NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 16, 2025
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – May 16, 2025
The Hurricanes advance to the Eastern Conference Final while the Jets stave off elimination by the Stars. Check out the details on these and other stories in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF THURSDAY’S PLAYOFF ACTION
NHL.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes are heading to the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in seven years. They eliminated the Washington Capitals with a 3-1 victory in Game 5 of their second-round series.

Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov (NHL Images).
Andrei Svechnikov tallied the winning goal with 1:59 remaining in the third period. Jordan Staal and Seth Jarvis also scored for the Hurricanes. Anthony Beauvillier replied for the Capitals.
The Hurricanes await the winner of the Toronto Maple Leafs-Florida Panthers series.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: A well-deserved series victory by the Hurricanes. They did a terrific job neutralizing the Capitals’ offense, scoring with the man advantage, and killing off penalties.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Capitals after finishing first overall in the Eastern Conference this season. Goaltender Logan Thompson was solid throughout this series, but his efforts couldn’t compensate for his teammates’ inability to score against the Hurricanes.
After the game, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery praised Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin’s performance in this series. “How he’s not in the Norris Trophy conversation every single year, it doesn’t seem right”, said Carbery. “Obviously, the guys that are there are tremendous players in their own right, but he’s one heck of a player.”
This game saw the debut of Hurricanes rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who replaced a sidelined Jalen Chatfield. The 23-year-old saw 10:33 minutes of ice time skating on their third line.
The Winnipeg Jets avoided elimination from their second-round series by blanking the Dallas Stars 4-0 in Game 5.
Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves for the shutout, Mark Scheifele scored what proved to be the game-winner, and Nikolaj Ehlers tallied twice for the Jets, who trail Dallas three games to two.
Jake Oettinger stopped 31 shots for the Stars while team captain Jamie Benn received a 10-minute misconduct late in the third period for sucker-punching Scheifele.
The series returns to Dallas for Game 6 on Saturday, May 17, at 8 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets’ previous win in this series was also a 4-0 shutout. They’ll need a similar effort on Saturday if they hope to return to Winnipeg for the seventh and deciding game. The Jets haven’t won a road game in this postseason.
HEADLINES
SPORTSNET: Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin dismissed speculation suggesting team captain Quinn Hughes had a hand in the promotion of Adam Foote as their new head coach.
Foote has been close with Hughes during his role as assistant GM, but he stated that his relationship with the captain is no different than those he has with the rest of the players.
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Kings general manager Ken Holland said Jim Hiller will return as the club’s head coach next season. His remarks came during his introductory press conference as their new GM, quelling speculation that he might seek a new bench boss.
TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube isn’t optimistic that sidelined goaltender Anthony Stolarz will return for Game 6 against the Florida Panthers on Friday. Stolarz has been sidelined with a suspected concussion since Game 1.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Even if Stolarz were good to go, he wouldn’t be enough to save the Leafs if his teammates have another uninspired, disgraceful effort as they did in Game 5.
CHICAGO HOCKEY NOW: The Blackhawks announced the addition of their Hall of Fame as part of commemorating their 100th anniversary. They will induct two players each year as voted by the fans.
The nine players with their numbers retired and hanging in the rafters are automatic inductees. They are Glenn Hall, Keith Magnuson, Pierre Pilote, Chris Chelios, Bobby Hull, Denis Savard, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito and Marian Hossa.
DAILY FACEOFF: Speaking of the Blackhawks, winger Teuvo Teravainen tied the IIHF World Championship record with six assists in one game in Finland’s 9-1 win over Slovenia.
OTTAWA SUN: The Senators have opened contract extension talks with Claude Giroux. They also hired former NHL player Sam Gagner as director of player development.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Giroux is UFA-eligible on July 1. The 37-year-old forward is completing a three-year deal with an average annual value of $6.5 million. It’s expected he could get a one-year contract with an AAV between $3 million and $4 million.
NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Interim coach Brad Shaw reportedly won’t be returning to the Flyers coaching staff.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning have signed a contract with Scripps Sports to broadcast their games locally over the air, meaning any viewer with a TV and an antenna can watch the games for free.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: How very retro. I’m so old, I remember when that was the usual way of watching hockey games.