NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 1, 2024

by | May 1, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 1, 2024

The Avalanche and Hurricanes advance to the second round, the Leafs and Predators avoid elimination, the Calder Trophy Finalists are announced, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Winnipeg Jets 6-3 to win their best-of-seven opening-round series four games to one. Mikko Rantanen scored twice and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 34 shots for the Avalanche. They await the winner of the Dallas Stars-Vegas Golden Knights series.

Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Georgiev silenced his critics (including me) with his performance during this series. After giving up seven goals on 23 shots in Game 1, he allowed eight in the next four games with a .931 save percentage.

Winnipeg entered this series tied with the Florida Panthers for the fewest goals-against per game (2.41). Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is a Vezina Trophy finalist who won the Jennings Trophy as the goalie who played a minimum of 25 games for the team allowing the fewest regular-season goals.

However, the Jet couldn’t contain the Avs’ offense, finishing this round with the highest goals-against per game (5.40) while Hellebuyck allowed the most goals (24) among all first-round goalies thus far. They are also the first team in NHL playoff history to allow at least five goals in five straight games in a postseason round.

Three unanswered third-period goals gave the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders to take their first-round series four games to one. Jack Drury scored the winning goal and Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists for the Hurricanes, who will face the New York Rangers in the second round.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Carolina’s offensive depth proved too much to contain for the Islanders. Credit Isles goaltender Semyon Varlamov for keeping his club in most of these games but his teammates lack the scoring punch to hand with the Hurricanes.

An overtime goal by Matthew Knies lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Boston Bruins 2-1 in Game 5 of their first-round series. Jake McCabe also scored and Joseph Woll made 27 saves for the Leafs. Trent Frederic replied for the Bruins as they hold a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is Thursday, May 2 at 8 pm EDT.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was the Leafs’ best game of the series. Woll’s steady goaltending gave them confidence and they did a good job containing Boston’s leading scorers. The Bruins at times appeared flat during this contest while the Leafs were fighting to keep their season alive.

The Leafs got the win without top center Auston Matthews, who missed this game with an undisclosed illness.

The Nashville Predators overcame a 1-0 deficit to beat the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 in Game 5 of their first-round series on goals by Roman Josi and Alexandre Carrier. Juuse Saros made 19 saves for the win. Nikita Zadorov scored and Arturs Silov turned aside 20 shots for the Canucks, who hold a 3-2 lead in this series. Game 6 is Friday (start time TBA).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was a goaltender’s duel through the first two periods. It looked like the Canucks were going to put this one away following Zadorov’s goal but the Predators refused to quit.

The Predators caught a break on Josi’s goal as the puck squirted behind Silov. The Canucks goalie tried to roll over to cover the puck but was inadvertently pushed during a goalmouth scramble, knocking the puck across the goal line.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber, and New Jersey Devils blueliner Luke Hughes are this season’s finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the finalists. Bedard is considered the favorite to win but Faber could make this interesting. He enjoyed a strong debut with the Wild, finishing among the rookie leaders in points and sitting among the league’s top-10 skaters in time on ice per game.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: T.J. Oshie said he has much to consider regarding his future as a player. The 37-year-old Washington Capitals winger said he’s been dealing with chronic back issues for years among other ailments.

Oshie has a year left on his contract. He said he’d love to play next season but needs assurances that he can do so without his back giving out. The Capitals winger intends to seek treatment during the offseason.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oshie has never played a full NHL season due to injuries. He saw action in only 52 games in 2023-24.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Flyers captain Sean Couturier recently changed agents and is now represented by Pat Brisson. One reason behind the change could be due to his former agent criticizing Flyers coach John Tortorella for benching Couturier for two games. The veteran center took responsibility for his poor play leading to his benching.

Speaking of the Flyers, top prospect Matvei Michkov might be able to join the club next season if the KHL allows him out of his contract with SKA St. Petersburg. Michkov’s contract runs through 2025-26 but SKA chairman Alexander Medvedev said he has a good relationship with the Flyers front office and has regularly spoken with them.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s nothing set in stone here but Medvedev said a decision on Michkov’s future could come by the end of June.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot could undergo wrist surgery in the coming weeks. The recovery time would be between two and three months.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The sooner Chabot has the surgery the more likely he’ll be fully recovered in time for training camp in September.

