NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 5, 2024

by | Dec 5, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 5, 2024

Recaps of Wednesday’s games, the rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off are revealed, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews scored two third-period goals to lead his club to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. William Nylander scored what proved to be the winning goal and Mitch Marner collected three assists. Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Jankowski scored for the Predators, who are winless in five straight games (0-2-3).

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Tennessean’s Alex Daugherty indicates the Predators are on pace for their worst season in franchise history. “Winning” the offseason by signing three of the summer’s top unrestricted free agents (Marchessault, Steven Stamkos and Brady Skjei) hasn’t translated into wins on the ice thus far.

The Boston Bruins got two goals each from Brad Marchand and Morgan Geekie to double up the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. David Pastrnak collected two assists for the Bruins as they extended their win streak to three games. Alex Vlasic and Jason Dickinson replied for the Blackhawks, who’ve dropped four straight.

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore tallied twice in a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl and Victor Olofsson each collected two assists. Jackson LaCombe scored the Ducks’ only goal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ducks forward Trevor Zegras left the game early in the second period after injuring his left leg. He had surgery on his left ankle after breaking it in Nashville last year. Zegras will undergo further tests today.

Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler returned to action after missing a month with an upper-body injury. Before the game, they placed blueliner Urho Vaakanainen (upper body) was placed on injured reserve.

The Los Angeles Kings erased a 2-0 deficit to nip the Dallas Stars 3-2. Warren Foegele tallied the winning goal and also collected an assist on Tanner Jeannot’s goal which started the comeback. Joel Edmundson also scored and David Rittich stopped 26 shots for the Kings’ fourth straight victory. Wyatt Johnston and Mason Marchment scored for the Stars as their three-game win streak was ended.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, the Stars announced Tyler Seguin will undergo surgery on his left hip this week and will be sidelined for four to six months. The 32-year-old forward had 20 points in 19 games this season.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: The rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off were announced on Wednesday. The tournament will be held Feb. 12-20 at the Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston.

Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby and Cale Makar headline the roster for Team Canada.

Team USA features brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk and Jack and Quinn Hughes.

William Nylander, Filip Forsberg and Victor Hedman are among the notable stars skating for Team Sweden.

Team Finland will be led by Aleksander Barkov, Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Aho.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow the links above for the full rosters of each club.

Team USA must be considered the favorite to win this tournament. Deep at every position, they will be the dominant club in this series.

Canada has plenty of offensive punch but their goaltending is the weakest among the four teams and their blueline isn’t as deep as the Americans.

The Swedes have solid defensive depth and good goaltending but lack the firepower of the Americans and Canadians.

Finland is strong at the center position and could steal some games if goaltender Juuse Saros rises to the occasion. However, they lack the overall depth of the other three clubs.

As always, predictions are for gypsies and this tournament could have a much different outcome. Nevertheless, I anticipate the Americans will emerge victorious.

TSN: The Minnesota Wild announced defenseman Jonas Brodin (upper-body injury), center Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) and winger Mats Zuccarello (lower body) are listed as week-to-week. Forward Jakub Lauko (lower body) is day-to-day.

CALGARY SUN: Flames forward Justin Kirkland underwent season-ending knee surgery on Wednesday.

DAILY FACEOFF: Utah Hockey Club prospect Tij Iginla underwent successful hip surgery but will miss the remainder of the WHL season. A center with the Kelowna Rockets, the 18-year-old Iginla was chosen sixth overall by Utah in the 2024 NHL Draft. He has 32 points in 21 games this season.

TSN: Discussions between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association over a new collective bargaining agreement will begin in February 2025. The current CBA expires in September 2026.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The league and the PA have a contentious history in CBA talks. However, there’s a different vibe this time with hockey-related revenues growing and no serious issues derailing negotiations. It’s a positive sign that they’re opening talks so early, setting up the possibility of an agreement on a new CBA before the expiration of the current one.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 3, 2024

by | Dec 3, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – December 3, 2024

Recaps of Monday’s games, the three stars of the week are revealed, and the latest on Alex Ovechkin, Jeff Skinner, Patrik Laine and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF MONDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt had a goal and three assists in a 5-1 victory over the New York Rangers, handing the latter their sixth loss in their last seven games. Jack Hughes scored twice and picked up an assist while Jacob Markstrom kicked out 38 shots as the Devils (17-9-2) moved into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with 36 points. Rangers winger Chris Kreider tallied his 10th goal of the season.

New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin lost his fifth straight game for the first time in his career. Teammate Brett Berard missed this game with an upper-body injury.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Auston Matthews scored his first goal since returning from a nine-game absence with an undisclosed injury while teammate Mitch Marner collected two assists in his 600th NHL regular-season game. Lukas Reichel replied for the Blackhawks, who remain last in the overall standings with 18 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs have won nine of their last 11 games (15-7-2) and took over sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division with 32 points.

Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith stopped 34 shots for a 2-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club. Evgenii Dadonov and Jamie Benn scored for the Stars as they picked up their third straight win. Nick Schmaltz scored for Utah.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game began, the Stars announced forward Tyler Seguin (lower body) was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 1.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, and Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun were the league’s three stars for the week ending Dec. 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Celebrini was also the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November 2024.

