NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 4, 2023

by | Nov 4, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 4, 2023

The Devils fall to the Blues and lose Jack Hughes, the Flyers defeat the Sabres, Sidney Crosby approaches another milestone, and the Rangers get bad news on Adam Fox and Filip Chytil. Details on these and other stories in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: St. Louis Blues center Kevin Hayes scored his first two goals of the season in a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Hayes finished the night with three points while Jordan Binnington made 33 saves for the Blues, who improved their record to 4-4-1. Curtis Lazar replied for the Devils (6-3-1), who lost scoring leader Jack Hughes to an upper-body injury in the first period when he lost his balance and crashed into the boards behind the Blues net.

St. Louis Blues center Kevin Hayes (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes played one more shift and left the game before the end of the first period. Following the game, Devils coach Lindy Ruff said the 22-year-old center would be reevaluated on Saturday.

Three first-period goals carried the Philadelphia Flyers over the Buffalo Sabres by a score of 5-1. Travis Konecny scored his ninth of the season to move into a tie for the NHL goal-scoring lead with Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat and Anaheim’s Frank Vatrano. Bobby Brink and Joel Farabee each collected two points for the 5-5-1 Flyers. Henri Jokiharju scored for the Sabres as they dropped to 5-6-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (mid-body) and center Sean Couturier (lower body) missed this game and are listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson left this game with a lower-body injury.

Both clubs are off to surprising starts this season. The Flyers were expected to be near the bottom of the standings while the Sabres were considered a playoff contender. There’s still a long way to go in this season for both clubs but it’s safe to say that the Flyers have exceeded expectations thus far while the Sabres have not met theirs.

HEADLINES

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will be appearing in his 1,200th career NHL game when his club faces off on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby is already the Penguins’ all-time leader in games played. He will tie Owen Nolan for 127th overall on the league’s all-time list.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers placed defenseman Adam Fox on long-term injury reserve with a lower-body injury. Fox was sidelined by a leg-on-leg hit from Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho on Thursday. They also placed center Filip Chytil on injured reserve with an upper-body injury that occurred during the same game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those are significant losses for the Rangers. Fox is their top defenseman while Chytil centered their third line. The absence of former Norris Trophy winner Fox hurts the most given his workload as their blueline linchpin.

CBS SPORTS: Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He’s already missed the first seven games of this season due to an injury.

DAILY FACEOFF: Anaheim Ducks head coach Greg Cronin was fined $25,000.00 by the NHL “for unprofessional conduct directed at the officials” during Monday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

TSN 1200: Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub will remain sidelined for at least the next two games as he continues to recover from a concussion.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers sent defenseman Philip Broberg to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield on Friday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Broberg struggled to play up to expectations this season and lost his spot on the Oilers’ blueline to Vincent Desharnais.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 30, 2023

by | Oct 30, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – October 30, 2023

How long will the Blues continue to carry eight defensemen? Can the Canadiens capitalize in the goalie trade market? Check out the latest in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

THE ATHLETIC: Jeremy Rutherford pondered how long the St. Louis Blues will continue to carry eight defensemen this season. They’re currently doing so because they don’t want to risk losing Tyler Tucker or Scott Perunovich on waivers trying to send them to their AHL affiliate in Springfield.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug (NHL Images).

If this season continues going the way it has for the Blues, Rutherford wondered if they might revisit the trade market for Torey Krug or other defensemen such as Robert Bortuzzo or Marco Scandella. The latter two are slated to become unrestricted free agents next July.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rutherford isn’t sure how much interest those three might draw in the trade market. The Blues attempted to move Krug to the Philadelphia Flyers in June but he invoked his no-trade clause and could do so again.

Scandella carries a $3.275 million cap hit plus a seven-team no-trade clause. Bortuzzo carries a more affordable $900K cap hit and lacks no-trade protection but he might not draw much interest and won’t fetch much of a return.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Marc Dumont noted the Canadiens continue to carry three goaltenders in Jake Allen, Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau. Goalies tend to carry little value in the trade market but a rival club in need of depth between the pipes could pony up assets to acquire one.

Dumont noted that the Buffalo Sabres might fall into that category, pointing out that Eric Comrie will be sidelined for several weeks with a lower-body injury. They briefly called up Devin Cooley following Comrie’s injury but returned him to their AHL affiliate as Devon Levi is expected to return to action this week.

