NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 6, 2020

by | Jan 6, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 6, 2020

Capitals stage late rally to upset the Sharks, an update on the NHL and the Olympics, and more in today’s morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Goals by Jakub Vrana and T.J. Oshie within the final minute of regulation set the stage for Lars Eller’s overtime tally as the Washington Capitals upset the San Jose Sharks 5-4. Vrana scored twice for the Capitals while Sharks winger Evander Kane netted a hat trick.

Lars Eller’s overtime goal lifted the Washington Capitals over the San Jose Sharks 5-4 (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks seemingly put this out of reach after Logan Couture made it 4-2. They collapsed defensively in that final minute, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their win streak to eight games by defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist. Bolts blueliner Ryan McDonagh missed the game with an upper-body injury. The Hurricanes have dropped five of their last seven contests.

Ryan Getzlaf’s shootout winner gave the Anaheim Ducks a 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators. Getzlaf also collected three assists while teammate Adam Henrique scored two goals and chipped in an assist. Predators captain Roman Josi collected an assist to extend his points streak to 10 games, setting the team record for defensemen. Craig Smith scored twice for the Predators.

Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger made 31 saves in a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mike Hoffman and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and an assist.

A shootout goal by Dillon Dube put the Calgary Flames over the Minnesota Wild by a score of 5-4. Flames forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Mikael Backlund each collected two assists, while Wild winger Marcus Foligno scored twice.

The Chicago Blackhawks overcame a 2-0 deficit to double up the Detroit Red Wings 4-2. Corey Crawford picked up the win in his first start since Dec. 23. Adam Boqvist tallied the winner in the third period.

TSN: International Ice Hockey Federation chief Rene Faisel said the NHL must decide by August if it intends to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. He wants to ensure his organization has more time to make the appropriate preparations one way or the other. “We are working on an early decision made by the NHL and NHLPA,” Fasel said. “We need to know before that.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: NHL players remain keen to participate in the Olympics. The league, on the other hand, is still cool to the idea, largely because the International Olympic Committee declined to pick up the costs of travel, insurance, and accommodations for NHL players. I daresay they’d also like a share of the sponsorship and media revenue. If the IOC maintains its previous position, we can forget about NHL participation in any future Olympics.

CBS SPORTS: Vegas Golden Knights rookie Cody Glass is suffering from a bone bruise on his leg and won’t require surgery. He suffered the injury during Saturday’s win over the St. Louis Blues.

 

 

 










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 1, 2020

by | Jan 1, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 1, 2020

Another milestone for Marc-Andre Fleury, hat-trick performances by James Neal, Zach Werenski, and Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel sidelined for months, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his 455th career victory as the Vegas Golden Knights downed the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. He moves into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time wins list. Jonathan Marchessault scored twice for the Golden Knights, who move atop the Pacific Division standings with 50 points.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury moves into sixth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list (Photo via NHL Images).

A hat trick by James Neal and a four-point effort by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins helped the Edmonton Oilers hold off the New York Rangers 7-5. The Oilers ran up a 6-0 lead before the Rangers made it interesting with four third-period goals. Rangers winger Artemi Panarin picked up four points. The Oilers (46 points) hold a one-point lead over the Flames for the final Western Conference wild-card berth.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski tallied his first career hat trick and Elvis Merzlikins picked up his first career NHL victory in a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers, spoiling former Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s return to Columbus. Earlier in the day, the Jackets announced goalie Joonas Korpisalo will be sidelined four-to-six weeks following surgery on his right knee.

Kyle Connor’s second career hat trick carried the Winnipeg Jets to a 7-4 win over the slumping Colorado Avalanche. Mark Scheifele collected four points while Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Jack Roslovic each had three-point performances. Nathan MacKinnon tallied twice for the Avs, who’s lost five of their last six games. Jets center Mathieu Perreault returned to the lineup following a six-game absence with a concussion.

Alex Killorn scored two goals as the Tampa Bay Lightning overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 6-4. Killorn and Tyler Johnson each finished with three points, as did the Sabres’ Conor Sheary. With 46 points, the Lightning move into third place in the Atlantic Division.

Patrick Kane scored twice and set up two others as the Chicago Blackhawks doused the Calgary Flames 5-3. Blackhawks goalie Robin Lehner had a 41-save performance.

The St. Louis Blues’ eight-game win streak ended in a 3-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Antti Raanta made 38 stops while Phil Kessel netted the game-winner. Earlier in the day, the Coyotes placed defenseman Aaron Ness on waivers.

The New Jersey Devils overcame a 2-0 deficit to upset the Boston Bruins 3-2 on a shootout goal by Damon Severson. Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 42 saves in a losing cause, but the Bruins did pick up a point to extend their streak to eight games.

New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov kicked out 38 shots (18 in the third period) as his club edged the Washington Capitals 4-3. Casey Cizikas scored twice for the Isles while Evgeny Kuznetsov tallied two goals for the Capitals.

The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up their seventh win in their last eight contests by beating the Minnesota Wild 4-1. Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and William Nylander each had a goal and an assist. Earlier in the day, the Leafs re-signed defenseman Justin Holl to a three-year contract extension worth an annual average value of $2 million.

The Montreal Canadiens dropped their third straight game, falling 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. They also lost winger Brendan Gallagher to a possible concussion after being accidentally kneed in the head by teammate Ben Chiarot. Hurricanes forwards Erik Haula and Teuvo Teravainen each had two points.The Habs have fallen to 12th overall in the Eastern Conference.

The Detroit Red Wings snapped a six-game losing skid by blanking the San Jose Sharks 2-0. Jonathan Bernier made 34 saves for the shutout while Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Hronek were the goal scorers.

A four-goal first period powered the Los Angeles Kings over the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3. Jonathan Quick made 32 saves while Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe each collected two points.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel will be sidelined four-to-six months following surgery on his right shoulder after Monday’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was fined $5,000.00 and Senators center Jean-Gabriel Pageau $2,500.00 for their late-game scrum.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Guentzel’s absence is a big blow to the injury-ravaged Penguins. With 20 goals and 43 points in 39 games, he had been selected to participate in the 2020 All-Star Game later this month in St. Louis. His lengthy absence could provide an opportunity for struggling Penguins winger Alex Galchenyuk, who was the subject of frequent trade speculation in recent weeks.