NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 18, 2018

by | Nov 18, 2018

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 18, 2018

Game recaps, injury updates and more CBA optimism in your NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Anthony Cirelli scored in overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning edged the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 following a wild third period that saw the Flyers rally from a 5-1 deficit to force the extra frame. Brayden Point scored twice for the Lightning while James van Riemsdyk had a three-point game for the Flyers.

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist moved into seventh place on the NHL all-time wins list for goaltenders. (Photo via NHL Images)

Henrik Lundqvist picked up his 438th career victory to move ahead of Jacques Plante into seventh on the all-time goaltender wins list as the New York Rangers doubled up the Florida Panthers 4-2. Rangers winger Chris Kreider had a goal and two assists.

Erik Karlsson scored his first goal with the San Jose Sharks while Aaron Dell turned in a 30-save shutout to blank the St. Louis Blues 4-0. Joe Pavelski scored twice and Logan Couture had three assists.

Cam Atkinson’s hat trick powered the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-1 win over the slumping Carolina Hurricanes. Artemi Panarin also collected three assists for the Jackets while Sergei Bobrovsky kicked out 30 shots.

Calle Jarnkrok potted his first career NHL hat trick as the Nashville Predators beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-3.

Carey Price turned in his second straight solid performance (35 saves) backstopping the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, handing the latter their fifth straight loss. Jonathan Drouin scored the winner while Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson netted his 11th goal of the season.

The Ottawa Senators ran up a 5-1 lead and held on for a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mark Stone and Matt Duchene each scored twice for the Senators, who chased Penguins goalie Matt Murray from the net after he gave up three goals on 10 shots. Penguins forward Derick Brassard returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a lower-body injury. 

The Buffalo Sabres picked up their fifth straight win by overcoming a 2-0 deficit to beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Rasmus Dahlin and Jason Pominville tallied the tying and winning goals.

The Calgary Flames won the latest round in the Battle of Alberta by overcoming a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. Elias Lindholm scored two goals for the Flames, handing the Oilers their fifth loss in six games.

Dylan Larkin’s overtime goal gave the Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Wings have won eight of their last 10 games. Wings forward Darren Helm could be sidelined for some time after leaving the game in the first period with an injured right arm.

Jaroslav Halak turned aside 32 shots and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson tallied his first NHL goal to give the Boston Bruins a 2-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. The injury-ravaged Bruins lost another key player, as Patrice Bergeron (suspected shoulder injury) returned to Boston for medical evaluation. 

DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars defenseman John Klingberg (broken hand) could be sidelined for longer than four weeks, as coach Jim Montgomery suggested the blueliner could be out six weeks. 

SPORTSNET: The Anaheim Ducks placed defenseman Luke Schenn on waivers. Forward Patrick Eaves was placed on injured reserve suffering from back spasm. 

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks reports the NHL is doing everything it can to dodge another labor dispute with the NHLPA, with the two sides engaged in ongoing preliminary talks “aimed at extending the CBA before either party can exercise its reopener in September 2019.”  Brooks cites multiple sources claiming league commissioner Gary Bettman hopes to avoid the prospect of a fourth lockout in 17 years under his watch.

Among the highlights from Brooks’ column:

-The league and the PA are apparently interested in participating in the 2022 Winter Olympic in Beijing. The trade-off could be staging a World Cup of Hockey in 2020 (and possibly 2024) with most of the revenue going to the league. 

-Escrow isn’t the major sticking point it once was. While the players are having 11.5 percent of their salaries withheld this season, the PA expects a postseason refund of eight percent. 

-The PA seeks a change in the way long-term injury reserve payments are calculated against the cap. “If the league eliminates additional payroll dedicated to LTI as part of the mix, that would reduce escrow. It would also slightly tilt the 50/50, so the NHL obviously would need something tangible in return — perhaps a redefinition of Hockey-Related Revenue that would benefit the teams.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is the second report in as many weeks suggesting the possibility another work stoppage might be avoided, perhaps before next September’s deadline for either side to re-open CBA talks. According to last weekend’s report by Hockey Night in Canada’s “Headlines” crew, the league needs to know by January if they can stage a 2020 World Cup of Hockey. If that tournament gets the green light,  a new CBA could be in place by next fall or the current one will remain in place until its expiry date in September 2022. 

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 16, 2018

by | Mar 16, 2018

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 16, 2018

Game recaps, injury updates, plus milestones for Patrik Laine and James van Riemsdyk  in your NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: The Nashville Predators extended their points streak to 13 games by downing the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 on third-period goals by Kyle Turris and Kevin Fiala. With 102 points, the Predators hold the top spot in the overall standings. Earlier in the day, however, they learned center Calle Jarnkrok will miss the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Winners of nine of their last 10 games, the Predators are the league’s hottest team right now. With the playoffs looming, they’re peaking at the right time. 

Winnipeg Jets 19-year-old winger Patrik Laine set an NHL record for consecutive points by a teenaged player. (Photo via NHL Images)

The Winnipeg Jets (94 points) strengthened their grip on second place in the Central Division by thumping the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2. Jets winger Patrik Laine collected an assist to extend his point streak to 14 games, setting a record for the longest NHL points streak by a teenage player. Kyle Connor also scored twice for Winnipeg. Before the game, the Jets learned center Matt Hendricks will miss the remainder of the regular season and the opening round of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. 

The Washington Capitals (87 points) maintained their hold on first in the Metropolitan Division by crushing the New York Islanders 7-3. T.J. Oshie scored two goals while Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov had three-point performances. The Isles (70 points) sit ten back of the New Jersey Devils for the final wild-card berth in the East.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Barring an impressive late surge by the Isles, their playoff hopes are all but dashed now. With just one victory in their last 10 games, they’ve lost too much ground in the standings.

Patrick Hornqvist scored twice and Evgeni Malkin netted his 40th goal of the season as the Pittsburgh Penguins overcame an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 5-3. Bryan Rust returned to the Pittsburgh lineup and collected two points. The Penguins remain tied with the Capitals for top spot in the Metro Division, though the Caps hold the advantage by having two games in hand.

Cam Atkinson’s hat trick powered the surging Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Jackets (81 points) have won six straight games and hold the first wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference. The Jackets also announced yesterday the signing of veteran forward Nathan Gerbe to a two-year, two-way contract. 

Toronto Maple Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk had his second straight multi-goal game to lead his club to a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. He tallied twice to reach a career-best single-season mark of 31 goals. No update on the status of Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen, who remains sidelined with an upper-body injury suffered during Wednesday’s game against Dallas.

A four-point effort by Anze Kopitar gave the Los Angeles Kings (84 points) a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Kopitar had a goal and set up three others, while teammate Drew Doughty collected three assists. The Kings sit third in the Pacific Division.

Colorado Avalanche forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Miko Rantanen each scored twice to lead their club to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The Avs (84 points) hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. For the Blues (79 points), the loss puts them five points out of a playoff spot. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blues have won only three of their last 10 contests. With 12 games remaining in the season, they’re running out of time to turn things around. 

James Riemer made 46 saves as the Florida Panthers shut out the Boston Bruins 3-0. Nick Bjugstad had a goal and an assist while Evgenii Dadonov picked up two assists. The Panthers sit three points back of the Devils for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Bruins were playing without defenseman Zdeno Chara and winger Jake DeBrusk, who are both sidelined with upper-body injuries. 

TSN: Over four years after a group of former players filed a lawsuit against the NHL over its perceived inability to protect them from concussion injuries, the two sides will face off Friday for the first time in court.