There’s no indication that the Sabres and Canadiens have engaged in talks with teams like the Sabres. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if they did given that Habs general manager Kent Hughes is keen to move a netminder.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s possible the Canadiens will move one of their three goaltenders at some point this season. For now, however, it doesn’t appear as though the Sabres will be a trade partner. They appear content for now to stick with their current goalies. If not the Sabres, perhaps another team will come calling if injuries or inconsistent play becomes an issue.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 27, 2023

by | Oct 27, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 27, 2023

The Bruins and Avalanche suffer their first losses and Senators’ center Shane Pinto is suspended for a gambling violation. Details on these and other stories in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Anaheim Ducks overcame a 3-1 deficit to upset the Boston Bruins 4-3, snapping the latter’s season-opening win streak at six games (6-0-1). Mason McTavish scored in overtime while Troy Terry and rookie Leo Carlsson each had a goal and an assist for the 3-4-0 Ducks. Charlie McAvoy collected three assists while David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist for the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery indicated winger Jakub Lauko (facial injury) will be sidelined for at least a week while winger Milan Lucic (lower body) will be out for at least two weeks.

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry turned in a 31-save shutout in a 4-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche, ending the Avs’ 15-game road win streak and their season-opening six-game win streak. Reilly Smith scored two goals for the Penguins (3-4-0). The Avs (6-1-0) remain in first place in the Central Division with 12 points.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas (NHL Images).

An overtime goal by Martin Necas lifted the Carolina Hurricanes over the Seattle Kraken 3-2. Necas finished the game with two goals and an assist as the Hurricanes overcame a 2-0 deficit to lift their record to 4-4-0. Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and an assist and Joey Daccord stopped 42 shots as the Kraken blew a 2-0 lead and dropped to 2-4-2.

The Montreal Canadiens got an overtime goal from Cole Caufield in a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, who led 3-1 at one point before the Habs staged their comeback. Caufield and linemate Nick Suzuki each had a goal and two assists while Sam Montembeault turned aside 33 shots for the 4-2-1 Canadiens. Emil Bemstrom tallied twice while Jack Roslovic had a goal and two assists for the 3-2-2 Blue Jackets.

Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 35 shots to backstop his club over the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4-1. Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton each had a goal and an assist for the Jets (4-3-0) as they extended their win streak to three games. Lucas Raymond replied for the 5-2-1 Red Wings.

Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Jonas Johansson turned aside 23 shots for his second straight shutout in a 6-0 defeat of the San Jose Sharks. Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev and Nick Perbix each collected two points for the 4-2-2 Lightning. The Sharks are still seeking their first win of the season as they sank to 0-6-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A lack of scoring punch has hampered the rebuilding Sharks. They’ve managed just eight goals thus far.

The Toronto Maple Leafs got a goal and an assist from Morgan Rielly to defeat the Dallas Stars 4-1. Joseph Woll made 31 saves as the Leafs improved to 5-2-0. Mason Marchment replied for the 4-1-1 Stars.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury. He will be re-evaluated on Friday.

New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson snapped a 2-2 tie with a third-period goal as his club nipped the Ottawa Senators 3-2. Bo Horvat and Cal Clutterbuck gave the Islanders (3-2-1) a 2-0 first-period lead but the Senators (3-4-0) rallied to tie it on goals by Claude Giroux and Jakob Chychrun.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators defenseman Erik Brannstrom was stretchered from the game in the second period when he struck his head on the ice following a hit by Clutterbuck. Following the game, the Senators released a statement indicating the blueliner was alert, had full use of his extremities, and was transported to a hospital for further observation and testing.

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Minnesota Wild 6-2. Flyers rookie Bobby Brink scored the first two goals of his NHL career while Cam Atkinson had three assists and Travis Sanheim had a goal and two assists for the 4-2-1 Flyers. Dakota Mermis and Marcus Foligno replied for the Wild as they slipped to 3-3-1.

New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick made 29 saves to blank the Edmonton Oilers 3-0. Adam Fox, Braden Schneider and Artemi Panarin each collected two points as they improved to 5-2-0. The Oilers sank to 1-5-1 on the season.