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Senators, they reportedly interviewed Travis Green for their vacant head-coaching position. Green is currently the interim coach of the New Jersey Devils.

THE ATHLETIC: And speaking of New Jersey, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas denied speculation that head coach Mike Sullivan could become the next Devils head coach. Dubas said the Devils haven’t sought permission to speak with Sullivan nor have they been granted permission.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This sounds like another example of the hockey media “telephone” game. A pundit wonders whether Sullivan would be interested in coaching the Devils because he’s friends with their general manager. People start talking about it and it morphs into Sullivan trying to get out of his contract with the Penguins to coach the Devils.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Canadiens winger Juraj Slakovskiy is undergoing some medical procedures in Montreal. It will delay him joining Slovakia at the upcoming World Championships in Czechia but isn’t expected to prevent him from playing in the tournament.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 4, 2023

by | May 4, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 4, 2023

The Golden Knights defeat the Oilers despite Leon Draisaitl’s four-goal performance, the Hurricanes cruise to an easy win over the Devils, and the Calder Trophy finalists are announced. Details and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored all four of his club’s goals but it wasn’t enough to prevent his team from falling 6-4 to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of their best-of-seven second-round series. Ivan Barbashev scored twice while Mark Stone and Jack Eichel each had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights. Game 2 goes Saturday evening in Las Vegas.

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the second time in this second round that a player scored four goals for the losing side in the opening game of their series. Dallas Stars winger Joe Pavelski set an NHL record as the oldest player to tally four times in a playoff game as his club dropped a 5-4 decision to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.

Edmonton opened the scoring but spent the rest of the game playing catch-up with Vegas. Their vaunted power-play went two-for-three on the night but Vegas did a good job limiting their trips to the penalty box. The Golden Knights outperformed the Oilers at 5-on-5 play, using an aggressive forecheck to create scoring opportunities.

The Oilers also lost forward Mattias Janmark in the first period after he fell awkwardly and struck his head against the boards.

The Carolina Hurricanes cruised to a 5-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Game 1 of their second-round series. Seth Jarvis scored what proved to be the winning goal, Frederik Andersen stopped 17 shots while Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook each collected two assists. Nate Bastian replied for the Devils while first-round hero Akira Schmid was pulled early in the second period after giving up three goals on 11 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Schmid wasn’t solely to blame for the Devils’ loss. By the end of the first period, Carolina led 2-0 and outshot the Devils 10-1. Schmid and his teammates were dominated by the Hurricanes’ suffocating defensive game and did little to contain their offense.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power, and Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner as the finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy as this season’s rookie of the year. The winner will be announced during the 2023 NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on June 26.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant wasn’t pleased over recent speculation suggesting he could lose his job following his club’s first-round exit from the 2023 playoffs.

“I can’t believe I have to answer some of these questions about me getting fired,” he said during his end-of-season press conference. “If I can’t stand by my record and what I’ve done, I think there’s something wrong.”

Gallant said he hasn’t talked to Rangers general manager Chris Drury about his future. He’s the first coach in club history to have back-to-back 100-point seasons in his first two years with the franchise.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers media seems to be seeking a scapegoat for the Rangers’ disappointing end to their season. It’s possible that Gallant’s bosses decide to go in a different direction but I think he’s earned the right to return behind their bench next season. He’s not going anywhere unless the players are unhappy with his coaching and express their concerns to Drury.

Patrick Kane’s short tenure with the Rangers is likely over. The pending unrestricted free-agent winger was acquired from Chicago before the trade deadline. He’s mulling surgery for an injury that’s nagged him for the last two years and clearly affected his performance this season. Kane indicated he’d love to return but acknowledged their limited cap space and younger players they need to re-sign.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kane has thus far declined to provide details about his health but it’s been rumored for months that he’s been hampered by a hip injury. That will affect his value in this summer’s free-agent market, especially if he requires surgery that could sideline him for the start of next season.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning captain Steven Stamkos has a year remaining on his contract but he hopes to finish his career in Tampa Bay. “This is the only jersey I ever want to wear,” said Stamkos, who was drafted first overall by the Lightning in 2008. He’s hopeful they’ll begin contract extension talks this summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stamkos is completing the seventh season of an eight-year, $68 million contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million. The Lightning captain was once again among his club’s leading scorers with 84 points in 81 games. He’s undoubtedly aware of the Bolts’ limited cap space in 2024-25 as they currently have a projected $26.9 million available with just nine players under contract for that season.

