NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 23, 2025

by | Mar 23, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 23, 2025

Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl and Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins lead their clubs to victory with hat tricks, six teams in wild-card races pick up wins, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Tomas Hertl tallied his second hat trick in a seven-game span to lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Jack Eichel had a goal and three assists and Mark Stone had a goal and two assists as the Golden Knights sit atop the Pacific Division with 90 points. Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists for the Red Wings (70 points), leaving them five points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

Vegas Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Red Wings have lost eight of their last 10 games. Barring a significant turnaround over their final 13 games, they’ll extend their postseason drought to nine seasons.

A hat trick by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins enabled the injury-depleted Edmonton Oilers to hold off the Seattle Kraken 5-4. Darnell Nurse and Mattias Ekholm each collected two points as the Oilers sit three points behind the Golden Knights in second place in the Pacific Division. Kaapo Kakko scored twice for the Kraken.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Oilers won with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sidelined by injuries. Both players could return in a week, with Draisaitl reportedly closer to returning to action. Meanwhile, Kakko has rejuvenated his career since being traded to the Kraken in December. With 39 points, he’s one away from tying his career-high 40-point season in 2022-23 with the New York Rangers.

The Minnesota Wild got a 20-save performance from goaltender Filip Gustavsson for his third straight win as they downed the Buffalo Sabres 4-1. Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist and Matt Boldy collected two assists as the Wild hold the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 85 points. JJ Peterka scored for the Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin picked up an assist after missing nine games with a lower-body injury.

St. Louis Blues forwards Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker each had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blues extended their win streak to a season-high five games and hold the final Western wild-card spot with 79 points. Ilya Mikheyev replied for the Blackhawks, who’ve lost seven in a row.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks forward Patrick Maroon played his final game against his former club after announcing he’ll retire at the end of this season. The St. Louis native received a standing ovation by Blues fans and was named the game’s first star. He helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019.

Maroon has spent 14 seasons in the NHL with the Blackhawks, Blues, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins, collecting 320 points and 1,076 PIMs in 840 regular-season games and 53 points in 163 playoff contests, winning three Stanley Cups, including two with the Lightning.

The Calgary Flames are two points behind the Blues following a 4-3 overtime win over the New York Islanders. Nazem Kadri tallied the game-winner, Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and two assists, Matt Coronato scored twice and Rasmus Andersson collected three assists for Calgary as they’ve won three straight games. Noah Dobson and Maxim Tsyplakov each picked up two assists for the Islanders (73 points), who are two points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar missed this game with a lower-body injury while forward Joel Farabee was sidelined by illness. Weegar is expected to return for Tuesday’s game against the Kraken.

New York Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski tallied two goals and J.T. Miller scored an empty-netter against his former club to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 5-3. Igor Shesterkin kicked out 36 shots for the Rangers (74 points), who are one point out of the final Eastern wild card. Canucks forwards Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander left this game with injuries as their club slipped three points behind the Blues.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks dominated the Rangers in this game but couldn’t put them away. It’s a costly defeat at a time when the Blues and Flames are surging. The loss overshadowed Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood breaking the league’s single-season record for hits with 384.

The Colorado Avalanche blew a 4-1 lead before defeating the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 on a shootout goal by Brock Nelson, who had a goal and an assist in regulation play. Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice for the Canadiens, who cling to the final Eastern wild-card berth with 75 points. The Avalanche sit third in the Central Division with 89 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Despite the loss, the Canadiens earned a valuable point to retain that wild card. They have points in 12 of their last 13 contests (8-1-4).

Ottawa Senators forwards Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson scored second-period goals within 33 seconds of each other to hold off the New Jersey Devils 3-2. Linus Ullmark stopped 25 shots for the win as the Senators hold a four-point lead over the Canadiens in the first Eastern wild-card spot. Luke Hughes collected assists on both goals for the Devils, who are third in the Metropolitan Division with 80 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators’ Thomas Chabot became the fourth defenseman in franchise history to reach the 500-game milestone, joining Chris Phillips, Wade Redden and Erik Karlsson.

Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley opened the scoring and ended the game with a two-goal performance in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Stars hold second place in the Central Division with 92 points. Travis Konecny and Ryan Poehling replied for the Flyers, who’ve lost four straight.

The Los Angeles Kings crushed the Carolina Hurricanes 7-2, winning for the seventh time in their last eight games. Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield, Andrei Kuzmenko and Tanner Jeannot each had a goal and an assist and Drew Doughty collected two assists as the Kings sit third in the Pacific Division with 85 points. Dmitry Orlov and Mark Jankowski scored for the Hurricanes as they hold second place in the Metro Division with 88 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis left the game in the third period with an apparent head injury when he crashed into the end boards after being hauled down by Kings winger Warren Foegele. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed optimism in his postgame press conference that Jarvis avoided serious injury.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin collected two assists in a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers, giving them their ninth win in their last 10 contests. Tom Wilson and Connor McMichael each had a goal and an assist as the Capitals opened a two-point lead over the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the overall standings with 102 points. Sam Bennett had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who remain in first place in the Atlantic Division with 87 points.

The Utah Hockey Club kept their playoff hopes alive by upsetting the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4. Logan Cooley and Alex Kerfoot led the way with two goals each for Utah (75 points), who sit four points behind the Blues in the Western wild-card race. Brayden Point netted two goals and Jake Guentzel had a goal and two assists for the Lightning, who sit third in the Atlantic Division with 85 points.

Five unanswered goals powered the Nashville Predators to a 5-2 upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Filip Forsberg scored twice and picked up an assist as the Predators snapped a four-game losing skid. John Tavares scored his 30th of the season for the Leafs, who sit second in the Atlantic Division with 87 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs and Panthers have identical 42-25-3 records, but the latter holds the tiebreaker with 35 regulation wins compared to the Leafs’ 34.

The San Jose Sharks beat the Boston Bruins 3-1. Lucas Carlsson’s tiebreaker was his first goal with the Sharks and his first since 2021-22 with the Panthers. Carlsson and teammate William Eklund each finished with a goal and an assist. Casey Mittelstadt replied for the slumping Bruins, who’ve lost their fifth straight game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins played without forward Mark Kastelic, who returned to Boston for further evaluation of an upper-body injury and will miss the remainder of their five-game road trip.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 4, 2025

by | Jan 4, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 4, 2025

A big night for Blues winger Brandon Saad, Oilers star Leon Draisaitl extends his points streak, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF FRIDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: St. Louis Blues winger Brandon Saad tallied a natural hat trick as his club blanked the Ottawa Senators 4-0. Goaltender Jordan Binnington turned in a 20-save shutout for the Blues (42 points), who’ve won four of their last five to move within two points of the final Western Conference wild-card berth. The Senators (40 points) have dropped four of their last five but still cling to the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

St. Louis Blues winger Brandon Saad (NHL Images).

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to 13 games by scoring the winning goal with 1:35 remaining in the third period in a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse had a goal and an assist. Brett Leason and Jackson LaCombe replied for the Ducks as their three-game win streak ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Draisaitl leads the league with 28 goals. Oilers captain Connor McDavid saw his 12-game points streak end.

The Nashville Predators got a 27-save shutout by Juuse Saros to end a three-game losing skid by downing the Vancouver Canucks 3-0. Steven Stamkos, Gustav Nyquist and Colton Sissons were the goal scorers, with the last two being empty-net goals. Canucks netminder Kevin Lankinen stopped 16 of 17 shots as his club has lost three of their last four (1-2-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Vancouver starter Thatcher Demko missed this game due to back spasms, forcing them to recall goalie Arturs Silovs on an emergency basis. The Canucks (44 points) hold a one-point lead over the Calgary Flames for the final Western wild-card spot.