St. Louis Blues netminder Joel Hofer stopped 27 shots for his first NHL shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Flames. Oskar Sundqvist had a goal and an assist for the Blues as they improved their record to 3-2-1. The Flames, meanwhile, dropped to 2-5-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Following the game, Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov offered a blunt apology for his club’s poor performance this season. “We’re playing like shit now,” he said.

It’s a grim time for Alberta’s NHL franchises. The Oilers entered this season considered among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup while the Flames were hoping to rebound from last season’s disappointing result.

HEADLINES

OTTAWA SUN: The NHL yesterday announced a 41-game suspension of Senators center Shane Pinto for activities that violated the league’s gambling rules.

In a statement, the league indicated that Pinto didn’t wager on NHL games but offered no insight into the reasons behind the lengthy suspension. However, league sources stated that Pinto’s online gambling account in the United States was flagged by a company that is a partner with the NHL because of unusual activity. They contacted the league, which launched an investigation into the matter. It’s believed they found evidence connecting Pinto to a third-party bettor.

The 22-year-old Senators center issued an apology in which he took full responsibility for his actions. Meanwhile, the NHL Players Association was aware of the investigation and will not be appealing the suspension.

Pinto remains a restricted free agent as he was in the midst of contract talks with the Senators before the suspension, which is retroactive to the start of the club’s season. The earliest he can return to action is Jan. 21 against the Philadelphia Flyers. However, it’s not expected he’ll be back that soon as he’ll need time with the Senators’ AHL affiliate to get back into game shape.

The Senators said they would welcome Pinto’s return following his suspension. They called him a “valued member of our hockey club” and will provide support for him to “address his issues.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL is criticized for not revealing the details that prompted Pinto’s lengthy suspension. There is also concern that he’s being punished by a league that has almost gone overboard with its recent embrace of legalized gambling. In addition, it raises questions about the NHL’s gambling policy regarding its players.

There are also questions over how Pinto’s suspension will affect his contract talks with the Senators and their efforts to free up cap space to sign him. I’ll have more about that in today’s Rumors update.

MLIVE.COM: Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron is mourning the shooting tragedy in Lewiston, Maine that left 18 people dead and many others wounded. Perron played his final year of junior hockey with the Lewiston MAINEiacs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2006-07 and still has friends in the area. 

THE SCORE: Zach Kassian announced his retirement after 12 NHL seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Arizona Coyotes. In 661 regular-season games, Kassian had 92 goals and 111 assists for 203 points along with 913 PIMs. He also had nine points in 45 playoff games.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 22, 2023

by | Oct 22, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 22, 2023

The Golden Knights set an NHL record, Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard reached a milestone, Oilers captain Connor McDavid suffered an injury and Kings captain Anze Kopitar set a franchise record. Details on these and other stories in the NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Vegas Golden Knights became the first defending Stanley Cup champion to start a season with a 6-0-0 record in a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago rookie Connor Bedard opened the scoring with his first NHL goal on home ice but the Golden Knights put the game out of reach with third-period goals by Nicolas Roy, Mark Stone and Paul Cotter. The loss dropped the Blackhawks to 2-4-0.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

An overtime goal by Mark Scheifele capped a three-goal rally in a 3-2 win by the Winnipeg Jets (2-3-0) over the Edmonton Oilers. However, their win was overshadowed by an injury to Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who missed the final minutes of regulation and the overtime period. McDavid appeared to injure his hip in the first period after getting entangled with Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The loss dropped the Oilers’ record to 1-3-1. We should get more details about McDavid’s condition on Sunday. With the Oilers stumbling from the gate, losing their best player for any significant period could be a significant blow.

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand scored two goals and added an assist to double up the Los Angeles Kings 4-2. Bruins winger David Pastrnak tallied his fifth goal of the season while Jeremy Swayman got the win with a 32-save performance as the Bruins improved to 4-0-0. Kings captain Anze Kopitar set a franchise record by skating in his 1, 297th game as his club’s record dropped to 2-2-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk was a healthy scratch from this game as he was late for a team meeting.