TSN: Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin skated by himself before his club’s practice on Monday as he works his way back from a broken left fibula suffered on Nov. 18. He’s expected to return to action by late December or early January.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers winger Jeff Skinner was fined $2,000.00 by the league’s department of player safety for embellishment during a recent game against the New York Rangers.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: The Canadiens sent winger Joshua Roy back to their AHL affiliate in Laval, which suggests Patrik Laine’s season debut could be imminent. The 26-year-old left winger has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury during preseason play.

TSN: The Florida Panthers recalled goaltender Chris Driedger as starter Sergei Bobrovsky will miss their two-game road trip to be with his wife, who is expecting a baby.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Carolina Hurricanes signed goaltender Dustin Tokarski to a one-year, two-way contract. He was immediately placed on waivers for assignment to the AHL.

ROTOWIRE: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Oliver Kylington is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury. They also placed forward Ross Colton (lower body) on long-term injury reserve but he could return to action at some point during the Avalanche’s upcoming five-game road trip.

SPORTSNET: The Calgary Flames placed forward Justin Kirkland (lower body) on injured reserve.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings called up goaltender Sebastian Cossa on an emergency basis with regular netminders Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon sidelined by lower-body injuries.

SPORTSNET: Canada released its camp roster for the upcoming 2025 World Junior Championship. Notable omissions include Ottawa Senators prospect Carter Yakemchuk, Utah Hockey Club’s Tij Iginla, and Calgary Flames prospect Zayne Parekh.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Anaheim Ducks winger Beckett Sennecke was also passed over. Four of the top nine picks in the 2024 NHL Draft were not selected for Canada’s roster.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 10, 2023

by | Jan 10, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 10, 2023

Kings captain Anze Kopitar reaches a career milestone, the Predators, Kraken and Flyers earn shutout wins, the three stars of the week are revealed, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar collected an assist to reach 1,100 career points in a 6-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Kevin Fiala scored twice and collected four assists while Adrian Kempe tallied two goals as the Kings scored four power-play goals. Oilers captain Connor McDavid netted his league-leading 34th goal of the season. With 54 points, the Kings (24-14-6) sit two points behind the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights. The Oilers (21-18-3) hold the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 45 points.

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kopitar sits second in assists (727) and third in points among the Kings’ all-time leading scorers. He’s 33 assists behind Marcel Dionne but still a long way from breaking the latter’s franchise record of 1,307 points.

The Nashville Predators got a 38-save shutout by Juuse Saros to blank the Ottawa Senators 3-0. Roman Josi, Jeremy Lauzon and Filip Forsberg were the goal scorers as the Predators (19-14-6) sit one point behind the Oilers. The Senators, meanwhile, dropped to 18-19-3 on the season.

Seattle Kraken goaltender Martin Jones stopped 21 shots to blank the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 to earn their fifth straight road victory. Matty Beniers, Vince Dunn and Eeli Tolvanen each had a goal and an assist as the Kraken improved to 23-12-4 to sit four points behind the Kings in third place in the Pacific Division with 50 points. The Canadiens dropped to 16-22-3 and have lost eight of their last nine contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Canadiens recalled goalie Cayden Primeau as Jake Allen is sidelined day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

The Philadelphia Flyers upset the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 with rookie goalie Samuel Ersson kicking out 28 shots for his first career NHL shutout. Joel Farabee and Travis Konecny each had two points for the Flyers (16-18-7) while the Sabres (20-16-2) remain four points out of the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference with 42 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Earlier in the day, the Sabres activated goaltender Eric Comrie off injured reserve and loaned netminder Ukka-Pekka Luukkanen to their AHL affiliate in Rochester.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak, New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin are the league’s three stars for the week ending Jan. 8, 2023.

THE ATHLETIC: Following their 4-1 win over the Coyotes in Arizona on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins flew to Montreal to attend the funeral of Claude Fouquet, the father of teammate Kris Letang.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nice to see the Penguins going the extra mile as a team to support a teammate in his time of grieving. My condolences to Letang and his family.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Tyler Bertuzzi is expected to make his return to the Red Wings lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. He’s been limited to just nine games this season by two hand injuries. His last game was against the Jets on Nov. 30.

WASHINGTON HOCKEY NOW: Anthony Mantha called his being a healthy scratch from the Capitals’ game against Columbus on Sunday a “wake-up call”. He’s struggled with consistency this season, managing 23 points in 42 games this season.

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: Anaheim Ducks forward Justin Kirkland was hospitalized after a car accident on Sunday while on his way to play against the Boston Bruins. He has full mobility and is communicating with family and teammates. He could be released from the hospital within the next 24-48 hours.

CBS SPORTS: The St. Louis Blues placed defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) on injured reserve.

THE TENNESSEAN: Nashville Predators broadcaster Pete Weber expects to return to work after undergoing brain surgery on Monday for hydrocephalus. He anticipates being ready to return to the booth for the Predators’ home game on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres and hopes to return to the road in three weeks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Weber for a speedy recovery.