NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 12, 2024

by | Nov 12, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 12, 2024

Big multipoint games for the Stars’ Mason Marchment and the Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki, the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024 are formally inducted, injury updates, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment had a five-point performance (one goal, four assists) as his club thumped the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-1. Four of those points came in the first period as the Stars took a 6-0 lead. Matt Duchene had a goal and two assists while Miro Heiskanen scored two goals for the Stars. Penguins goalie Joel Blomqvist got the hook after giving up three goals on eight shots.

Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins set a franchise record for the most goals given up in the opening period of a home game.

Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki scored twice and collected two assists in a wild back-and-forth contest to lead his club to a 7-5 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Canadiens winger Cole Caufield tallied two goals and teammate Juraj Slafkovsky picked up three assists as their club snapped a six-game losing skid (0-5-1). Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres as their three-game win streak ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sabres forward Tage Thompson and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson left this game with lower-body injuries.

Following the game, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen suffered an ailment during practice on Sunday that may have affected his performance. Luukkonen was pulled from this game after giving up four goals on 18 shots. Canadiens netminder Cayden Primeau didn’t fare any better, getting the hook in the third period after allowing five goals on 14 shots.

The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2, handing the latter their first home loss of the season. Hurricanes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 30 shots for his seventh straight win while Jordan Staal, Eric Robinson and Jesperi Kotkaniemi each had a goal and an assist. Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill allowed four goals on 21 shots and was replaced by Akira Schmid.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Carolina forward Martin Necas picked up an assist to extend his points streak to 10 games. Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis missed this game with an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day.

An overtime goal by Samuel Girard lifted the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. Girard finished the game with two points while Alexandar Georgiev turned aside 29 shots for the win. Predators netminder Juuse Saros also stopped 29 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The struggling Predators have one win in their last five games (1-3-1).

Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf kicked out 28 shots as his club downed the Los Angeles Kings 3-1. The Flames got goals from Mikael Backlund and Jonathan Huberdeau 38 seconds apart in the second period. Trevor Moore scored for the Kings before the Flames’ Kevin Rooney put the game out of reach with an empty-net goal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames announced earlier in the day that winger Anthony Mantha will undergo season-ending knee surgery.

A shootout goal by Travis Konecny gave the Philadelphia Flyers a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks. Flyers winger Matvei Michkov had a goal and an assist and also tallied in the shootout rounds. Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist for the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers placed defenseman Jamie Drysdale (upper body) on injured reserve and activated Ryan Poehling from IR for this game.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Former NHL stars Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick and Shea Weber were among the Class of 2024 formally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the players’ category on Monday. Former Nashville Predators general manager David Poile and NHL executive Colin Campbell were inducted into the builders category. US women’s hockey stars Krissy Wendell-Pohl and Natalie Darwitz were also inducted into the players’ category.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the Class of 2024.

Datsyuk is the 10th player from the Red Wings’ 2002 Stanley Cup team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Weber and Poile are the first members of the Predators to go into the Hall.

Roenick thanked his former Phoenix Coyotes teammate Keith Tkachuk, expressing the hope that Tkachuk would one day join him in the Hall. He also got emotional while thanking former San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson for reaching out during a low point near the end of Roenick’s career, giving him a chance to reach the 500-goal plateau with the Sharks.

CALGARY SUN: Hockey Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald offered a heartfelt tribute to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau in a somber moment during the induction ceremony. The Gaudreaus were killed in August by an alleged drunk driver.

NHL.COM: Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen were the league’s three stars for the week ending Nov. 10, 2024.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews (upper-body injury) remains day-to-day and is unlikely to face the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. The Leafs also placed winger Max Pacioretty (lower-body injury) on IR.

OTTAWA SUN: Speaking of the Senators, center Shane Pinto will return to the lineup against the Leafs. He’s been sidelined by an undisclosed injury since playing his last game on Oct. 22.

DAILY FACEOFF: Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins winger David Pastrnak revealed he was sidelined for two-to-three weeks after playing for Czechia in the 2024 World Championship in May. He admitted he didn’t feel right entering Bruins training camp in September but insists he’s felt much better over the last couple of games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That would account for Pastrnak’s goal-scoring difficulties this season. He has 14 points in 16 games but only six goals.

