assist for the Stars as they blew a 3-1 lead.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov missed this game with a concussion. There is no timetable for his return. They’re also missing starter Frederik Andersen as he’s sidelined until January recovering from knee surgery. The Canes are making do with call-ups Spencer Martin and Yaniv Perets but there’s speculation they could turn to the trade market.

The Winnipeg Jets got a 43-save performance from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. Alex Iafallo scored twice and Neal Pionk picked up two assists as the Jets (18-4-0) sat atop the overall standings with 36 points. Jake Middleton scored for the Wild, who sit second in the Central Division with 30 points, six behind the Jets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov was held scoreless in this game as he returned to action after missing a game with a lower-body injury. Teammate Jakub Lauko left the game with a lower-body injury.

New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier snapped a 10-game goalless drought with his first NHL hat trick, leading his club over the Nashville Predators 5-2. Filip Forsberg and Zachary L’Heureux replied for the Predators. The Devils have won five of their last six games and hold first place in the Metropolitan Division with 32 points. Predators goaltender Juuse Saros was pulled in the second period after giving up four goals on 30 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils forward Timo Meier received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct in the third period for cross-checking L’Heureux in the face. L’Heureux immediately left the game for treatment.

The Washington Capitals snapped a two-game losing skid with a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers, handing the latter their sixth loss in their last seven games. Jakob Chychrun scored the go-ahead goal and picked up two assists while Lars Eller tallied twice. Niko Mikkola had the only goal for the Panthers.

St. Louis Blue head coach Jim Montgomery got his first win with his new club as they defeated the New York Rangers 5-2. Zack Bolduc scored two goals, Brayden Schenn had a goal and an assist and Dylan Holloway collected two assists for the Blues. Igor Shesterkin stopped 38 shots for the struggling Rangers as they dropped their third straight game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers winger Chris Kreider missed this game with an upper-body injury, resulting in the recall of Matt Rempe from their AHL affiliate in Hartford.

The Rangers’ slump has sparked plenty of trade rumors amid reports general manager Chris Drury has informed his 31 NHL counterparts that he’s open for business. I’ll have more in today’s Rumor Mill.

A shootout goal by Jack Eichel lifted the Vegas Golden Knights over the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 5-4. Eichel also had a goal and an assist in regulation as did teammate Ivan Barbashev as their club sits in first place in the Pacific Division with 30 points. Morgan Frost had a goal and an assist for the Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights played without Zach Whitecloud (upper-body injury) and William Karlsson (personal reasons).

San Jose Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini had his first three-point game (two goals, one assist) in a 7-2 upset of the Los Angeles Kings. Fellow Sharks rookie Will Smith picked up two assists and rookie netminder Yaroslav Askarov stopped 22 shots for his first win with the Sharks. Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe each had two points for the Kings, who’ve dropped five of their last eight contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sharks forward Nico Sturm scored in his return to action after missing five games with an upper-body injury.

The Ottawa Senators nipped the Calgary Flames 4-3. Senators forwards Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk each had a goal and an assist to snap a five-game winless skid (0-4-1). Jonathan Huberdeau, Yegor Sherangovich and Nazem Kadri scored for the Flames as their four-game winning streak ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators Defenseman Artem Zub was sidelined by a broken foot suffered during Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks and could be out for a while. Teammate David Perron missed this game with an upper-body injury.

Three unanswered third-period goals by Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders. Anders Lee and Kyle Palmieri were the goalscorers for the Islanders, who’ve dropped six of their last eight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Isles defenseman Alexander Romanov missed this game due to an illness and is listed as day-to-day.

The Seattle Kraken got a goal and an assist from Shane Wright to beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. Joey Daccord picked up the win with a 21-save performance. Trevor Zegras and Frank Vatrano replied for the Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks center Mason McTavish was held scoreless as he returned to the roster after missing six games with an upper-body injury. Ducks center Leo Carlsson left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period following a hit from Kraken forward Tye Kartye. Before the game, the Ducks placed Brock McGinn (lower body) on injured reserve.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen, and Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll were the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Nov. 24, 2024.

SPORTSNET: Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser could return to action on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. He’s missed the last seven games with a concussion.

Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine participated fully in his club’s practice on Monday. It’s an encouraging sign that Laine is making strides in his recovery from a sprained knee but he’s not expected to return before the end of this week.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators traded forward Philip Tomasino yesterday to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Tomasino was a first-round pick of the Predators (24th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft. General manager Barry Trotz explained that he shipped out the 23-year-old center because of a lack of production over the past two seasons. He believed it was time for a change.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tomasino could have a better shot of becoming an NHL regular with the retooling Penguins as they transition younger players into their lineup.

NEW YORK POST: Former NHL player turned analyst Paul Bissonnette was assaulted by six individuals at a restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona on Sunday evening. He said he was trying to intervene after seeing a group of drunken golfers being abusive to the restaurant staff.

