NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 30, 2025

by | Apr 30, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 30, 2025

The Hurricanes move on to the second round, the Senators stave off elimination again, the Oilers and Golden Knights are on the verge of advancing, the Norris Trophy finalists are revealed, Rick Tocchet won’t return as Canucks coach, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING TUESDAY’S PLAYOFF ACTION

NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes are the first team in this postseason to reach the second round following a 5-4 double-overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 of their first-round series.

Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (NHL Images).

Sebastian Aho scored twice (including the game-winner) and collected an assist. Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere each collected two assists and Pyotr Kochetkov made 31 saves for the Hurricanes, who won the series four games to one.

Jacob Markstrom kicked out 49 shots for the Devils, who blew 3-0 and 4-3 leads in this game. Stefan Noesen and Brett Pesce each had two assists.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils forward Dawson Mercer got a double-minor for high-sticking Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi early in the second OT period. That was the turning point, setting the stage for Aho’s winning goal.

The Hurricanes had a horrible start to this game, but their poise and experience shone through as they rallied back. Their special teams made the difference in this game, as they had throughout the series, going two-for-six on the power play and killing off three penalties.

Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark stopped 29 shots to shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 in Game 5 of their first-round series. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk each had a goal and two assists while Thomas Chabot and Dylan Cozens also scored for the Senators, who staved off elimination for the second straight game.

Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz gave up two goals on 17 shots. The Leafs hold a 3-2 series lead and can end it in Game 6 on Thursday, May 1, in Ottawa at 7 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Collars are tightening for the Leafs and their fans. They are 1-13 in postseason elimination games since 2017.

The Edmonton Oilers took their first series lead in their first-round tilt with the Los Angeles Kings with a 3-1 win in Game 5, taking a 3-2 lead after starting this series down 2-0.

Evander Kane, Mattias Janmark and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored for the Oilers while Calvin Pickard stopped 21 shots for his third straight win in this series. Darcy Kuemper made 43 saves for the Kings.

The series returns to Edmonton for Game 6 on May 1 at 10 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s no mystery who’ll be the Oilers’ starting goalie for Game 6. Pickard’s steady goaltending has made the difference since replacing Stuart Skinner late in Game 2.

An overtime goal by Brett Howden lifted the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild, giving them a 3-2 lead in their first-round series.

William Karlsson and Mark Stone also scored, and Jack Eichel had two assists for the Golden Knights. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy replied for the Wild. Game 6 is back in Minnesota on Thursday, May 1 at 7:30 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson left this game with an illness after the second period. Backup Marc-Andre Fleury stopped six of seven shots.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets are the finalists for the James Norris Memorial Trophy as this season’s top defenseman.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes and Makar are former Norris Trophy winners. This is the first time Werenski’s been a finalist for this award. He was the Jackets’ best player this season.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman broke the news yesterday that Rick Tocchet will not return as head coach of the Canucks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is another serious blow in a tumultuous season for the Canucks. They wanted to sign Tocchet to an extension, but he cited family reasons for his decision to move on and explore other options.

NHL.COM: The league announced the 2025 Draft Lottery will be on Monday, May 5. The San Jose Sharks have the best odds of winning the lottery for the second straight season, finishing last in the overall standings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There is no clear-cut potential superstar prospect in this year’s draft class compared to 2023 (Connor Bedard) and 2024 (Macklin Celebrini) and no clear favorite as the top pick. The front-runner is defenseman Matthew Schaefer of the OHL’s Erie Otters.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW/TAMPA BAY TIMES: Panthers defenseman Aaron Eklad received a two-game suspension by the NHL department of player safety for a high hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel during Game 4 of their first-round series. Hagel has been ruled out for Game 5 between the two clubs.

NHL.COM: Speaking of the Panthers, defenseman Niko Mikkola was fined $5,000.00 for boarding Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons in Game 4.

DAILY FACEOFF: Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi will return to the lineup for Game 5 of his club’s first-round series with the St. Louis Blues. Vilardi had been sidelined since late March with an upper-body injury.

Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will miss Game 5 against the Jets on Wednesday.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to be in the lineup for Game 5 against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Defenseman Alex Carrier (possible concussion) is also expected to miss that game. The Canadiens face elimination, down 3-1 in the series. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Backup Jakub Dobes will get the start as he did in Game 4. Jayden Struble is expected to replace Carrier on the Canadiens’ blueline.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings announced that assistant coaches Alex Westlund and L.J. Scarpace won’t return.