Speaking of the Bruins, they returned center Matthew Poitras to their AHL affiliate in Providence.

DAILY FACEOFF: Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Matt Benning, and Colorado Avalanche goalie Kaapo Kahkonen were placed on waivers on Monday.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 16, 2024

by | Oct 16, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 16, 2024

In today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines, the Blue Jackets honor Johnny Gaudreau in their home opener, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin reaches an assist milestone, the struggling Oilers picked up their first win of the season, and more.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: The Columbus Blue Jackets honored Johnny Gaudreau before their home opener against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

With Gaudreau’s family on the ice, the Jackets raised a banner with his number 13 in a pregame ceremony. During the opening faceoff, the Jackets started without a left winger, which was Gaudreau’s position. Both teams didn’t move following the puck drop, letting the puck come to rest where Gaudreau would’ve stood, and remained in place for 13 seconds.

Once the game resumed, the Panthers held off the Blue Jackets 4-3. Sam Reinhart had a goal and two assists and Spencer Knight made 35 saves for his first win in 21 months. Sean Monahan scored for the Blue Jackets and pointed to Gaudreau’s banner to honor his long-time friend and former Calgary Flames teammate.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson left the game with an upper-body injury after accidentally colliding with Monahan during the second period. Jackets coach Dean Evason described the injury as “not looking good”. That suggests Gudbranson could be sidelined for some time.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin had two assists, including the 700th of his NHL career, as his club doubled up the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2. Logan Thompson made 24 saves for the win over his former team and Jakub Vrana scored on his first shot in his return with the Capitals. Victor Olofsson and Jack Eichel replied for the Golden Knights.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin becomes the sixth player in NHL history to score 700 goals and collect 700 assists. He joins Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Dionne, and Phil Esposito. He’s also the 60th player to reach the 700-assist plateau.

Ovechkin has three assists in two games but still seeks his first goal of the season and remains at 853 career goals. He remains 41 goals behind Gretzky’s record of 894.

The Golden Knights also lost Olofsson late in the third period when he injured his left leg. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said it didn’t look good but hopes it’s not severe. Olofsson was seen on crutches after the game.

An overtime goal by Leon Draisaitl lifted the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, snapping their season-opening three-game losing skid. Draisaitl finished with a goal and an assist and Connor McDavid collected two assists as they were put on the same line for the first time this season. The Flyers opened the scoring with a 2-0 lead as rookie Matvei Michkov tallied the first two goals of his NHL career.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A big comeback win by the Oilers, perhaps signaling that the slumbering Stanley Cup finalist is finally awakening from its season-opening slumber. It was a disappointing finish for the Flyers but their promising rookie Michkov finally breaks through after being limited to an assist in his first two games.

The Dallas Stars extended their season-opening win streak to 4-0-0 by nipping the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on a shootout goal by Wyatt Johnston. Matt Duchene and Roope Hintz scored for the Stars while Tyler Toffoli and former Star Ty Dellandrea replied for the Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Stars played without forward Tyler Seguin and defenseman Matt Dumba. Seguin is day-to-day with a lower-body injury while Dumba (lower body) is week-to-week.

Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames are also 4-0-0 after beating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1. Matt Coronato had two goals and goaltender Dustin Wolf turned aside 31 shots. Nick Foligno had the only goal for the Blackhawks.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves and tallied an empty-net goal in a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Kirill Kaprizov collected two assists while Jakub Lauko scored the game-winner. Mathieu Joseph replied for the Blues.

The Tampa Bay Lightning won their home opener by beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-1. Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli each had a goal and an assist for the Lightning. Conor Garland had the lone goal for the Canucks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This game was the first professional sports event in Tampa Bay since the second of back-to-back hurricanes in the region.

Four unanswered third-period goals lifted the Seattle Kraken to a 7-3 win over the Nashville Predators. Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Adam Larsson each had a goal and an assist for the Kraken. Michael McCarron, Tommy Novak and Brady Skjei scored for the Predators, who’ve dropped their first three games of the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Predators may have “won” free agency by signing Skjei, Steven Stamkos, and Jonathan Marchessault but that hasn’t resulted in significant improvement thus far.

