NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 20, 2019

by | Jan 20, 2019

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 20, 2019

Game recaps plus updates on Erik Karlsson, Mikko Rantanen, Tuukka Rask, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines. 

NHL.COM: The Anaheim Ducks picked up their second straight win following a 12-game losing skid by edging the New Jersey Devils 3-2. Goaltender John Gibson made 29 saves and rookie Troy Terry collected his first two NHL points, including a goal. Daniel Sprong also had a goal and an assist. Earlier in the day, Devils winger Kyle Palmieri was named as Taylor Hall’s replacement in the upcoming NHL All-Star Game while Miles Wood (lower body) was placed on injured reserve. 

A six-goal second period powered the Colorado Avalanche to a 7-1 drubbing of the Los Angeles Kings. Avs winger Mikko Rantanen scored twice but also left the game as a precautionary measure due to a lower-body injury. Tyson Barrie collected three assists. 

St. Louis Blues rookie goalie Jordan Binnington made 28 saves to pick up his fourth win in five stars in a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators. The Blues also activated forward Alex Steen off injured reserve but winger David Perron is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. 

The Dallas Stars snapped a four-game losing skid by doubling up the Winnipeg Jets 4-2. Ben Bishop made 27 stops while blueliners John Klingberg and Esa Lindell each collected two assists. 

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is now sixth on the NHL’s all-time wins list. (Photo via NHL Images)

New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist backstopped his club to a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins. It was his 446th career victory and moved Lundqvist into sixth on the all-time wins list. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask suffered a concussion following a first-period collision with Rangers forward Filip Chytil. Mika Zibanejad scored twice for the Blueshirts. 

Two third-period goals by Nolan Patrick helped the Philadelphia Flyers down the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. Flyers rookie goalie Carter Hart turned aside 33 shots. 

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos scored twice and set up another to lead his club to a 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks. Evander Kane scored twice for the Sharks while teammate Erik Karlsson was a late scratch due to a nagging lower-body injury. 

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Eklad scored a goal and added an assist in a 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. It was Ekblad’s 62nd career goal, setting a franchise record for defensemen. 

Zach Parise’s 20th goal of the season was also the game-winner as the Minnesota Wild nipped the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1. 

Vegas Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault tallied a hat trick in a 7-3 thumping of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was the ninth win in 11 games for the Golden Knights, who also welcomed back defenseman Colin Miller off injured reserve. 

The Calgary Flames extended their points streak to eight games (7-0-1) by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-2. Flames captain Mark Giordano had a goal and two assists. 

NBC SPORTS: The concussion lawsuit settlement deadline for NHL players has been extended. It’s not immediately clear what the new deadline is for the 318 players who had sued the league claiming it failed to protect them or warn them about the dangers of head injuries. 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 16, 2018

by | Mar 16, 2018

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 16, 2018

Game recaps, injury updates, plus milestones for Patrik Laine and James van Riemsdyk  in your NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: The Nashville Predators extended their points streak to 13 games by downing the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 on third-period goals by Kyle Turris and Kevin Fiala. With 102 points, the Predators hold the top spot in the overall standings. Earlier in the day, however, they learned center Calle Jarnkrok will miss the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Winners of nine of their last 10 games, the Predators are the league’s hottest team right now. With the playoffs looming, they’re peaking at the right time. 

Winnipeg Jets 19-year-old winger Patrik Laine set an NHL record for consecutive points by a teenaged player. (Photo via NHL Images)

The Winnipeg Jets (94 points) strengthened their grip on second place in the Central Division by thumping the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2. Jets winger Patrik Laine collected an assist to extend his point streak to 14 games, setting a record for the longest NHL points streak by a teenage player. Kyle Connor also scored twice for Winnipeg. Before the game, the Jets learned center Matt Hendricks will miss the remainder of the regular season and the opening round of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. 

The Washington Capitals (87 points) maintained their hold on first in the Metropolitan Division by crushing the New York Islanders 7-3. T.J. Oshie scored two goals while Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov had three-point performances. The Isles (70 points) sit ten back of the New Jersey Devils for the final wild-card berth in the East.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barring an impressive late surge by the Isles, their playoff hopes are all but dashed now. With just one victory in their last 10 games, they’ve lost too much ground in the standings.

Patrick Hornqvist scored twice and Evgeni Malkin netted his 40th goal of the season as the Pittsburgh Penguins overcame an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 5-3. Bryan Rust returned to the Pittsburgh lineup and collected two points. The Penguins remain tied with the Capitals for top spot in the Metro Division, though the Caps hold the advantage by having two games in hand.

Cam Atkinson’s hat trick powered the surging Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Jackets (81 points) have won six straight games and hold the first wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference. The Jackets also announced yesterday the signing of veteran forward Nathan Gerbe to a two-year, two-way contract. 

Toronto Maple Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk had his second straight multi-goal game to lead his club to a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. He tallied twice to reach a career-best single-season mark of 31 goals. No update on the status of Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen, who remains sidelined with an upper-body injury suffered during Wednesday’s game against Dallas.

A four-point effort by Anze Kopitar gave the Los Angeles Kings (84 points) a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Kopitar had a goal and set up three others, while teammate Drew Doughty collected three assists. The Kings sit third in the Pacific Division.

Colorado Avalanche forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Miko Rantanen each scored twice to lead their club to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The Avs (84 points) hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. For the Blues (79 points), the loss puts them five points out of a playoff spot. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues have won only three of their last 10 contests. With 12 games remaining in the season, they’re running out of time to turn things around. 

James Riemer made 46 saves as the Florida Panthers shut out the Boston Bruins 3-0. Nick Bjugstad had a goal and an assist while Evgenii Dadonov picked up two assists. The Panthers sit three points back of the Devils for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Bruins were playing without defenseman Zdeno Chara and winger Jake DeBrusk, who are both sidelined with upper-body injuries. 

TSN: Over four years after a group of former players filed a lawsuit against the NHL over its perceived inability to protect them from concussion injuries, the two sides will face off Friday for the first time in court. 

 











NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2017

by | Nov 13, 2017

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2017

Game recaps plus latest on Evgeni Malkin, Timo Meier and more in your NHL morning coffee headlines. 

NHL.COM: Miles Wood tallied his first career NHL hat trick and Nico Hischier had a three-point game as the New Jersey Devils rallied from a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-5. Blackhawks defenseman Jan Rutta also netted three points. 

Braden Holtby made 29 saves in regulation and overtime and T.J. Oshie scored the winner in a shootout to give the Washington Capitals a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. 

Andrei Vasilevskiy kicked out 28 shots as the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their road point streak to eight games by defeating the Anaheim Ducks 2-1. 

Joel Ward’s third-period goal lifted the San Jose Sharks to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Earlier in the day, the league fined Sharks forward Timo Meier over $2,400.00 for elbowing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Michael Del Zotto on Saturday. 

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin joined the social media movement started by Washington’s Alex Ovechkin in support of Russian president Vladimir Putin. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Many of Malkin’s North American fans are likely to squirm a little over this news, but it won’t dampen their support of the Penguins’ star.

CBC NEWS: Former NHL player Joe Juneau has been shut out of the youth hockey program he started 11 years ago in Northern Quebec.

NEW YORK TIMES: There’s very little talk of the NHL’s concussion issue at the Hockey Hall of Fame. In recent years, several notable players whose careers were cut short by head trauma (Chris Pronger, Eric Lindros and Paul Kariya) were inducted into the Hall. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Though the NHL in recent years has taken steps to address concussion injuries, the league remains reluctant to acknowledge the link between head injuries and the degenerative brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).