Former Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula announced his retirement. He spent 16 seasons in the NHL from 2005-06 to 2020-21 with the Red Wings, Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders, scoring 197 goals and 530 points in 1,056 regular-season games, and 86 points in 166 playoff games. Filppula spent the past four seasons playing in Switzerland and Finland. 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 27, 2022

by | May 27, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 27, 2022

The Oilers eliminate the Flames, the Hurricanes push the Rangers to the brink of elimination, updates on the Avalanche and Blues and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers are heading to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 16 years. Connor McDavid’s overtime goal gave the Oilers a 5-4 victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 5 to take their best-of-seven second-round series four games to one.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

Edmonton overcame a 2-0 deficit and held a 3-2 lead before Calgary battled back to regain the lead 4-3. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard tied the game 4-4 late in the second period. Flames forward Blake Coleman appeared to score the go-ahead goal late in the third but it was overruled on a controversial video review claiming he kicked the puck into the net.

Leon Drasaitl collected four assists while Zach Hyman had a goal and two assists for the Oilers. Coleman had two assists, Mikael Backlund had a goal and an assist and Johnny Gaudreau scored for the Flames.

The Oilers await the winner of the Colorado Avalanche-St. Louis Blues series. Game 6 of that series is tonight with the Avalanche up three games to two.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t have a dog in this fight but that didn’t look like a kicking motion on Coleman’s part. His skate made contact with the pick but there was incidental contact by an Oilers defenseman as Coleman was heading toward the net. Just my two cents. The league’s video review folks believed differently.

While that disallowed goal cost the Flames this game, their sloppy defensive play and uncharacteristic shaky goaltending from Jacob Markstrom throughout this series led to their postseason demise. They struggled to contain Edmonton’s offense, especially McDavid and Draisaitl. Had they won this game, I doubt they would’ve gone on to take the series.

The Carolina Hurricanes have the New York Rangers on the brink of elimination following a 3-1 victory in Game 5 of their second-round series. Teuvo Teravainen snapped a 1-1 tie in the second period while Andrei Svechnikov’s third-period goal put the game out of reach. The Hurricanes can advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a win in Game 6 on Saturday in New York.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes have yet to win a road game in this postseason but they’ve been dominating on home ice. They outshot the Rangers 34-17, controlled this game at even strength, scored on the power play and shorthanded, and apart from Mika Zibanejad’s goal overwhelmed the Rangers’ top line. If they can carry over that effort into Game 6, they’ll have a date with the Tampa Bay Lightning starting next week.

HEADLINE

THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche hope to avoid a Game 7 when they face off against the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 of their second-round series tonight. Head coach Jared Bednar believes his club will put their blown lead in Game 5 behind them and play with confidence in tonight’s contest.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avalanche dominated the first 40 minutes of Game 5 but took their foot off the gas and tried to protect their lead in the third period. That enabled the Blues to rally back twice, setting the stage for their dramatic overtime victory.

TSN: Don’t expect St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug to return to action in tonight’s game. He’s been sidelined by a lower-body injury since Game 3 of their first-round series with the Minnesota Wild. Blues coach Craig Berube indicated Krug would also be out for Game 7 if this series goes that far.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has changed agents, hiring Pat Brisson to negotiate his next contract. Larkin is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023. The Wings can sign him to a contract extension on July 13.

SPORTSNET: Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Durzi underwent successful shoulder surgery. He’s expected to be ready for the start of the 2022-23 season.

The Geneve-Servette Hockey Club signed former NHL defenseman Sami Vatanen to a two-year contract and former NHL forward Valtteri Filppula to a one-year contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: In other words, don’t expect either guy to be signing with NHL teams this summer as free agents.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 25, 2021

by | Aug 25, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 25, 2021

More legal trouble for Evander Kane, Kevin Hayes pays tribute to his late brother Jimmy, more Canadian teams require proof of vaccination to attend games, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

THE ATHLETIC: San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane faces more legal troubles. Daniel Kaplan reports a federal bankruptcy judge has approved for discovery in a lawsuit filed against Kane alleging he reneged on a promise to pay at least $2 million for an abortion.

San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaplan also pointed out Kane filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, endured a very public, messy, ongoing divorce from his wife and learned several of his teammates want him traded. He’s also the subject of an ongoing investigation by the league regarding allegations made by his estranged wife that he bet on NHL games.