Head coach Andrew Brunette said his team deserves to be where it is right now, claiming they’re playing firewagon hockey. “We’re trying to be cute. We’re trying to show how talented we are to everybody. But we’re not really playing with a purpose,” he said.

The Carolina Hurricanes got a 23-save performance from goalie Pyotr Kochetkov in his season debut to double up the New Jersey Devils 4-2. Hurricanes rookie Jackson Blake tallied his first career NHL goal. Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier replied for the Devils.

IN OTHER NEWS…

RG.ORG: James Murphy reports NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said he doesn’t see any reason for concern regarding the next round of collective bargaining with the NHL Players’ Association. Those talks are expected to begin in 2025.

Daly also admitted he’s surprised by the league’s strong and fast comeback from the COVID-19 pandemic. He believes the COVID period created a stronger demand and appreciation from fans for the live product, and feels the game is in better shape than ever before.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Daly also discussed the Utah Hockey Club and the league’s 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Follow the link above for the full interview.

TORONTO STAR: The good news for the Maple Leafs is John Tavares is out of sick bay. The bad news is William Nylander has caught the flu bug and is questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Buffalo Sabres hope to have JJ Peterka in the lineup when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. He’s been sidelined for the last two games after suffering a concussion in Czechia. Peterka was a full participant in practice on Tuesday.

DAILY FACEOFF: Utah Hockey Club defenseman Sean Durzi is out for the foreseeable future with an upper-body injury.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils goaltender Jake Allen set an NHL record with his 3-0 win over Utah on Monday. He’s the first goaltender to secure a win against 33 NHL clubs in his career.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 15, 2024

by | Oct 15, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 15, 2024

In today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines, recaps of Monday’s action, the three stars of the week are revealed, league commissioner Gary Bettman responds to a question about the possibility of a franchise in Quebec City and more.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Josh Norris lifted the Ottawa Senators to an 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Norris finished with two goals and an assist, Zack MacEwen tallied twice and Drake Batherson had a goal and two assists for the Senators. Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere each scored two goals and Anze Kopitar and Brandt Clarke each collected three assists for the Kings.

Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators starting goalie Linus Ullmark missed this game with a lower-body strain. While it isn’t considered serious, he’s undergoing further testing and might not be available for Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.

The Senators called up goalie Mads Sogaard, who replaced Anton Forsberg after he gave up three goals on nine shots.

Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub left this game in the first period with an upper-body injury following a big hit from Kings forward Tanner Jeannot. The Senators also played without forward Ridly Greig, who is out for one-to-two weeks with an upper-body injury.

The New York Islanders picked up their first win of the season by trouncing the struggling Colorado Avalanche 6-2. Brock Nelson netted two second-period goals and Ilya Sorokin stopped 32 shots for the Isles. Avalanche rookie Calum Ritchie scored his first NHL goal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar wasn’t pleased with his team’s performance. “There are no excuses. I didn’t like our game tonight,” said Bednar. “Top to bottom. It’s terrible.” They’re 0-3-0 to open this season.

Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews missed this game with a lower-body injury. He joined teammates Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder), Jonathan Drouin (upper body) and Valeri Nichushkin (NHL/NHLPA player assistance program) on the sidelines.

Florida Panthers forwards Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell each tallied two goals in a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 24 shots for the win. John Beecher and Mason Lohrei each had a goal and an assist and Mark Kastelic picked up three assists for the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk missed his second straight game due to illness and is expected to miss their next two games. It’s hoped he’ll return to action next Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.

The New York Rangers beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and two assists, Igor Shesterkin kicked out 31 shots and Reilly Smith potted his first goal as a Ranger. Dylan Larkin replied for the Red Wings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Red Wings sent goaltender Ville Husso to their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids before this game and recalled forward Austin Watson.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin scored his 499th career goal and Lars Eller tallied twice in a 6-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Malkin finished with a goal and two assists. Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson each had two assists for the Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was held off the scoreboard and remains one point shy of 1,600 for his career. Crosby also needs eight goals to reach 600 and 24 games to reach 1,300.

The New Jersey Devils got a 20-save shutout from Jake Allen to blank the Utah Hockey Club 3-0, handing the latter their first loss of the season. Seamus Casey, Stefan Noesen and Nico Hischier were the goal scorers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah defenseman Sean Durzi left this game in the second period with an upper-body injury following an awkward hit from Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Utah Hockey Club winger Dylan Guenther, Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel were the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Oct. 13.