The Colorado Avalanche are 5-0-0 after beating the Carolina Hurricanes 6-4. Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen had a goal and three assists while Logan O’Connor scored a shorthanded goal for the third straight game. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jaccob Slavin each had a goal and an assist for the 3-3-0 Hurricanes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The injury-depleted Hurricanes lost another player as Brett Pesce missed this game with a lower-body injury. He joins center Sebastian Aho and goaltender Frederik Andersen on the sidelines.

The Detroit Red Wings downed the Ottawa Senators 5-2. Dylan Larkin had a goal and two assists, Joe Veleno tallied twice and Ville Husso made 35 saves as the Wings improved to 4-1-0. Jake Sanderson and Ridly Greig replied for the 3-2-0 Senators, who managed to hold Alex DeBrincat scoreless in his first game in Ottawa since being traded to Detroit in July.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators fans gave DeBrincat a “warm” welcome by booing him every time he touched the puck. Nevertheless, the Wings’ convincing victory gave him the last laugh.

Arizona Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka stopped 32 shots in a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Jason Zucker and Clayton Keller scored for the Coyotes (3-2-0) while Frank Vatrano tallied for the 1-3-0 Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zucker left this game with a lower-body injury while teammate Michael Carcone suffered an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott became the first NHL player to defy the league’s ban on using Pride Tape, sporting a few strands of the rainbow-colored tape near the top of his stick.

The Buffalo Sabres defeated the New York Islanders 3-1. Jeff Skinner had a goal and an assist while Casey Mittelstadt collected two assists as the Sabres moved to 2-3-0. Semyon Varlamov made 40 saves and Noah Dobson scored for the 2-1-1 Islanders.

Third-period goals by Andrei Kuzmenko and Brock Boeser gave the Vancouver Canucks a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers. Kuzmenko and Elias Pettersson each had a goal and an assist, Ilya Mikheyev collected an assist in his first game since his knee surgery in January, and Casey DeSmith kicked out 34 shots for the 3-2-0 Canucks. Sam Reinhart scored two goals for the 2-3-0 Panthers.

An overtime goal by Cole Caufield lifted the Montreal Canadiens over the Washington Capitals 3-2. The Canadiens (2-1-1) led 2-0 on goals by Sean Monahan and Brendan Gallagher but Capitals forward Dylan Strome netted two goals to force the extra frame. Jake Allen got the win with a 31-save performance while the Capitals sank to 1-2-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin remains stalled at 822 career goals four games into his season as he’s yet to find the back of the net.

The Toronto Maple Leafs (3-2-0) overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on an overtime goal by John Tavares. Matthew Knies scored twice and collected an assist while Joseph Woll made 29 saves for the win after Ilya Samsonov got the hook when he gave up three goals on four shots. Nikita Kucherov also scored twice and collected an assist while Jonas Johansson stopped 48 shots as the Lightning dropped to 2-2-2.

Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski scored in overtime to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4. The Flyers overcame a 4-2 deficit to force the extra frame. Stars forward Wyatt Johnston had a goal and two assists as his club improved to 3-0-1. Travis Konecny scored twice for the 3-1-1 Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flyers defenseman Marc Staal is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury after being placed on injured reserve on Friday. He was sidelined during Thursday’s win over the Edmonton Oilers.

An overtime goal by Jack Roslovic lifted the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild. Blue Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli netted his first career NHL goal while his club improved to 3-2-0. Filip Gustavsson made 49 stops for the 2-2-1 Wild.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Blue Jackets announced that center Patrik Laine is day-to-day after being elbowed in the head on Friday by Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who received a four-game suspension for the incident. Earlier in the day, the Blue Jackets lost forward Liam Foudy as he was plucked off the waiver wire by the Nashville Predators.

Speaking of the Predators, they got two goals from Tommy Novak to down the San Jose Sharks 5-1. Juuse Saros stopped 31 shots to backstop his club to a 3-3-0 record. Tomas Hertl replied for the 0-4-1 Sharks.

A two-goal performance by Brandon Saad gave the St. Louis Blues a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jordan Binnington got the win with 31 saves as the Blues improved to 2-1-1. Evgeni Malkin scored to extend his goal streak to four games but his Penguins dropped to 2-3-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The second period has been death for the Penguins in their last three games as they’ve been outscored 6-0 in that frame.

