NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 14, 2026

by | Apr 14, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 14, 2026

The Flyers, Ducks, and Kings clinch playoff berths, the Hurricanes claim first place in the Eastern Conference, the Sabres take the Atlantic Division title, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: A shootout goal by Tyson Foerster and a 24-save effort by Dan Vladar lifted the Philadelphia Flyers over the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 to clinch their first playoff berth since 2019-20. The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead on goals by Bradley Nadeau and Nikolaj Ehlers, but Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras rallied the Flyers in the second period. The Flyers (42-27-12) clinched third place in the Metropolitan Division with 96 points, while the 52-22-7 Hurricanes secured first overall in the Eastern Conference with 111 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The rebuilding Flyers were among the better teams in the league since the Olympic break, riding a 17-7-1 record to an unexpected berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They will face their arch-rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the opening round.

The Flyers’ victory eliminated the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets from the postseason race.

The Hurricanes scratched Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal, Jaccob Slavin, and Shayne Gostisbehere to rest them for the upcoming playoffs. They also recalled goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov from a two-game conditioning stint with their AHL affiliate in Chicago. He’s been sidelined for the past three months recovering from surgery for a lower-body injury.

The Los Angeles Kings clinched the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference with a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Quinton Byfield scored two goals, Trevor Moore and Alex Leferriere each had a goal and an assist, and Anton Forsberg stopped 28 shots for the 35-26-19 Kings (89 points). Adam Larsson and Frederick Gaudreau replied for the Kraken.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Forsberg was named the NHL’s first star for the week ending Apr. 12. Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark was named the second star, and Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was the third star.

Kraken forward Jared McCann missed this game as he’s out for the remainder of the season with a lower-body injury.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini tallied twice to nip the Nashville Predators 3-2, ending the latter’s playoff hopes. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves, and Igor Chernyshov had a goal and an assist for the 38-34-8 Sharks (84 points), who were also eliminated from postseason contention. Luke Evangelista scored both goals for the 38-33-10 Predators (86 points).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks’ victory over the Predators and the Kings’ win against the Kraken ensured the idle Anaheim Ducks clinched their first playoff berth since 2017-18. The Ducks (42-32-6) hold third place in the Pacific Division with 90 points. They face the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and the Predators on Thursday to conclude their regular-season schedule.

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (NHL Images).

The Vegas Golden Knights are 6-0-1 under interim coach John Tortorella after defeating the Winnipeg Jets 6-2, eliminating the latter from the playoff race. Jack Eichel had a goal and three assists while Mark Stone had a goal and two assists for the 38-26-17 Golden Knights, who sit in first place in the Pacific Division with 93 points. Gabriel Vilardi and Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets are the fifth team in NHL history to miss the playoffs after winning the Presidents’ Trophy, joining the 1992-93 and 2024-25 New York Rangers, the 2007-08 Buffalo Sabres, and the 2014-15 Boston Bruins.

The Jets’ disappointing season overshadowed Mark Scheifele’s career-best performance. He had a goal and an assist to reach 101 points to set the franchise’s single-season points record.

Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson scored twice (including his 40th goal of the season) in a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Alex Tuch had a goal and an assist for the Sabres (50-23-8), who clinched the Atlantic Division title with 108 points. Ryan Greene replied for the Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s been a remarkable season for the Sabres, rising from last place in the Eastern Conference in early December to top their division and end a 14-year playoff drought. It’s the fifth-best performance in franchise history.

The Tampa Bay Lightning blew a 3-1 lead, but an overtime goal by Nikita Kucherov gave them a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Kucherov finished with two points to reach 130 points for the second time in his career as the 50-25-6 Lightning (106 points) will face the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round of the playoffs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Red Wings forward Patrick Kane collected an assist to reach 1,400 regular-season points.

Florida Panthers winger Cole Reinhart scored twice for a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers. Matthew Robertson and Gabe Perreault replied for the Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick made 14 saves on 17 shots in his final NHL game. The 40-year-old netminder announced that this game will be his last as he is retiring at the end of this season. Following the game, the Panthers lined up to shake hands with Quick.