Because Florida doesn’t have a state tax, I can see Stamkos accepting a bit of a pay cut to finish his career in Tampa Bay. How much he’ll accept and whether the Lightning can afford him remains to be seen.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Bo Horvat admitted the trade from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Islanders took a mental toll on him this season. However, he credited the Islanders’ efforts to relieve that pressure when it came to relocating his family from Vancouver to Long Island.

TWINCITIES.COM: The Minnesota Wild seemed to lose confidence in young players Marco Rossi and Calen Addison this season. While that’s led to questions about their future, the Wild’s cap constraints could give them no choice but to give them another opportunity next season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Addison recently surfaced as a trade candidate after becoming a healthy scratch once the Wild acquired John Klingberg at the trade deadline.

TSN: The Washington Capitals intend to interview Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern for their vacant head-coaching position. The Capitals recently parted ways with bench boss Peter Laviolette. Halpern spent seven of his 14-season NHL playing career with the Capitals.

OTTAWA SUN: NHL defenseman Mark Borowiecki announced his retirement after 12 NHL seasons spent with the Senators and Nashville Predators. A rugged blueliner, the 33-year-old Borowiecki missed all but four games this season to concussion symptoms. In 458 games, he tallied 15 goals and 56 points along with 848 PIMs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Borowiecki in his recovery and his future endeavors.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 12, 2022

by | May 12, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 12, 2022

The Rangers stave off elimination, the Panthers and Flames take 3-2 leads in their opening-round series, the Calder Trophy finalists are announced and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The New York Rangers avoided elimination from their first-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-3 victory. Filip Chytil snapped a 3-3 tie with a power-play goal early in the third period while Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves as the Rangers overcame a 2-0 deficit in the second period with three straight goals. Jake Guentzel tallied twice for the Penguins. Game 6 is in Pittsburgh on Friday with the Penguins holding a 3-2 series lead.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hanging over this game was the departure of Penguins captain Sidney Crosby in the second period after receiving an unpenalized elbow to the head by Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. Until that moment, the Penguins were controlling the game with a 2-0 lead. The Rangers tallied three straight times after Crosby’s departure.

Crosby has a well-documented history of concussions. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said he was still being evaluated. It would be a significant blow for the Penguins if their captain is sidelined from this series.

Sullivan was obviously displeased by Trouba’s actions during the postgame press conference but maintained his composure. “Did you see the hit?”, he said when questioned by a reporter. “You probably have the same opinion as I do.”

The Florida Panthers overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals 5-3 in Game 5 of their opening-round series. Carter Verhaeghe lead the way with two goals and three assists while Claude Giroux netted the insurance goal and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots. T.J. Oshie tallied twice for the Capitals, who are on the brink of elimination as the series returns to Washington for Game 6 on Friday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: During a post-game interview, Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom said his club gave this game away. He’s not wrong. They seemed to have this game under control early in the second period up 3-0 but soon gave up three unanswered goals in that period that shifted the momentum in the Panthers’ favor.

Three unanswered third-period goals lifted the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of their series. Calgary forwards Andrew Mangiapane and Mikael Backlund each had a goal and an assist. Stars netminder Jake Oettinger made 29 saves. With the win, the Flames hold a 3-2 lead and can finish off the Stars in Game 6 on Friday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames have been the better team for most of this series. Oettinger is the reason the Stars have won two of five games thus far. He leads all playoff starters with a .956 save percentage while his 1.63 goals-against average is tied for second with Colorado’s Darcy Kuemper. Unless he gets more goal support from his teammates, however, this series could be over on Friday.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Toronto Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting, Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider are the finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: These three have promising NHL futures. Seider is considered the favorite, leading all rookies in ice time per game (23:02) and power-play points (21) while finishing fourth in scoring with 50 points.

