NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 6, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 6, 2023

Check out the latest on the Bruins’ Brad Marchand, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, Canucks blueliner Tyler Myers, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Brad Marchand is considered among the candidates to replace retired center Patrice Bergeron as the Bruins’ captain. However, the 35-year-old winger believes the club has plenty of leadership regardless of who wears the captaincy.

Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand (NHL Images).

You know we have always done it collectively as a group, so regardless of who wears it, it’s a collective thing,” said Marchand. “Even guys without letters step up”.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marchand is the longest-serving active member of the Bruins, having been with the club since 2009-10. Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, Brandon Carlo and Hampus Lindholm have also been mentioned as candidates to succeed Bergeron as Bruins captain.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito provided an update on sidelined defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. Both players are recovering from offseason shoulder surgeries.

Zito anticipates Ekblad and Montour will be back before the 2024 All-Star break in early February but he didn’t provide more specific timelines. “I think you are safe to say November to January is the range as long as they continue to progress in September and October.”

Of the two, Zito alluded to Montour returning to action before Ekblad.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers will find it challenging to remain a playoff contender this season without their top two defensemen during the opening weeks of the schedule.

SPORTSNET: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers and his family were forced to evacuate their lakefront home in British Columbus last month when embers from the West Kelowna wildfires jump Okanagan Lake.

Myers said the fire jumped close to his house on the east side of Okanagan Lake. He and his family spent a week in Vancouver before they were allowed to return home. “House is all good,” said Myers. “We got back and, you know, a lot of debris and ash everywhere as I’m sure there was around the whole city. But it was scary for sure.”

THE PROVINCE: Speaking of the Canucks, defenseman Tucker Poolman is not expected to attend training camp in Victoria later this month. The 30-year-old blueliner has been suffering from migraines since 2021-22 and played just three games last season. He could be sidelined for the entirety of the upcoming campaign.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Poolman is in the third season of a four-year contract with an average annual value of $2.5 million. He will likely be placed on long-term injury reserve if unable to play this season.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins signed winger Danton Heinen to a professional tryout offer (PTO).

DAILY FACEOFF: Forward Stefan Matteau is attending Columbus Blue Jackets training camp on a PTO.

Goaltender Jean-Francois Berube has signed a PTO with the Los Angeles Kings.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 18, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 18, 2023

Jonathan Toews to take some time away from hockey, updates on Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, and long-time Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret passes away. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: Jonathan Toews issued a statement yesterday regarding his plans for the future. The former Blackhawks captain indicated that he is not fully retiring but is taking some time away from the game of hockey.

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews (NHL Images).

Toews cited the health issues he suffered through long-COVID and chronic immune response syndrome that sidelined him in 2020-21 and hampered his performance over the past two seasons.

The 35-year-old center became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, bringing to an end his 15 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As per Toews’ statement, he intends to spend the coming season “to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again”. However, he also seems to be leaving the door open to a possible NHL comeback.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito provided an update on Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. Both defensemen are recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

Zito said both players are healing and on schedule with their respective recoveries. “It’ll be a month or two. Is it four (months)? Probably not Is it one (month)? Probably not. That’s as well as I could get, but every time I check in, I’m told (they’re) on schedule.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A month or two would put both players within range of returning during training camp or the start of the regular season.

BUFFALO HOCKEY NOW: Long-time Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret passed on Thursday at age 81 from multi-organ failures. The iconic voice of the Sabres began broadcasting their games in 1971 until his retirement at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Jeanneret received the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Award in 2012 for broadcasting. He was also a member of the Sabres Hall of Fame.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tributes to Jeanneret are widespread on traditional and social media. He was one of hockey’s greatest broadcasters. His call of Brad May’s series-winning overtime goal against the Boston Bruins in the 1993 playoffs (“May Day!”) ranks among the best in sports history. It still gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it.

DAILY FACEOFF: Mathieu Schneider and the NHL Players Association are parting ways after 12 years. He began working with the PA after his playing career ended, going on to become second-in-command to former executive director Donald Fehr. The move comes several months after Marty Walsh took over from Fehr.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Blackhawks top prospect Connor Bedard isn’t the only member of his family to skate for the club. His great-great uncle, James Bedard, played 22 games as a defenseman for the Hawks from 1949 to 1951.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 16, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 16, 2023

The Devils sign Jesper Bratt to an eight-year deal but will take Timo Meier to arbitration, the Senators also elect arbitration for Alex DeBrincat, Jarome Iginla returns to the Flames and John LeClair to the Flyers. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils re-signed Jesper Bratt to an eight-year, $63 million contract on Thursday. The average annual value is $7.87 million.