New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin scored twice in a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Filip Chytil collected three assists as the Rangers moved to 3-2-0 on the season. Justin Schultz tallied for the Kraken as they sank to 1-4-1.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 15, 2023

by | Oct 15, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 15, 2023

The Leafs’ Auston Matthews starts the season with consecutive hat tricks, Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner tallies a hat trick in his club’s home-opener, Mackenzie Blackwood turns in a 51-save debut with the Sharks, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews collected his second straight hat trick in as many games to lead his club over the Minnesota Wild 7-4. William Nylander scored twice and collected an assist while Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly each had two helpers. Wild rookie Marco Rossi scored his first-ever NHL goal.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Matt Boldy also scored for the Wild but he left the game in the third period with an upper-body injury following a hit by Rielly. He will be reevaluated on Sunday.

A natural hat trick by team captain Boone Jenner powered the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Johnny Gaudreau picked up two assists and rookie David Jiricek scored to collect his first-ever NHL point as Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent picked up his first win as an NHL bench boss. Adam Fox and Erik Gustafsson each had two points for the Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins left the game in the second period due to illness after making 24 saves. He was replaced by Spencer Martin for the remainder of the game. Earlier in the day, the Jackets placed winger Eric Robinson on waivers.

San Jose Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 51 saves to steal a point as his club dropped a 2-1 shootout decision to the Colorado Avalanche. Cale Makar scored the tying goal in the third period, setting the stage for Mikko Rantanen’s shootout winner.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackwood’s 51 saves were the most by a goaltender in their debut with a team since 1955-56.

The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Edmonton Oilers for the second straight game with a 4-3 win as Sam Lafferty snapped a 3-3 tie in the third period. Casey DeSmith made 37 saves while Nils Hoglander had a goal and an assist for the Canucks. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and two assists while Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A better effort by the Oilers in this one compared to the 8-1 shellacking they received from the Canucks in their season opener. They outshot the Canucks 40-17 but costly defensive breakdowns and shaky goaltending from Stuart Skinner proved to be their undoing.

The Ottawa Senators got two goals and an assist from Jakob Chychrun to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2. Brady Tkachuk also scored twice for the Senators and Claude Giroux picked up two assists. Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist for the Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In a pregame ceremony, the Senators honored Giroux for reaching his 1,000th career point on Oct. 10 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He netted most of those points during his tenure with the Flyers and was touched that the Senators chose this game against his former club to honor his achievement.

Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor scored twice and picked up an assist as his club held off the Florida Panthers 6-4. Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey each picked up two points for the Jets while Evan Rodrigues had two goals and two assists for the Panthers.

A two-goal performance by James van Riemsdyk carried the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist while Jeremy Swayman stopped 33 shots for the Bruins. Colton Sissons scored both times for the Predators.

The Detroit Red Wings upset the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4. Alex DeBrincat scored two goals and added an assist while Moritz Seider and J.T. Compher each collected two points for the Wings. Steven Stamkos netted two goals and collected a helper for the Lightning.

Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan scored what proved to be the game-winner as his club held on for a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Monahan finished with a goal and an assist, Tanner Pearson netted his first goal with the Canadiens and Samuel Montembeault turned aside 28 shots for the win. Tyler Johnson tallied both goals for the Blackhawks with rookie Connor Bedard picking up an assist, giving him points in his first three NHL games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens center Kirby Dach left the game in the first period after suffering a lower-body injury following a hit by Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi. He will be reevaluated on Sunday.

A five-goal third period carried the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. Jake Guentzel had a goal and two assists, Bryan Rust tallied twice and Alex Nedeljkovic kicked out 34 shots for the Penguins. Matt Coronato and Jonathan Huberdeau replied for the Flames.

The New York Islanders nipped the Buffalo Sabres by a score of 3-2. Brock Nelson had a goal and an assist while Ilya Sorokin got the win with a 26-save performance. Casey Mittelstadt and Zach Benson each had two points for the Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres felt that Casey Cizikas’ game-winner in the third period was knocked in by a high stick. When the video review confirmed the goal they launched a coach’s challenge claiming the Isles were offside but the officials disagreed after reviewing the play.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped 30 shots and Robert Thomas scored in the shootout in a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Jordan Kyrou scored in regulation for the Blues as did Jaden Schwartz for the Kraken, who got a 24-save effort from goalie Joey Daccord.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a costly win for the Blues as winger Pavel Buchnevich left the game late in the first period with an upper-body injury. Blues coach Craig Berube said he didn’t know the extent of Buchnevich’s injury but he didn’t rule out a concussion. He will be reevaluated on Sunday.

Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson had a goal and two assists as his club rolled to a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore each had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights. Mason McTavish replied for the Ducks while John Gibson stopped 34 shots.

A goal by Jordan Martinook in the ninth round of the shootout lifted the Carolina Hurricanes over the Los Angeles Kings 6-5. Sebastian Aho scored shorthanded and picked up an assist for the Hurricanes while Anze Kopitar had two goals and Kevin Fiala picked up three assists for the Kings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, Kings general manager Rob Blake told Bally Sports West that Viktor Arvidsson could require back surgery. The 30-year-old winger suffered the injury during practice on Monday and was placed on long-term injury reserve on Thursday.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 12, 2023

by | Oct 12, 2023

NHL Rumor Mill – October 12, 2023

Check out the latest on the Lightning plus some trade and free-agent predictions for this season in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LATEST ON THE LIGHTNING

THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun noted that the Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t claim a goaltender off waivers as a short-term replacement for sidelined starter Andrei Vasilevskiy. However, general manager Julien BriseBois didn’t rule out a possible move for a goalie as he’s leaving all his options on the table.

LeBrun believes the Lightning will try to hang in there with their current tandem of Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins until Vasilevskiy returns. However, if they need an addition, they have the flexibility to do so with their starter on long-term injury reserve.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise there. They evidently felt comfortable with their current tandem and didn’t see any improvement among the goalies who were on the waiver wire earlier this week.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos (NHL Images).

BriseBois also downplayed Steven Stamkos’ disappointment over a lack of contract talks during the summer. He said his captain’s remarks didn’t surprise him because it was the same thing he told him during the offseason.

The Lightning GM said he didn’t think it was Stamkos’ intent to create headlines and understood his position. Unless something changes, however, those contract talks will wait until after this season. BriseBois also told LeBrun that he didn’t believe this situation would be a distraction.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stamkos may not have wished to make headlines but that’s happened. Regardless, I agree that this won’t be a distraction for BriseBois or his captain as they focus on remaining among this season’s Stanley Cup contenders. Still, it could be worth revisiting this situation by February depending on how this season unfolds for the Bolts.

PREDICTED MOVES FOR 2023-24

SPORTSNET: Rory Boylen recently published bold predictions for all 32 NHL teams ahead of the start of this season. Among them were a few interesting moves:

He predicts Patrick Kane will sign with the Buffalo Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Color me skeptical because I don’t think adding another winger on a team already loaded with offense is the best way for them to invest cap dollars. Still, I won’t dismiss the possibility, especially if Kane doesn’t find any Stanley Cup contenders able to afford his services.

Boylen expects the Los Angeles Kings will open the 2024 playoffs with a goaltender who’s currently not on the team. He believes they’re taking a big risk with Pheonix Copley and an aging Cam Talbot as their tandem.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I agree with this take. There could be more suitable options between the pipes available to them in the trade market by midseason.

Boylen predicts the Philadelphia Flyers will trade a top-six forward. He believes the rebuilding club is set up to be a seller at the trade deadline with some attractive assets like Scott Laughton or Travis Konecny.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laughton and Konecny have surfaced in the rumor mill at times this year. Playoff contenders will likely come calling for one or both and could be willing to pony up some decent assets to get them.

Boylen also thinks the St. Louis Blues will be sellers again. He noted that they tried to move a defenseman during the summer but five of them have trade restrictions on their contracts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That defenseman they attempted to move was Torey Krug, who made it clear that he’s not waiving his no-trade clause. Maybe one of the others (Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy and Marco Scandella with his partial no-trade) would be willing to do so, provided the Blues become sellers again.

One bombshell prediction is this season could be Elias Pettersson’s last with the Vancouver Canucks. Boylen noted he might be reticent to re-sign if the club has another rocky season with making the playoffs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pettersson was reluctant to discuss a long-term contract extension with management. That has some wondering if they’re even keen to make a lengthy commitment with him. I think the outcome of this season will determine Pettersson’s future in Vancouver.