SPORTSNET: Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy anticipated Hampus Lindholm will return to action for Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. The defenseman has been sidelined since Game 2 following a bit hit from Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov.

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse received a one-game suspension by the department of player safety for head-butting Los Angeles Kings center Phillip Danault in Game 5 on Tuesday. Oilers winger Zack Kassian, meanwhile, received a $5,000.00 fine for cross-checking Kings defenseman Sean Durzi.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nurse’s undisciplined actions could prove costly to his team. Down three games to two and facing elimination by the Kings, the Oilers enter the most crucial game of their season without their best defenseman.

THE PROVINCE: Bruce Boudreau is expected to finalize details of his return behind the Vancouver Canucks’ bench by as early as next week. Hired in December with the Canucks at the bottom of the standings, the club went 32-15-10 under Boudreau’s coaching and narrowly missed the postseason.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There was concern Boudreau could hit the open market this summer if he declined the option year in his contract by the June 1 deadline. President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford recently said the club wanted to bring him back under that deal.

NHL.COM: The Anaheim Ducks announced Joel Bouchard has been relieved of his duties as head coach of their AHL affiliate in San Diego. Assistant coaches Daniel Jacob and Max Talbot were also let go. Meanwhile, Ducks assistant coach Geoff Ward has left the club for personal reasons.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before heading to San Deigo, Bouchard spent three seasons as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate in Laval. It’ll be interesting to see if he ends up returning to the Canadiens’ organization in some capacity.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 17, 2021

by | Aug 17, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 17, 2021

Juuse Saros and Kevin Fiala among four players to avoid arbitration, Alex Nedeljkovic remains eligible for the Calder Trophy plus an update on Jack Eichel in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (NHL Images).

  THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators and goaltender Juuse Saros agreed to a four-year, $20 million contract.

STARTRIBUNE.COM: Winger Kevin Fiala inked a one-year deal worth $5.1 million with the Minnesota Wild.

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: The Blackhawks reached an agreement with winger Alex Nylander on a one-year deal worth just over $874K.

THE DENVER POST: Defenseman Dennis Gilbert signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche. He’ll earn $750K at the NHL level.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: By re-signing with their respective clubs the four avoided salary arbitration. Only two players – Calgary’s Nikita Zadorov and Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim – are now slated for hearings, both on Aug. 26.

It’s unsurprising that the Predators invested that much in Saros. After all, he took over as their starting goalie from Pekka Rinne last season. Cap Friendly shows them carrying over $12 million in cap space with restricted free agent winger Eeli Tolvanen to sign.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin hoped to sign Fiala to a long-term deal but the two sides couldn’t find common ground. They’ll get another opportunity next summer when the winger once again becomes a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

How much the Wild can pay Fiala beyond this season depends on the cost of signing Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov. That’s when the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter start biting deeply into their cap room.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: 2021 Calder Trophy Finalist Alex Nedeljkovic remains eligible for the award this season. That’s because he played less than 25 games last season, in fewer than six games in each of the previous two seasons and doesn’t turn 26 until January.

WGR 550: “Blueshirts Breakaway”, a New York Rangers-based podcast, attempted to pressure the Buffalo Sabres into trading Jack Eichel (preferably to the Rangers) with a billboard near KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The billboard, in Rangers colors, reads, “Aren’t trade requests a pain in the neck? #FreeJack”. It refers to Eichel’s well-publicized standoff with Sabres management and medical staff regarding treatment for a herniated disc in his neck.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Scene: A headshot of Jack Eichel. Narrator: “Blueshirts Breakaway got their wish but it wasn’t the result they expected.” The camera pulls back revealing Eichel wearing an Anaheim Ducks jersey. Cue end music and credits.










NHL Betting: Kirill Kaprizov Poised To Take Home Calder Trophy

by | May 10, 2021

NHL Betting: Kirill Kaprizov Poised To Take Home Calder Trophy

 










Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov Emerges as Calder Trophy Front-Runner

by | Mar 4, 2021

Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov Emerges as Calder Trophy Front-Runner