New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bratt was slated to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights on July 1. He is completing a one-year contract worth $5.45 million. The cap hit also keeps him below Jack Hughes’ $8 million AAV, which leads all Devils forwards.

The 24-year-old winger’s new contract is front-loaded. He’ll earn $10 million in actual salary next season, declining gradually down to $6 million in 2030-31. He also gets a full no-movement clause from 2024-25 to 2027-28, after which it becomes a 15-team no-trade clause with his no-movement preventing him from being sent to the minors.

It’s a significant investment in Bratt by the Devils. He earned this raise with back-to-back 73-point performances. With their Stanley Cup window opening, they obviously consider the winger to be a key part of their future. It will be money well-invested if Bratt maintains that level of production through most of this contract.

The Devils also filed team-elected arbitration with Timo Meier. They had hoped to get the 26-year-old winger signed up for the same term as Bratt but he seeks more money.

Meier was acquired from the San Jose Sharks before the March trade deadline. The Sharks reportedly went over $9 million annually in their efforts to re-sign him.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This report suggests that taking Meier to arbitration is a way of buying time as the two sides continue to negotiate a new contract. The date for his hearing will be sometime in July or August but both sides could hammer out an agreement on a deal before then.

Meier is coming off a four-year contract with an AAV of $6 million. However, he earned $10 million in actual salary, which is what it would’ve cost the Devils to qualify his rights. In the worst-case scenario, the team-elected arbitration would reduce that qualifying offer to $8.5 million as one-year arbitration awards can be at 85 percent of the QO.

This move also ensures Meier won’t receive an offer sheet. Given how high his qualifying offer amount would’ve been, it’s doubtful that any club would’ve attempted to go that route.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators are taking winger Alex DeBrincat to team-elected arbitration. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement on a new contract, the arbitration award would be 85 percent of his $9 million qualifying offer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: DeBrincat, 25, earned $6.4 million annually on his current contract but $9 million in actual salary this season. The report also indicates the Senators are actively shopping him and would prefer to get a deal done before July 1.

If they’re unable to move him, getting him signed to a one-year deal at $7.65 million provides them with cap flexibility to add another player. It would also perhaps make him more enticing as a trade candidate.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Jarome Iginla has returned to the Flames as the special advisor to general manager Craig Conroy. The all-time franchise leader in scoring and games played, the popular former captain was traded by the Flames to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Iginla spent 16 of his 20 NHL seasons in Calgary. He retired as a player in 2018 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.

It was long assumed that Iginla might one day return to the Flames in a front-office role. Conroy said he and his former teammate used to talk about one day working together in the NHL.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Flyers yesterday announced John LeClair is returning to the club as a special advisor of hockey operations. He spent 10 seasons with the Flyers from 1994-95 to 2003-04, scoring 333 goals and 310 assists.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: LeClair was part of the Flyers’ famed “Legion of Doom” line alongside Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg. He’s among their single-season leaders in goals (51) and career leaders in goals and points (643).

LeClair joins general manager Daniel Briere, president of hockey operations Keith Jones and special advisor to hockey ops Patrick Sharp among former Flyers recently hired to front-office roles.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will undergo shoulder surgery that could keep him out of training camp in September. He expects to be ready to go by the time the regular season begins in October.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ekblad is the second Panthers blueliner undergoing shoulder surgery. However, he’s expected to be ready to return in time for the start of training camp.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The Stars traded forward Fredrik Olofsson’s rights to the Colorado Avalanche for future considerations. They also re-signed goaltender Matt Murray to a one-year, two-way contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: No, not that Matt Murray, Leafs fans…

NHL.COM: The order of selection for all seven rounds of the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft has been released. Round one begins on June 28 with the following six rounds on June 29.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bear in mind that this list could be revised if there are trades involving 2023 draft picks leading up to June 28.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Tampa Bay Lightning are reportedly set to sell a minority stake of their franchise to private equity group Arctos Sports Partners for a record $1.4 billion.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Last fall, Forbes indicated that 14 of the NHL’s 32 teams were valued at $1 billion or higher, with the Lightning sitting 14th at $1 billion. Selling their minority stake for more than its estimated value will have a ripple effect on the value of the other NHL franchises.

ESPN.COM: Las Vegas police arrested a man who threatened to carry out a mass shooting at T-Mobile Arena just four hours before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final was played there.