THE MONTREAL GAZETTE: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was asked about the possibility of a new franchise in Quebec City when he met with reporters before Monday’s Penguins-Canadiens game at the Bell Centre.

Bettman said the league isn’t focused on expanding from 32 to 34 teams but would consider it if the right opportunity came along. As for the NHL returning to Quebec City, he said that depended on a lot of factors out of league control, “including someone – or an entity – that is engaged enough and committed enough financially to want to be even considered and it hasn’t happened yet.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s an assumption that media giant Quebecor, which operates the 18,259-seat Videotron Centre, would be the likely bidder to bring the NHL back to Quebec City via expansion or relocation of an existing franchise. Bettman’s comments suggest Quebecor hasn’t made any pitch for a franchise or made a failed attempt.

Quebec City may be an emotional choice but factors such as its market size mean it faces long odds when going up against bigger US-based markets in Houston and Atlanta. Those cities are considered the likely destinations when the league inevitably expands to 34 clubs in a few years.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Johnny Gaudreau’s father Guy Gaudreau joined the Blue Jackets’ practice on Monday as a guest. The club will honor Johnny’s memory on Tuesday in a pregame ceremony before their first home game of this season when they face the Florida Panthers.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will be playing right wing for the first time in a decade as the club attempts to shake up its offense after dropping its season-opener to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Capitals defenseman Matt Roy is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury suffered during Saturday’s games.

SPORTSNET: Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin and forward Peyton Krebs had to be separated by their teammates when they dropped the gloves during practice on Monday.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sidelined Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini won’t be traveling with his teammates to Dallas for their game against the Stars on Tuesday. He was placed on injured reserve (lower body) retroactive to Oct. 11. It’s hoped he’ll join his teammates on Oct. 18 when they face the Jets in Winnipeg.

DAILY FACEOFF: The St. Louis Blues placed forward Alexandre Texier (upper body) on injured reserve.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 13, 2024

by | Oct 13, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 13, 2024

The Flames pay an emotional pregame tribute to Johnny Gaudreau, Evgeni Malkin reaches another milestone, the Avs and Oilers continue to struggle, Utah HC wins again, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Calgary Flames held an emotional pregame ceremony to honor the late Johnny Gaudreau before skating to a 6-3 home-opening win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Jonathan Huberdeau led the way with two goals and two assists. Nazem Kadri tallied twice and Dustin Wolf got the win with a 37-save performance. Travis Konecny had two goals for the Flyers.

Calgary Flames honor Johnny Gaudreau (NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Gaudreau spent nine of his 11 NHL seasons with the Flames before signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022. A drunk driver killed him and his brother Matthew in August.

During the ceremony, Gaudreau’s family shared a heartfelt message to the Flames and the city of Calgary, expressing their “deepest gratitude” to the team and the city for their support.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander scored two goals in a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist for the Leafs. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin collected two assists to reach his 1,300th career NHL point.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs center John Tavares missed this game due to illness. Penguins winger Bryan Rust made his season debut after missing his club’s first two games with a lower-body injury.

The Columbus Blue Jackets upset the Colorado Avalanche 6-4. Sean Monahan, Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakhov each had a goal and two assists for the Blue Jackets. Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev was pulled for the second straight game after giving up three goals on nine shots. His replacement, Justus Annunen, fared little better, allowing two goals on 13 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar defended Georgiev following this game, expressing “full faith” that he’ll bounce back. The 28-year-old netminder has shown he can rebound from some bad performances but his erratic play since last season is becoming a cause for concern among Avalanche followers.

Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard scored his first of the season and picked up two assists in a 5-2 upset of the Edmonton Oilers. Teuvo Teravainen had two goals and two assists, Seth Jones had a goal and two assists, and Petr Mrazek turned aside 36 shots for the Blackhawks. Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl scored for the Oilers and Calvin Pickard allowed five goals on 20 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A well-deserved win for the rebuilding Blackhawks against a Stanley Cup finalist still searching for its groove two games into this season. The Oilers also got off to a flat start last season before they turned things around but it took a coaching change to wake them out. Current bench boss Kris Knoblauch isn’t in danger of losing his job at this stage in the season but that risk could increase if his players don’t elevate their play over the next few weeks.