Quick won three Stanley Cups during his 19-season NHL career, two of those with the Los Angeles Kings. His best seasons were with the Kings, setting numerous single-season and career goaltending records over his 16 seasons in Los Angeles and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2011-12. He finishes his career with a record of 410 wins, 307 losses, and 90 overtime losses, with a 2.51 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, and 65 shutouts.

The league-leading Colorado Avalanche nipped the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on a shootout goal by Nathan MacKinnon. Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves for the Avalanche, who won the Presidents’ Trophy last week as the top team in the standings. Connor Ingram also made 30 saves for the Oilers (40-30-11), who sit second in the Pacific Division with 91 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson played in his 1,000th NHL regular-season game. Oilers center Leon Draisaitl resumed skating with his teammates as he recovers from a knee injury, but he’s not expected to be ready for their opening game of the playoffs.

Dallas Stars forward Mavrik Bourque scored his first NHL hat trick and added an assist in a 6-5 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The playoff-bound Stars overcame 3-0 and 5-3 deficits for the win. William Nylander had a goal and two assists for the Maple Leafs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the final home game for long-time Maple Leafs radio broadcaster Joe Bowen, who is retiring after this season. He received a lengthy standing ovation from Leafs fans.

The Maple Leafs got a bit of good news yesterday. With the Kings clinching a playoff berth, the conditional 2026 third-round pick they received from them in the Scott Laughton trade becomes a second-round pick.

The St. Louis Blues scored five unanswered goals to upset the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild 6-3. Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who were recently eliminated from postseason contention. Nick Foligno had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who rested several of their veterans, including forwards Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Joel Eriksson Ek, and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 14, 2025

by | Jun 14, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 14, 2025

The latest on the Oilers and Panthers on the eve of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, long-time Maple Leafs broadcaster Joe Bowen to retire, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

STANLEY CUP FINAL NOTEBOOK

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Corey Perry’s speech to his Oilers teammates following the first period of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final may have saved the club’s season.

Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry (NHL Images).

Down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers on Thursday and on the verge of falling behind 3-1 in the series, Perry gave a pep talk that rallied the Edmonton players. They tied the game 3-3 in the second period en route to a 5-4 overtime victory, knotting the series at two games apiece.

Perry’s teammates didn’t elaborate as to what he said. Nevertheless, they credited him with helping them regain their focus, providing the motivation necessary for their comeback.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, “Perry’s Pep Talk” will go down in hockey lore as the turning point of this series.

TSN: Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch had yet to commit to any lineup changes on Friday, including their starting goaltender for Game 5. Starter Stuart Skinner got the hook in Game 4 after giving up three goals in the first period. Backup Calvin Pickard got the win with a 22-save performance.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Skinner can be inconsistent, but he got the Oilers this far since returning to the net midway through their second-round series with the Vegas Golden Knights, showing the ability to bounce back. On the other hand, Pickard is a perfect 7-0 in this postseason, playing well in their Game 4 comeback.

THE SCORE: Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice doesn’t seem troubled by how tightly-contested this Stanley Cup Final has been. If anything, he is enjoying it.

“This is as good as this thing gets,” he told reporters. “This is Christmas. This is the payoff. You want to be a good pro, but Tuesday on the road on the West Coast in November, not as much fun as you’d think. This is where you get the payback…this is truly the juice that you live for.”

Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final is Saturday in Edmonton at 8 pm ET.

IN OTHER NEWS

TORONTO SUN: Long-time Maple Leafs play-by-play man Joe Bowen announced that the 2025-26 season will be his last. Known for his catchphrase “Holy Mackinaw!”, the 74-year-old Bowen has been broadcasting for nearly 44 years, 28 of those calling Leafs games on the radio, earning the title of “The Voice of the Maple Leafs.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It will be the end of an era for the Leafs. Bowen will be among a long list of notable long-time hockey broadcasters who’ve retired since 2020, joining Mike Emrick, Pat Foley, Sam Rosen, and the late Rick Jeanneret and Mike Lange.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins re-signed winger Boko Imama to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: The Blackhawks traded the rights of defenseman Victor Soderstrom to the Boston Bruins for prospect defenseman Ryan Mast and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

THE SEATTLE TIMES: Earlier this week, the Kraken parted ways with assistant coach Bob Woods.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 1, 2023

by | Nov 1, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 1, 2023

Recaps of Tuesday’s games, the NHL and NHLPA discuss neck guards for its players, Paul Stastny retires, the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy is suspended, and more in today’s Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson tallied a hat trick and defenseman Quinn Hughes had three assists in a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Colton Sissons and Dante Fabbro replied for the Predators. The Canucks end the month of October with a record of 6-2-1 while the Predators slipped to 4-5-0.