Court records indicate the man has arrests in Las Vegas on various charges stretching back to 2014. He was also arrested last October on a felony charge of threatening an act of terrorism or mass destruction.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 14, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 14, 2023

The Vegas Golden Knights are the 2023 Stanley Cup champions, the Senators move closer to having a new owner, the Rangers have a new head coach, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS ARE THE 2023 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

NHL.COM: The Vegas Golden Knights thumped the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final to become the 2023 champions. The Golden Knights take the series four games to one.

Vegas Golden Knights – 2023 Stanley Cup Champions (NHL.com).

Vegas captain Mark Stone tallied a hat trick, Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore each had three assists and Reilly Smith scored what proved to be the winning goal. Adin Hill stopped 32 shots for the win.

Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He was tied for first among this year’s postseason scorers with 13 goals and was second in points with 25.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the first Stanley Cup championship in the Golden Knights’ six-year history. This game had a sense of inevitability after they took a 2-0 into the second period. The Panthers cut the lead in half early in the second but that only seemed to spark the Golden Knights. They dominated the rest of that period with four unanswered goals to put the game out of reach.

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy started five of the six remaining original Golden Knights – Marchessault, Smith, Theodore, William Karlsson and Brayden McNabb – for Game 5. They, along with William Carrier, were the first Golden Knights to hoist the Stanley Cup following the game after Stone received it from league commissioner Gary Bettman.

Stone is just the third player in NHL history to tally a hat trick in a Cup-clinching game, joining Jack Darragh of the 1920 Ottawa Senators and Babe Dye of the 1922 Toronto St. Pats.

The Golden Knights earned this championship after missing the playoffs last season and trading scorer Max Pacioretty to Carolina last summer in a cost-cutting deal.

They began the season with starting goaltender Robin Lehner out for the season recovering from hip surgery. They played with five goalies this season, with Hill taking over midway through their second-round series against Edmonton after Laurent Brossoit was sidelined.

Stone missed part of this season to his second back surgery in less than a year. There were questions about Eichel’s effectiveness after missing most of last season recovering from neck surgery.

For Cassidy, this is sweet redemption after being fired a year ago by the Boston Bruins. The Bruins set records this season for wins (65) and points (135) but were upset by the Panthers in the opening round of the playoffs.

Team owner Bill Foley’s 2016 prediction of his club winning the Stanley Cup in their sixth season came true. “I’m going to relax and think about my next asinine statement,” said Foley with a big smile following the game.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Despite their disappointing finish to the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers had an extraordinary postseason run. They squeaked into the playoffs, upset the record-setting Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the second-overall Carolina Hurricanes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers have a solid core of talent led by Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad to remain a playoff contender next season. However, they couldn’t match the Golden Knights’ roster depth in the Final. Expect management to get to work on addressing that issue this summer.

SPORTSNET: The Panthers paid a heavy physical price in this postseason. Following Game 5, head coach Paul Maurice revealed Tkachuk suffered a fractured sternum in Game 3. Tkachuk played a limited role in Game 4 and couldn’t play in Game 5.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: One report indicated Tkachuk needed help from his brother Brady to get out of bed following his pregame nap before Game 4. He was their leading scorer in this postseason. Tkachuk’s feisty style at times drew criticism from fans but no one can say he didn’t give his all.

Maurice also revealed Ekblad suffered a broken foot, dislocated his shoulder twice, and tore his oblique during the Panthers’ playoff run. He missed only one game. He said blueliner Radko Gudas played with a high-ankle sprain that should’ve sidelined him for six weeks. He missed one period.

The Panthers coach didn’t reveal any more details on his injured players. However, he admitted that multiple players will require surgeries, with some facing recovery periods of four-to-six months. Most of those injuries occurred during their first-round series with the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We should learn more details in the coming days. Some of those players could end up missing the opening weeks of the 2023-24 season.

IN OTHER NEWS…

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators have an agreement in principle with Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer to purchase the club. His bid is believed to be worth $950 million. A part-owner of the Montreal Canadiens, Andlauer must now sell his share of that team.

The agreement will go before NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who will present it to the Board of Governors meeting later this month in New York. It requires a two-thirds majority for approval.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It will still take several weeks for the sale to close and for Andlauer to take over the Senators. Barring the unforeseen, however, it’s expected he’ll become their new owner.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers have hired Peter Laviolette as their new head coach. He received a three-year contract worth slightly less than $5 million per season.

TSN: Patrick Roy officially stepped down as head coach of the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. When asked if any NHL clubs had reached out to him regarding a coaching position, Roy said “absolutely none”.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some fans think it’s more than a coincidence that Roy made this announcement on the same day that the Senators reached an agreement in principle with Andlauer. However, he indicated at the start of this season that he would be stepping down as Remparts coach.

