NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 25, 2018

by | Nov 25, 2018

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 25, 2018

A big night for Patrik Laine tops today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: A five-goal outburst by Patrik Laine powered the Winnipeg Jets to an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. With 19 goals (11 in the last four games), Laine has taken over the lead among NHL goal scorers. Jets winger Kyle Connor collected four assists. Winnipeg forward Andrew Copp missed the game with a concussion and is sidelined indefinitely.

Patrik Laine’s five-goal game powered the Winnipeg Jets to an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Blues (Photo via NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laine can be a streaky scorer but when he goes on an offensive tear there are few better in the league right now.  With seven career hat tricks, he’s second to Wayne Gretzky (12) for the most hat tricks by an NHL player before age 21. 

A first-period hat trick by Andreas Johnsson carried the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-0 drubbing of the Philadelphia Flyers. Leafs goalie Garret Sparks kicked out 34 shots for the shutout.

Jake Guentzel tallied a hat trick as the Pittsburgh Penguins doubled up the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2. Jackets winger Cam Atkinson extended his goal-scoring streak to seven games. The Penguins played without winger Patric Hornqvist, who’s sidelined by a concussion suffered during Friday’s loss to the Boston Bruins.

Sam Reinhart’s shootout goal extended the Buffalo Sabres’ winning streak to nine games as they edged the Detroit Red Wings 3-2. Reinhart’s teammate Jeff Skinner tallied his 18th goal of the season. 

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his league-leading fifth shutout backstopping his club to a 6-0 win over the San Jose Sharks. Max Pacioretty scored twice for the Golden Knights. Sharks winger Evander Kane was ejected for “abuse of officials” following a questionable hit on Vegas forward Tomas Nosek.

The Washington Capitals picked up their fifth straight victory by defeating the New York Rangers 5-3. John Carlson collected three assists while Brett Connolly scored the game-winner.

Elias Pettersson’s tie-breaking goal in the third period helped the Vancouver Canucks snap an eight-game losing skid by downing the Los Angeles Kings 4-2. Pettersson leads all NHL rookies with 13 goals and 21 points.  Earlier in the day, Canucks winger Antoine Roussel was fined $5,000.00 for biting San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the hand on Friday. 

The Colorado Avalanche picked up their fourth straight win by edging the Dallas Stars 3-2. Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen scored a goal and set up another to remain atop the NHL’s leading scorer board with 38 points. 

A costly double-minor penalty by Montreal Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin late in the third period led to John Moore’s power-play goal lifting the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 win.

Erik Gustafsson’s overtime goal completed a three-goal rally for the Chicago Blackhawks in their 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers, snapping the Blackhawks’ eight-game road losing skid.

Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist in the New York Islanders 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, ending the Hurricanes’ three-game winning streak. Hurricanes defenseman Haydn Fleury missed the game due to a concussion suffered during Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. 

EDMONTON JOURNAL: On the request of new head coach Ken Hitchcock, the Oilers recalled winger Jesse Puljujarvi from their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Puljujarvi’s been a disappointment thus far for the Oilers. The recently hired Hitchcock believes he can help the young winger reach his potential, which could go a long way toward improving Edmonton’s fortunes. 

SPORTSNET: Former NHL referee Mick McGeough passed away late Friday night after being taken off life support following a stroke, He was 62. McGeough officiated 1,083 regular-season games and another 63 playoff contests from 1987-88 to 2007-08. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to McGeough’s family, friends, and colleagues.  

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 13, 2017

by | Jul 13, 2017

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 13, 2017

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby wins his eighty ESPY Award as the NHL’s top player.

Latest on Sidney Crosby, Jaccob Slavin, Mark Streit and more in your NHL morning coffee headlines. 

TSN: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby won the ESPY Award as the top NHL player, beating out Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, Toronto’s Auston Matthews, Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine, Chicago’s Patrick Kane and Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky. It’s the eighth time Crosby’s won the award. 

NBC SPORTS: Speaking of Crosby, he said he wasn’t paying attention to those in the media questioning his health after he suffered a concussion during the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins captain said he was focusing on helping his team win the Cup. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t doubt Crosby wasn’t following the media during the playoffs. But given how he was constantly questioned by reporters about his health after his return to action, he wasn’t oblivious to it. His concussion history ensures his physical well-being will remain a topic of interest among fans and pundits. 

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: And speaking of the Penguins, they re-signed Derrick Pouliot to a one-year, one-way contract worth $800K and Josh Archibald to a one-year, one-way deal worth $675K.

THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The Carolina Hurricanes announced they re-signed defenseman Jaccob Slavin to a seven-year, $37.1 million contract extension. The annual average value is $5.3 million and begins in 2018-19. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I love this signing by the Hurricanes. In just two seasons, the 23-year-old Slavin became an elite NHL defenseman and an invaluable core player for the Canes. They now have him under contract throughout his playing prime at a reasonable price. At his current rate of development, this new contract could turn into a bargain for Carolina. 

MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens have offered unrestricted free agent defenseman Mark Streit a one-year, $1.5 million contract. The 39-year-old began his NHL career in Montreal, playing three season with the Habs. He split last season between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Looks like Habs GM Marc Bergevin’s getting a little desperate in his search for an experienced defenseman. This could also cast further doubt upon the possibility of Andrei Markov returning to Montreal. 

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets re-signed versatile forward Andrew Copp to a two-year deal worth $1 million per season.  

OTTAWA SUN: Former Senators forward Viktor Stalberg signed a two-year deal with EV Zug in Switzerland. 

TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello said his club are using the offseason long-term injured reserve. That will give them sufficient salary-cap space to re-sign Connor Brown. 

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes named Steve Patterson as their new president, CEO and alternate governor. General manager John Chayka was also named their president of hockey operations. 

THE BUFFALO NEWS: Former Sabres coach Ted Nolan was named coach of Poland’s national team. 

TORONTO SUN: Former Maple Leaf Tod Sloan passed away at age 89. He played 13 seasons in the NHL, 10 of those with the Leafs. He was a member of two Stanley Cup champions, one in Toronto in 1951 and the other with Chicago a decade later. He had 482 points in 765 games, including two 30-goal seasons in 1951 and 1956. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Sloan’s family, friends and former teammates. 

 











NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 29, 2016

by | Dec 29, 2016



NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 29, 2016

St. Louis Blues forward Robby Fabbri scores one of his three goals against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Game recaps, Blackhawks re-sign Panarin and more in your NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.com: Sidney Crosby tallied his league-leading 26th goal and Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves in relief of an injured Matt Murray (lower body) as the Pittsburgh Penguins edged the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2.

Murray suffered the injury late in the second period. No word yet as to the severity. Earlier in the day, the Penguins learned defenseman Brian Dumoulin will miss four-to-six weeks with a broken jaw. 

Robby Fabbri’s hat trick carried the St. Louis Blues to a 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, spoiling the return of Flyers center Sean Couturier from a knee injury. 

Tyler Johnson’s overtime goal capped a 4-3 comeback victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Montreal Canadiens. The Bolts were down 3-1 but third-period goals from Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat sparked their rally. The Lightning were playing without center Valtteri Filppula, who was scratched from the game for missing a team meeting. 

Ryan Miller made 36 saves backstopping the Vancouver Canucks to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Earlier in the day, the Kings placed forward Tyler Toffoli (lower body) on injured reserve. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs blew a 2-0 lead in the third period against the Florida Panthers, but Mitch Marner’s shootout goal gave them a 3-2 victory.  Panthers center Aleksander Barkov left the game with an undisclosed injury. No update yet as to his status. 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE: The Blackhawks yesterday announced the re-signing of winger Artemi Panarin to a two-year, $12-million contract extension. The new deal, which pays Panarin $6 million per season, goes into effect in 2017-18. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s a compromise deal for both sides. Panarin, the 2016 Calder Memorial Trophy winner and current Blackhawks’ leading scorer, gets a fair and well-deserved raise. The Hawks aren’t locked into a more expensive long-term deal with him just yet, pushing that inevitability ahead by two years. It was assumed Panarin would seek an eight-year deal worth around $7 million annually, but he was obviously willing to accept a shorter deal for less money to stay with the Blackhawks.

However, this new deal creates a significant problem for the ‘Hawks next season. With over $66 million invested in 15 players for 2017-18, the Blackhawks could have at most around $9 million remaining (assuming a $75 million cap ceiling) to re-sign other players and fill out the rest of their roster. I’ll examine how they could handle this later today in the Rumor section. 

YAHOO SPORTS: (stick tap to GJ Berg):  Long-time San Jose Sharks stars Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau aren’t sweating questions about their futures. Both are eligible for unrestricted free agency in July. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Given Thornton’s still playing well for someone who’s 37, I expect the Sharks will re-sign him to a two-year deal for perhaps around $6 million annually. Marleau, also 37, is in obvious decline. I think this season will not only be his last with the Sharks, but also the final one of his long NHL career. 

OTTAWA SUN: Senators goaltender Craig Anderson isn’t expected to return for a while. Anderson’s on a personal leave of absence to be with his wife Nicholle, who is undergoing cancer treatments. 

CSNNE.COM: Joe Haggerty believes the struggling Boston Bruins are in need of a shakeup and advocates replacing head coach Claude Julien. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Remains to be seen if the Bruins follow Haggerty’s advice. They could be reluctant to make that move while they’re still clinging to a postseason berth. If the losses start piling up and knock them out of playoff contention, Julien could be in jeopardy of losing his job. 

NORTHJERSEY.COM/NJ.COM: The New Jersey Devils placed center Vernon Fiddler (lower body) on injured reserve, while listing left wing Taylor Hall (lower body) as day-to-day. 

CALGARY SUN: Flames winger Troy Brouwer (broken finger) is listed as week-to-week. 

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Anaheim Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner (abdominal surgery) will miss the next four-to-six weeks. 

WINNIPEG SUN: The Jets demoted Andrew Copp and Brandon Tanev to the minors.