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A much better start for the Canucks compared to last season (2-5-2), 2021-22 (3-5-1) and 2020-21 (4-5-0). A healthy roster, strong performances from Pettersson and Hughes and the players’ adjustment to head coach Rick Tocchet’s system are among the contributing factors. Pettersson sits second among NHL scorers with 16 points and Quinn (11 points) is tied for the scoring lead among NHL defensemen.

The Los Angeles Kings downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. Cam Talbot made 29 saves, Phillip Danault scored what proved to be the game-winner and Quinton Byfield collected two assists for the 5-2-2 Kings. John Tavares scored and William Nylander collected an assist to extend his season-opening points streak to a team record nine games for the 5-3-1 Maple Leafs.

HEADLINES

SPORTSNET: NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league has initiated discussions with the NHL Players Association to increase neck protections among its players. The move comes following the death of former NHL player Adam Johnson on Saturday after his neck was accidentally sliced by a skate blade during an EIHL game in England.

TSN: Chris Johnston reports there’s a huge level of concern around the NHL about this issue with teams calling league headquarters for direction. Three teams (Pittsburgh, Washington and Carolina) have started the process of optional neckguards for their players while the Penguins are making them mandatory for their AHL and ECHL affiliates.

Pierre LeBrun, meanwhile, indicated that cut-resistant gear has been a topic of discussion for the past half-dozen NHL general managers meetings dating back to Evander Kane’s wrist injury last season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL cannot implement changes to player equipment without the consent of the NHLPA. However, it sounds like the PA could be receptive to this issue. Teams are already taking action to allow their players the option of wearing cut-resistant gear. This could be something that gets put into practice more quickly than previous changes to equipment policies.

NHL.COM: Paul Stastny has retired after 17 NHL seasons. He had 293 goals and 822 career regular-season points in 1,145 games with the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes. He also had 73 points in 118 playoff games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stastny’s best seasons were with the Avalanche, including a career-high 79 points in 2009-10. He reportedly sought the guidance of his father, Hall-of-Famer Peter Stastny, before reaching this decision. Stastny told The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun that he’s interested in returning to hockey one day in a management role.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy received a four-game suspension from the NHL department of player safety for an illegal hit to the head of Florida Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Monday.

The Bruins also announced that blueliner Matt Grzelcyk will miss “a couple of weeks” with an upper-body injury.

DAILY FACEOFF: Bruins center Matthew Poitras and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski won’t be returned to their respective junior teams. Both will remain with their NHL clubs following their nine-game trials with their respective teams.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That means their entry-level contracts now go into effect and will count against their respective teams’ salary-cap payrolls for this season.

CBS SPORTS: San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture suffered a minor setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury that will keep him off the ice for a little while. Meanwhile. Sharks forward Alexander Barabanov will miss four to six weeks due to a broken finger.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The hits just keep on coming for the struggling Sharks. The absence of Couture has hurt their offense and Barabanov’s absence won’t help.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens center Kirby Dach underwent successful knee surgery in New York on Tuesday. He’s expected to make a full recovery and be ready to return to action next season.

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche blueliners Cale Makar and Bowen Byram missed practice on Tuesday and are questionable for Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Chicago Blackhawks center Conor Bedard is off to a promising start with six points in nine games. However, Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig was the rookie points leader for October with seven points in eight contests.

THE SCORE: Buffalo Sabres rookie Zach Benson is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Edmonton Oilers signed center Sam Gagner to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL level and placed forward Adam Erne on waivers.










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.