The Utah Hockey Club upset the New York Rangers 6-5 on an overtime goal by Clayton Keller, who finished the night with two goals and an assist. Dylan Guenther also scored his fifth of the season for Utah, extending his goal streak to three games. Artemi Panarin tallied twice for the Rangers and Adam Fox had three helpers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah is 3-0-0 to start the season.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger had a 34-save shutout to blank the New York Islanders 3-0. Tyler Seguin tallied twice and Jamie Benn also scored for the Stars. Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves for the Islanders.

David Pastrnak’s overtime goal lifted the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Jeremy Swayman made 33 saves and Elias Lindholm also scored for the Bruins. Trevor Moore opened the scoring for the Kings and Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 shots.

The Buffalo Sabres picked up their first win of the season by dropping the Florida Panthers 5-2. Devon Levi turned aside 23 shots and Alex Tuch had a goal and an assist for the Sabres. The Panthers played without captain Aleksander Barkov (lower-body injury) and winger Matthew Tkachuk (illness).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barkov injured his leg during the final minutes of the Panthers’ 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. He will be sidelined for two to three weeks.

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot turned in a 42-save performance to shut out the Nashville Predators 3-0. J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp and Dylan Larkin were the goal scorers for the Red Wings as they picked up their first win of the season. Steven Stamkos is still seeking his first point since joining the Predators as a free agent in July.

The Montreal Canadiens got two goals from Cole Caufield to end a nine-game losing skid to the Ottawa Senators with a 4-1 win. Sam Montembeault kicked out 24 shots and rookie defenseman Lane Hutson picked up two assists for the Canadiens. Tim Stutzle scored for the Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Caufield has four goals in his first three games of this season.

New Jersey Devils forward Paul Cotter scored two goals to extend his goal streak to four games in a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. Stefan Noesen and Erik Haula each collected three assists for the Devils. Dylan Strome and John Carlson each had a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who also lost defenseman Matt Roy in the second period with a lower-body injury.

Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle scored two goals, including the 300th of his NHL career and the winner in a shootout, to lead his club to a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Joey Daccord stopped 34 shots for the Kraken. Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists while his teammates Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy each had a goal and an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek was injured in the second period when he caught an elbow in the nose from Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson. There was no call on the play. He returned for one shift in the third period and didn’t travel with his teammates to Winnipeg for their Sunday game against the Jets.

The Anaheim Ducks blanked the San Jose Sharks 2-0. Lukas Dostal turned in a 30-save shutout while Isac Lundestrom and Trevor Zegras did the scoring. Before this game, the Sharks announced rookie center Macklin Celebrini was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body ailment believed to be a hip injury. There is no word on when he’ll return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This news came two days after Celebrini scored a goal and collected an assist while logging over 17 minutes of ice time in his first NHL game. It’s uncertain when he suffered the injury during that game.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 1, 2024

by | Oct 1, 2024

Recapping Monday’s preseason action, the Canadiens awaiting word on Laine and Reinbacher, the Bruins indicate who their starting goalie will be in their season-opener, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We are experiencing technical difficulties today affecting the site’s layout and comments section. We hope to have these issues rectified today and appreciate your patience as we deal with this matter. 

GAME RECAPS (PRESEASON EDITION)

NHL.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 in split-squad action for the Wings. Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday. Joel Blomqvist stopped 20 of 21 shots for the Penguins.

An overtime goal by Konsta Helenius gave the Buffalo Sabres a 4-3 victory over the Red Wings in split-squad action.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jeremy Brodeur made 29 saves in a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers. Brodeur is the son of Hall-of-Fame netminder Martin Brodeur.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Rangers announced that forward Jimmy Vesey is expected to be sidelined for several weeks with a lower-body injury suffered during practice on Sunday.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid collected two assists as his club nipped the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in a shootout.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers released winger Mike Hoffman from his professional tryout offer (PTO) earlier in the day. He had a goal and four points in four preseason contests. Meanwhile, the Canucks released forward Sammy Blais from his PTO contract.

The New York Islanders beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 as Kyle Palmieri scored the tiebreaker with 51 seconds remaining in the third period.

Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his first preseason goal with the Washington Capitals in a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dubois and Tom Wilson each had a goal and an assist and Logan Thompson turned aside 24 shots for the Capitals.

The Tampa Bay Lightning got a 26-save performance by goalie Jonas Johansson to beat the Florida Panthers 3-1.

An overtime goal by Nazem Kadri lifted the Calgary Flames to a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken. Tyson Barrie had two assists and Dan Vladar kicked out 30 shots for the Flames.

Los Angeles Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper turned in a 23-save shutout to blank the Anaheim Ducks 4-0. Tanner Jeannot and Akil Thomas each had a goal and an assist.

HEADLINES

TSN: The Montreal Canadiens were still awaiting word on Monday of the severity of the lower-body injuries Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher suffered during Saturday’s preseason game against Toronto.

Laine was injured following a knee-on-knee collision with Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare. Reinbacher left the same game in the opening seconds following a check from Leafs forward Marshall Rifai.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laine watched practice on crutches from the Canadiens’ bench yesterday. The Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan reports hearing Laine could be sidelined for four-to-six months. There was no confirmation from the team. An update could be made on Tuesday.

DAILY FACEOFF: Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said Joonas Korpisalo will be the club’s starter for their season-opener on Oct. 8. The news comes amid the ongoing contract standoff between Bruins management and goalie Jeremy Swayman.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Swayman’s stalled negotiations got spicy yesterday when Bruins president Cam Neely seemed to reveal how much the club offered the 25-year-old netminder. I’ll have more details in today’s Rumor update.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The NHL will honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau with helmet stickers displaying their uniform numbers worn by all NHL players starting with games on Friday and Saturday in Czechia during the league’s Global Series.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning captain Victor Hedman and his wife, Sanna, have pledged to donate $150, 000 to charities helping those affected by Hurricane Helene in the Tampa community.

OTTAWA SUN: The Senators released forward Nikolay Kulemin from his PTO contract.

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 26, 2024

by | Sep 26, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 26, 2024

Recapping Wednesday’s preseason action, injury updates, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL PRESEASON GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An injury to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty overshadowed his club’s 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Doughty injured his left leg during the first period and had to be helped off the ice. Head coach Jim Hiller said the blueliner will be further evaluated when the Kings return to Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (NHL Images).

Jake DeBrusk scored two goals in his preseason debut with the Vancouver Canucks as his club rallied to nip the Calgary Flames 4-3.

The Tampa Bay Lightning overcame a 7-5 deficit for an 8-7 win over the Florida Panthers. Conor Geekie tallied twice (including the game-winner) and picked up an assist and Darren Raddysh scored two goals and added two assists for the Lightning. Jesper Boqvist had a goal and two assists for the Panthers.

Three goals in the final 5:32 of the second period carried the Washington Capitals over the New Jersey Devils 5-3. Dylan Strome and Brandon Duhaime each netted two goals for the Capitals.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson had a goal and an assist and Elvis Merzlikins and Zach Sawchenko combined for a 31-save shutout to blank the St. Louis Blues 3-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was also the Blue Jackets’ first preseason home game. The club remembered Johnny Gaudreau with an emotional pregame tribute video and 13 seconds of silence in honor of his Blue Jackets’ uniform number. A suspected drunk driver killed Johnny and his brother Matthew on Aug. 29.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk scored a goal and collected three assists in a 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

The Dallas Stars downed the Minnesota Wild 5-2. Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen each scored for the Stars.

Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond scored the go-ahead goal in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Connor Bedard collected an assist for the Blackhawks in his preseason debut.

HEADLINES

TSN: New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren is expected to miss “several weeks” with an upper-body injury, putting his status for their Oct. 9 season opener in question.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators forward Claude Giroux awoke Wednesday morning to find his vehicle stolen from his home overnight. He and his wife tracked it via GPS but were told they could only report the theft to Ottawa police at 10 am. The Girouxs don’t expect the vehicle to be recovered.

SPORTSNET: Utah Hockey Club forward Nick Bjugstad is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss the start of the regular season.

TSN: A desire for his son to play in North America led to Nikolay Kulemin’s professional tryout offer with the Ottawa Senators. The 38-year-old winger last played in the NHL in 2017-18 with the New York Islanders and spent the past six seasons in the KHL.