Shootout goals by Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell lifted the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk scored in regulation while Spencer Knight made 29 saves for the Panthers. Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell replied for the Penguins, who are tied with the Senators with 40 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators hold the final Eastern wild-card berth with two games in hand and two more victories (19 to 17) than Pittsburgh. Penguins forward Philip Tomasino left the game in the third period with an undisclosed injury.

The Chicago Blackhawks snapped a five-game losing skid by doubling up the Montreal Canadiens 4-2, ending the latter’s three-game win streak. Arvid Soderblom kicked out 38 shots and Nick Foligno tallied two goals for the Blackhawks. Canadiens winger Cole Caufield netted his 20th of the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens were the dominant team for most of this contest but Soderblom was outstanding and Foligno was clutch for the Blackhawks. Pat Maroon lost a scrap with Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj in the first period but got the last laugh in the third with the game-winning goal.

The Blackhawks called up Colton Dach for this game. It was the first time he and his brother (Canadiens forward Kirby Dach) faced each other in NHL action.

HEADLINES

RG.ORG: Philadelphia Flyers rookie winger Matvei Michkov admits he’s still learning to adapt mentally and physically to the grind of his first NHL season. He said his English is improving and he is learning a lot from head coach John Tortorella despite the language barrier.

Michkov indicated he has a good relationship with his rival, Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard. “He’s a good player and a good guy,” said the Flyers winger. “It’s exciting to watch players like him.”

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton was fined $2,000.00 for embellishment by the department of player safety. The incident occurred during a game against the New York Rangers on Dec. 23.

THE SCORE: The Colorado Avalanche hope goaltender Scott Wedgewood will only be sidelined for a couple of weeks. He suffered a lower-body injury on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Wedgewood is still being evaluated.

SPORTSNET: Winnipeg Jets center Mason Appleton (lower body) was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 28.

NBC SPORTS BOSTON: The Bruins signed forward Mark Kastelic to a three-year contract extension. The average annual salary is $1.567 million.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs signed defenseman Phillipe Myers to a two-year deal worth $850K per season.

SPORTS MEDIA WATCH: Tuesday’s NHL Winter Classic between the Blackhawks and Blues at Chicago’s Wrigley Field averaged 920,000 viewers, the smallest TV audience in the annual outdoor game’s history.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The game involved two opponents not considered among this season’s elite teams. The Blackhawks are rebuilding while the Blues are battling for a wild-card spot. It was a lopsided affair with the Blues winning 6-2.

The league also staged this game on New Year’s Eve rather than New Year’s Day as it used to and did a poor job publicizing the event.

NHL.COM: Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Hall-of-Fame goaltender Roberto Luongo highlighted the Florida Panthers’ Quarter-Century Team.

Joining Barkov, Tkachuk and Luongo on the First Team are winger Jonathan Huberdeau and defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling.

Hall-of-Fame winger Pavel Bure joined forwards Sam Reinhart and Olli Jokinen, defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Robert Svehla and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky on the Second Team.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 28, 2022

by | Oct 28, 2022

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 28, 2022

Brad Marchand makes a triumphant return to the Bruins lineup, the Canucks finally get their first win of the season, Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun suffers a setback in his recovery from a wrist injury, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Brad Marchand scored twice and collected an assist to lead the Boston Bruins to a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. It was Marchand’s first game since undergoing double hip surgery in May. David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists while Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves for the Bruins (7-1-0). The Red Wings fall to 3-2-2.

Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marchand wasn’t expected to return to action until the American Thanksgiving long weekend so he was well ahead of schedule in his recovery. Meanwhile, Bruins center David Krejci left the game with an apparent arm injury. He’s considered day-to-day and won’t be traveling to Columbus with the club for tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets.