SPORTSNET: Patrick Sharp is returning to where his NHL career began by joining the Philadelphia Flyers as a special advisor to hockey operations.

TSN: The Edmonton Oilers signed forward Derek Ryan to a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $900K.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Changes are coming to the Canadiens’ medical staff after the club finished with the most man-games lost to injury for the second straight year. They fired head athletic therapist Graham Rynbend and head physiotherapist Donald Balmforth on Tuesday.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 22, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 22, 2023

The Islanders set a playoff record against the Hurricanes, the Kings down the Oilers in overtime again and the Bruins and Wild take the lead in their respective series. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The New York Islanders got four goals within a span of 2:18 in the third period to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1. Kyle Palmieri, Matt Martin, Scott Mayfield and Anders Lee were the goal scorers in an exciting finish to what had been a close-checking game up to that point. Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves for the Islanders. The Hurricanes lead the best-of-seven opening-round series 2-1.

New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders set an NHL record for the fastest four goals in a playoff game. This was the first postseason contest ever played at the Isles’ home arena UBS Arena.

Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov returned to action after missing the first two games of this series with an upper-body injury.

An overtime goal by Trevor Moore lifted the Los Angeles Kings over the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. Adrian Kempe scored the game-tying goal on a power play 18 seconds after the Oilers took a 2-1 lead on Connor McDavid’s second goal of the game. Joonas Korpisalo kicked out 38 shots for the Kings for their second overtime win in this series.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leon Draisaitl was critical of the officiating after being called for unsportsmanlike conduct for a light slash on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty following McDavid’s second goal.

Draisaitl accepted responsibility for taking a bad penalty but noted the officials ignored Doughty’s earlier knee-on-knee hit on McDavid, who was uninjured on the play. “I just really don’t know what the standard is right now,” he said.

Kings forward Blake Lizotte missed Game 3 with a lower-body injury. Winger Kevin Fiala remains sidelined with an undisclosed injury.

The Boston Bruins doubled up the Florida Panthers 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their opening-round series. Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist, David Pastrnak tallied what proved to be the game-winning goal and Linus Ullmark stopped 29 shots for the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins got the win with their two top centers out of the lineup. Patrice Bergeron (upper-body injury) missed his third straight game and will be out for Game 4 but could make his return when this series shifts back to Boston for Game 5. David Krejci, meanwhile, was scratched from Game 3 with an upper-body injury.

Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad missed the third period following a hit from Bruins blueliner Charlie McAvoy, who also leveled Panthers forward Anton Lundell later in the game. Lundell said he was fine after the game. There was no postgame update on Ekblad, who will be evaluated today.

Speaking of the Bruins, they topped the list of 15 NHL teams incurring performance bonus overages this season which will count against their salary cap for next season. The Bruins lead the way with $4.5 million due to the bonus-laden one-year contracts of Bergeron and Krejci.

Minnesota Wild winger Mats Zuccarello scored twice and teammate Ryan Hartman had a goal and two assists in a 5-1 victory over the Dallas Stars. Filip Gustavsson returned to the Wild net and made 23 saves as his club took a 2-1 series lead.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild dominated the Stars with their physical play in this contest. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond in Game 4 on Sunday.

IN OTHER NEWS…

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Head coach Rick Bowness is hopeful he’ll return to the lineup for Game 3.

CALGARY SUN: Flames prospect Dustin Wolf is the winner of the Les Cunningham Award as the most valuable player in the American Hockey League.

DAILY FACEOFF: There could be a potential conflict of interest regarding the Philadelphia Flyers’ search for their next president of hockey operations and general manager.

The Flyers are reportedly at least the second team to hire Neil Glasberg of PBI Sports as a consultant to aid in the search. However, he’s also an agent for several team executives and head coaches who could become candidates for open positions.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 13, 2022

The Leafs honor Borje Salming, the Devils remain red hot, Cale Makar approaches a league record, and much more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Toronto Maple Leafs rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2. Jordie Benn completed the Leafs’ three-goal rally in the second period while Erik Kallgren made 27 saves to improve their record to 8-5-3. Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller scored for the Canucks as they fall to 4-8-3.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs honored Hall-of-Fame defenseman Borje Salming in a pregame ceremony. The 71-year-old Salming, who is battling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), made the ceremonial puck drop assisted by his family following a video retrospective of his trailblazing 17-season NHL career, all but one of which was spent with the Leafs.

This was a touching, beautiful and heartfelt tribute by the Leafs to one of their greatest players. They also started the game with five of Salming’s Swedish countrymen – Kallgren, Timothy Liljegren, Rasmus Sandin, William Nylander, Pierre Engvall and Calle Jarnkrok – on the ice. That’s a testament to his legacy as a pioneer for Swedish (and European) players in the NHL.