SPORTSNET: Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes made a heartfelt tribute on Instagram to his brother Jimmy, who died suddenly on Monday. He said he lost his best friend, crediting his older brother with paving the way for his NHL career.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the Hayes family. Tributes poured in following Jimmy’s passing from around the hockey world.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames are the latest teams to require fans to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend their games this season. The Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs announced similar rules earlier this month. The Edmonton Oilers are expected to follow suit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Ottawa Senators are also expected to implement similar rules and I daresay the Montreal Canadiens will do the same.

THE PROVINCE: Daniel Sedin is enjoying the active role he and brother Henrik have taken in management decisions this offseason with the Vancouver Canucks. The twins were hired as senior advisors to general manager Jim Benning earlier this year. 

MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Canadiens announced France Margaret Belanger has been named president (sports and entertainment) of Groupe CH. She becomes the first woman to serve on the Canadiens executive committee in its 104-year history. She also serves, alongside team owner Geoff Molson, as an alternate governor for the team.

MLIVE.COM: Former Detroit Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula is returning to Europe after 16 NHL seasons. He signed a one-year contract with Geneve-Servette of the Swiss Hockey League.

NEW YORK POST: The Rangers announced Gord Murphy and Mike Kelly will serve as assistant coaches under head coach Gerard Gallant. Murphy is being promoted from the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack. Steve Smith joins the Wolfpack as an assistant.

WINDSOR SPITFIRES: Announced former NHL player Marc Savard as their new head coach.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 1, 2020

by | Feb 1, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 1, 2020

Alex Ovechkin moves past Mark Messier among the all-time goal scorers, Andrei Vasilevskiy gets a milestone victory, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin continued his march toward 700 career goals, scoring twice in a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. With 695 goals, Ovechkin moved past Mark Messier into sole possession of eighth overall among the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorers. Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot had a goal and an assist. With 75 points, the Capitals maintain a three-point lead over the Boston Bruins for top spot in the Eastern Conference and the overall standings.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin moved into eighth place on the NHL’s all-time goal-scorers list (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin has passed five Hall-of-Fame goal scorers (Messier, Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux, Teemu Selanne, and Luc Robitaille) this season. He’s 13 goals behind Mike Gartner (708), who sits seventh on the list.

Three-point performances by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin carried the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Crosby tallied the winner in overtime after the Flyers overcame a 3-1 deficit to force the extra period.

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves for his 150th career win in a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirellia each had a goal and an assist for the Lightning. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf picked up two assists.

Tuukka Rask returned from injury with a 37-save performance as the Boston Bruins edged the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in a close-checking, fight-filled contest. Jake DeBrusk snapped a 1-1 tie with a power-play goal in the third period. The Bruins (72 points) hold a five-point lead over the Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division.

Edmonton Oilers winger Leon Draisaitl scored twice to extend his points streak to 10 games in 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins collected two assists. With the win, the Oilers (60 points) moved into second place in the Pacific Division.

A power-play goal by Alex Tuch late in the third period allowed the Vegas Golden Knights to edge the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. Jonathan Marchessault and Paul Stastny each had a goal and an assist for the Golden Knights (59 points), who hold a one-point lead over the Arizona Coyotes for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen also each had a goal and an assist.

Mika Zibanejad had a goal and two assists as the New York Rangers doubled up the Detroit Red Wings 4-2. Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin each collected two points. Wings forward Robby Fabbri had a goal and an assist. The Rangers (52 points) are nine points out of an Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

THE SCORE: Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving dismissed talk suggesting defenseman Mark Giordano deliberately attempted to injure Oilers captain Connor McDavid on Wednesday. Giordano and McDavid collided in the neutral zone in the second period, appearing to clip the Oilers star with his hip. McDavid was incensed, but he and Oilers coach Dave Tippett downplayed the incident.

THE DETROIT NEWS: Red Wings center Valtteri Filppula will play in his 1,000th career NHL game tonight against the Rangers.

THE BUFFALO NEWS/SPORTSNET: With the Buffalo Sabres poised to miss the playoffs for the ninth straight year, their fans are growing increasingly upset over the club’s lack of progress.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres’ ongoing mediocrity is bad enough, but there’s now a growing perception among their fans that their support of the franchise is being taken for granted by ownership. The club has sunk to 24th overall in attendance, there are calls for a protest rally among Sabres fans, while some are taking to the airwaves and social media to vent their anger and frustration over the club’s ongoing lack of direction, the state of the arena, and the treatment of Sabres alumni. It’ll be interesting to see how team owners Terry and Kim Pegula handle this situation.