The Vancouver Canucks picked up their first win of the season by holding off the Seattle Kraken 5-4 to give head coach Bruce Boudreau his 600th career NHL victory. Ilya Mikheyev scored twice and Conor Garland tallied what proved to be the game-winning goal as the Canucks record is now 1-5-2. Jaden Schwartz had a goal and an assist as the Kraken fall to 3-4-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speaking of the Canucks, they acquired center Jack Studnicka in exchange for goaltender Michael DiPietro and prospect Jonathan Myrenberg. Studnicka, 23, will try to get his NHL career on track after struggling to make the cut with the Bruins. The Canucks also placed defenseman Travis Dermott (concussion) on long-term injury reserve.

An overtime breakaway goal by Erik Karlsson lifted the San Jose Sharks over the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. Sharks captain Logan Couture scored twice, including his 300th career NHL goal. Auston Matthews scored the game-tying goal in the third period for the Maple Leafs (4-3-1)while the Sharks are 3-7-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs continue to sleepwalk through October. This is the third time this season they’ve lost to a club that, on paper, they should’ve defeated, dropping games to the Montreal Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes. The best they can say about this loss is they at least get a loser point out of it.

Leon Draisaitl scored with 38 seconds remaining in the third period to give the Edmonton Oilers a 6-5 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a goal and two assists while Connor McDavid had a hat trick and chipped in an assist for the Oilers as they improve their record to 5-3-0. Patrick Kane and Max Domi each had a goal and two assists for the Blackhawks (4-3-0).

The Minnesota Wild doubled up the Ottawa Senators 4-2 to snap the latter’s four-game win streak. Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves while Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman and Frederic Gaudreau each had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who improve their record to 3-3-1. Alex DeBrincat had a goal and an assist for the Senators, who are 4-3-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Senators announced the signing of rookie center Mark Kastelic to a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $850K.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger turned in a 27-save shutout to blank the Washington Capitals 2-0 to improve his club’s record to 5-2-1. Jason Robertson and Joel Kiviranta were the goalscorers. The Capitals are 4-4-0 in their first eight games.

The Winnipeg Jets got third-period goals by Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Blake Wheeler to snap a 4-4 tie in a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck kicked out 40 shots as the Jets improved their record to 4-3-0. Jonathan Quick made just 13 saves for the Kings as they fall to 3-4-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck was the difference in this game. The outcome could’ve been very different without him.

Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene each had three points as the Nashville Predators scored five unanswered goals to defeat the St. Louis Blues 6-2. Juuse Saros made 32 stops for the win as the Predators improve to 3-4-1 while the Blues are 3-3-1. Brayden Schenn and Robert Thomas tallied for the Blues.

The Philadelphia Flyers got a 48-save effort from netminder Carter Hart to hold off the Florida Panthers by a score of 4-3. Joel Farabee had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who move to 5-2-0 on the season. Eric Staal was held scoreless in his debut with the Panthers, who drop to 4-3-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Flyers announced Sean Couturier had suffered a setback in his recovery from an injured back and was no longer skating. Winger Cam Atkinson remains sidelined by an upper-body injury. They also claimed forward Kieffer Bellows off waivers from the New York Islanders.

The Montreal Canadiens nipped the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on a late goal by Josh Anderson. Samuel Montembeault stopped 43 shots while Kaiden Guhle netted his first career NHL goal as the Canadiens improved to 4-4-0. Jeff Skinner and Dylan Cozens replied for the Sabres, who fall to 4-3-0.

IN OTHER NEWS…

DAILY FACEOFF: Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is still listed as week-to-week in his recovery from off-season wrist surgery. He’s yet to play this season but has been the topic of trade speculation for weeks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: And that speculation will drag on despite this setback in Chychrun’s recovery. However, he’s not going anywhere until he finally returns to action and interested teams can see how well he performs before they make any firm trade offers.

CBS SPORTS: New Jersey Devils goalie MacKenzie Blackwood has been sidelined by an upper-body injury.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov has been sidelined for the second time this season with another upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day.

NHL.COM: The Rangers also signed defenseman Ben Harpur to a one-year contract.