Second-period goals by Jesper Boqvist and Dougie Hamilton lifted the New Jersey Devils to a 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes to extend their win streak to nine games. Tomas Tatar had a goal and an assist for the 12-3-0 Devils while Dylan Guenther and Clayton Keller replied for the 6-7-1 Coyotes.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (NHL Images).

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar scored two goals while teammate Mikko Rantanen had a goal and three assists to down the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. The Avalanche’s record sits at 8-4-1. Jordan Staal scored for the 9-5-1 Hurricanes, who placed sidelined winger Teuvo Teravainan in injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to Nov. 10.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Makar is closing in on a potential NHL record. With 196 career points in 191 games, he is poised to become the fastest defenseman in league history to reach 200 points, a record currently held by Sergei Zubov with 207 games played.

Edmonton Oilers superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each collected an assist as their club doubled up the Florida Panthers 4-2. Stuart Skinner picked up the win by kicking out 42 shots for the Oilers (9-7-0) while McDavid and Draisaitl extended their points streaks to 10 and 11 games respectively. Sam Bennett scored twice for the Panthers (8-6-1) while defenseman Aaron Ekblad returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a groin pull on Oct. 17.

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron scored twice and Keith Kinkaid stopped 30 shots in a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Brad Marchand collected two assists for the Bruins as their record improves to 13-2-0. Tage Thompson had the only goal for the 7-8-0 Sabres, who played without captain Kyle Okposo due to what was described as “general soreness.”

The Ottawa Senators’ Claude Giroux collected three assists as his club snapped a seven-game winless skid by dropping the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1. Alex DeBrincat scored twice for the 5-8-1 Senators while Kevin Hayes netted the only goal for the 7-5-2 Flyers, who also lost defenseman Wade Allison in the second period with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was Giroux’s first game in Philadelphia since they traded him last March to the Florida Panthers. The Flyers honored their former captain with a pregame video tribute.

An overtime goal by Mike Hoffman lifted the Montreal Canadiens over the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 5-4. Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle each collected two points as the Canadiens improved to 8-6-1. Jason Zucker collected three assists and former Hab Jeff Petry had two points for the Penguins, who drop to 6-6-3.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The rebuilding Canadiens continue to exceed expectations over a month into this season. They’ll likely return to earth as the season wears on but young players like Suzuki, Dach and Guhle continue to provide Habs fans with the hope that a better future might not be as far away as originally thought.

The New York Islanders nipped the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on an overtime goal by Zach Parise. Brock Nelson tallied twice for the Islanders (10-6-0) while Joonas Korpisalo made 42 saves to help the injury-ravaged Jackets (4-9-1) steal a point.

Two unanswered third-period goals by Ivan Barbashev and Ryan O’Reilly lifted the St. Louis Blues over the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2, improving their record to 5-8-0. Jordan Binnington made 34 saves (22 of those in the third period) for the win. Reilly Smith and Phil Kessel replied for the 13-3-0 Golden Knights.

The Calgary Flames ended a seven-game winless skid with a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Elias Lindholm and Adam Ruzicka each had a goal and an assist for the Flames to boost their record to 6-6-2. Connor Hellebuyck made 32 stops for the 8-4-1 Jets.

Nashville Predators netminder Juuse Saros kicked out 34 shots as his club held off the New York Rangers 2-1. Juuso Parssinen and Mark Jankowski tallied for the Predators while Filip Chytil scored for the Rangers. Nashville’s record now sits at 6-8-1 while the Rangers are 7-6-3. Predators forward Yakov Trenin missed this contest with a lower-body injury.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Durzi tallied twice in a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, improving the Kings’ record to 10-6-1. Dominik Kubalik and Filip Hronek each had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings, who fall to 7-5-3.

A goal by Jarred Tinordi late in the third period lifted the Chicago Blackhawks over the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. Tinordi had two goals on the night while Arvid Soderblom got the wing for the 6-5-3 Blackhawks with a 39-save performance. Troy Terry had a goal and an assist for the 4-10-1 Ducks.

IN OTHER NEWS…

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: Capitals winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel received a three-game suspension from the NHL department of player safety for an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Cal Foote on Friday.

TSN: Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway and Lightning forward Pat Maroon were both fined for unsportsmanlike conduct stemming from Aube-Kubel’s hit on Foote. Hathaway was tagged for over $4,000.00 while Maroon will pay over $2,700.00

DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Lightning, they claimed forward Rudolfs Balcers off waivers from the Florida Panthers.