Five of the six men face misdemeanors while a sixth faces a felony. Bissonnette said he took a few shots but gave more. He went to the hospital to get checked out following the melee but said he was “all good”, thanking the restaurant staff and the responding police offers.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 18, 2023

by | Sep 18, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 18, 2023

Mike Babcock steps down as Blue Jackets head coach plus the latest on Paul Stastny, Calen Addison and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Brian Hedger reports Mike Babcock has resigned as head coach of the Blue Jackets following an NHL Players Association investigation into allegations that he violated his players’ privacy during offseason meetings.

Associate coach Pascal Vincent has taken over as head coach, signing a two-year contract. Training camp opens on Sept. 20.

Mike Babcock steps down as Columbus Blue Jackets coach (NHL Images).

Babcock, 60, was hired by the Blue Jackets in July. He released a statement that continuing as their head coach was becoming too much of a distraction, expressing his disappointment that he couldn’t continue in the role and wishing the team well.

Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen also released a statement calling Babcock’s resignation a necessary move to refocus the club on the upcoming season. Kekalainen thanked him for his “hard work and professionalism.”

“Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast co-host Paul Bissonnette revealed last week that he’d been told Babcock was demanding to see players’ cellphones to scroll through photos. Babcock and Jackets captain Boone Jenner quickly released statements refuting Bissonnette’s version of events. Jenner and teammates Johnny Gaudreau and Zack Werenski indicated they had no problem with Babcock’s request, claiming it was being blown out of proportion.

The narrative changed after the NHLPA met with Blue Jackets players to conduct an investigation into the matter. A source told Hedger that one player felt Babcock was using his phone for an “uncomfortable length of time,” leaving him concerned that Babcock may have been searching through his text messages. Hedger cited a report from Sportsnet indicating multiple sources mirrored what he had been told.

TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons believes this is the end of Babcock’s coaching career in the NHL. He felt that this incident, and the allegations that surfaced in 2019 that Babcock bullied players and staff during his tenures with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, irreparably tarnished his otherwise impressive NHL coaching career.

THE ATHLETIC: Aaron Portzline believes Babcock’s resignation raises troubling questions about the Blue Jackets organization.

If they knew about the extent of his interactions with the players when first revealed by Bissonnette and tried to cover it up, it doesn’t look good for those who run the team like Kekalainen and president of hockey operations John Davidson.

If they didn’t know, Portzline suggests the club’s ownership must start asking questions about why the players felt more comfortable talking to Bissonnette and the NHLPA than with those in charge.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The fallout from this will hang over the Blue Jackets during training camp and the upcoming start of the season. This situation isn’t a good look for the franchise, especially for Kekalainen and Davidson. They were responsible for bringing in Babcock in the first place despite his baggage. They gave him a chance to redeem himself as an NHL coach and it blew up in their faces before he coached a single game for them.

The issue here is invasion of privacy. A person’s cell phone often contains personal information that they might be reluctant or unwilling to share with somebody else. That’s why we have password protection on our phones. It would be like someone asking to go through your personal computer or to visit your home to dig through your personal effects.

Portzline believes Bissonnette may have done the Blue Jackets a favor by breaking this story as it allowed the team to confront this issue as quickly as possible. Bissonnette is a colorful and brash personality. However, he’s willing to talk about issues that some in the media may be reluctant to cover for fear of losing access to team contacts.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski also points out that the NHLPA, under new executive director Marty Walsh, deserves credit for its swift handling of this situation with its proactive investigation. He also noted that the NHL has its “whistleblower” apparatus yet the Blue Jackets players felt more comfortable talking to Bissonnette and the PA.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman recently reported that long-time NHL center Paul Stastny isn’t interested in signing a professional tryout offer with NHL clubs. The 37-year-old unrestricted free agent is only interested in contract offers. He’s coming off a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With training camps opening on Wednesday and Thursday, Stastny might have to accept a league minimum deal (one year, $775K) if he hopes to skate with an NHL team this season. He could end up waiting until injuries strike a club during training camp.

STARTRIBUNE.COM: The Minnesota Wild reached an agreement with forward Jujhar Khaira on a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL level. He’d spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.

THE ATHLETIC: Speaking of the Wild, Michael Russo reports a new contract for restricted free-agent defenseman Calen Addison should be coming within the next few days.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs play-by-play man Joe Bowen and his long-time broadcast partner Jim Ralph will be returning to radio this season. It will be the 72-year-old Bowen’s 42nd season covering the Leafs.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Future Hockey Hall-of-Famer Jaromir Jagr recently confirmed he’ll be playing for the Kladno Knights in the Czech Extraliga. It will be his 35th professional hockey season, which began when he joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990-91. Jagr, 51, last played in the NHL in 2017 and has been skating with Kladno ever since.