NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 15, 2021

by | Jan 15, 2021

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 15, 2021

​Recaps of Thursday’s action and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Connor McDavid had a hat trick and Leon Draisaitl had four assists to lead the Edmonton Oilers over the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored twice for the Oilers and added an assist while Mikko Koskinen made 38 saves for the win. The Oilers peppered Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko with 46 shots.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid, Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins seemed determined to make amends for their unproductive efforts in the Oilers’ 5-3 loss to the Canucks the night before. They were the best players on the ice in this game.

Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine scored twice, including the winner in overtime, as his club edged the Calgary Flames 4-3. Kyle Connor had a goal and two assists for the Jets. Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm replied for the Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laine doesn’t appear to be troubled by the trade rumors dogging him since last fall. If this game is any indication, the 22-year-old sniper could have one of the best seasons of his career.

The New York Islanders spoiled the NHL debut of Alexis Lafreniere by blanking the New York Rangers 4-0. Anders Lee scored twice while Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves for the shutout. Rangers center Mika Zibanejad played over 19 minutes after recovering from COVID-19.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lafreniere, the first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, saw 15:21 of ice time with one shot on goal and a two-minute hooking penalty that led to Lee’s second goal. Overall, the Rangers played poorly in this contest as the Isles took an early 3-0 lead and never looked back.

Peter Laviolette picked up his first win as head coach of the Washington Capitals as his club hung on to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 6-4. T.J. Oshie had a three-point night (one goal, two assists), Alex Ovechkin collected two assists while Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson each had a goal and an assist. Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist in his debut with the Sabres while teammate Eric Staal left the game in the third period after he was hit in the head by the Capitals’ Nic Dowd. Staal is listed as day-to-day.

Brad Marchand opened the scoring and ended it with a shootout goal as the Boston Bruins nipped the New Jersey Devils 3-2. Devils center Jack Hughes collected two assists while teammate Mackenzie Blackwood made 35 saves.

Filip Forsberg snapped a 1-1 tie in the third period as the Nashville Predators went on to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1. Juuse Saros kicked out 29 shots for the Predators.

Mark Stone scored a goal and set up another in his first game as Vegas Golden Knights captain, leading them to a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Alex Pietrangelo had a team-leading 25:40 of ice time and collected an assist in his debut with the Golden Knights. Max Comtois scored twice for the Ducks.

A shootout goal by Logan Couture gave the San Jose Sharks a 4-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes. The Sharks had a 3-1 lead in the third but the Coyotes rallied to tie it on goals by Clayton Keller and Phil Kessel. Tomas Hertl scored twice for the Sharks and picked up an assist while teammate Evander Kane had a goal and two assists.

Kirill Kaprizov made an impressive NHL debut with two assists and a breakaway overtime goal to lift the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar each had two points for the Kings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaprizov was the star of the game as he seemed to have little difficulty adjusting to the NHL pace. He’s among the top rookies for watch in this season’s race for the Calder Memorial Trophy.

The Carolina Hurricanes opened their season by shutting out the Detroit Red Wings 3-0. Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Dzingel and Andrei Svechnikov were the goal scorers while Petr Mrazek made 14 saves for the shutout.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes’ margin of victory would’ve been larger if not for a 40-save performance by Wings goalie Thomas Greiss, who got little help from his teammates in this contest.

IN OTHER NOTABLE NEWS…

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: The Blackhawks placed Jonathan Toews (illness) and Kirby Dach (wrist surgery) on long-term injury reserve and placed defenseman Brent Seabrook (back) on injured reserve.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Toews going on LTIR indicates his mysterious illness will keep him out of the lineup much longer than anticipated.

STLTODAY.COM: Blues forward Sammy Blais received a two-way suspension for an illegal hit to the head of Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews on Wednesday. Toews left the game but returned and afterward said he suffered no lingering effects from the hit.

TSN: The Carolina Hurricanes placed goaltender Anton Forsberg on waivers yesterday just two days after claiming him from the Edmonton Oilers.

CBS SPORTS: The Sharks placed defenseman Radim Simek (undisclosed) on injured reserve.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 24, 2020

by | Feb 24, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 24, 2020

Capitals defenseman John Carlson reaches a franchise milestone, the Detroit Red Wings trade Mike Green to the Edmonton Oilers. and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

NHL.COM: The Washington Capitals snapped a four-game losing skid and regained sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division by downing the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3. Carl Hagelin scored twice while John Carlson surpassed Calle Johansson for the most points (475) by a defenseman in Capitals history. Following the game, the Capitals acquired winger Ilya Kovalchuk from the Montreal Canadiens. The Penguins (80 points) sit two points behind the Capitals. Pittsburgh forward Dominik Kahun (leg injury) was a late scratch.

Detroit Red Wings trade Mike Green to the Edmonton Oilers (Photo via NHL Images).

Two goals by Andrew Mangiapane powered the Calgary Flames to a 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Flames (70 points) hold the first Western Conference wild-card berth. Dylan Larkin scored twice for the Red Wings, who traded defenseman Mike Green to the Edmonton Oilers following the game for LTIR forward Kyle Brodziak and a conditional draft pick.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: An affordable move by the Oilers, bringing experienced depth to the defense corps as they push to secure a postseason berth. Green isn’t the offensive presence he once was and hasn’t had a good season with the floundering Wings, but his performance could improve with the Oilers.

The conditional pick is a fourth-rounder in the 2020 draft. If the Oilers reach the Western Conference Final and Green plays in half of the games, it becomes a third-rounder in 2021. The Wings also picked up half of Green’s $5.373-million salary-cap hit.

Speaking of the Oilers, Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists in his return from a quad injury as his club doubled up the Los Angeles Kings 4-2. The Oilers (73 points) moved past the Vancouver Canucks into second place in the Pacific Division.

Shea Theodore’s overtime goal lifted the Vegas Golden Knights over the Anaheim Ducks 6-5. William Karlsson tallied a hat trick for the Golden Knights, while Ducks forwards Adam Henrique and Nick Ritchie each scored two goals and collected two assists. The Golden Knights (76 points) opened a three-point lead over the Oilers for first place in the Pacific Division.

The St. Louis Blues picked up their fourth straight win by beating the Minnesota Wild 4-1. With the win, the Blues (82 points) opened a three-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche for the top spot in the Central Division and the Western Conference standings. It was also announced that both clubs will face off in Minnesota in the 2021 NHL Winter Classic at Target Field on New Year’s Day.

Anton Khudobin made 31 saves as the Dallas Stars edged the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1. Tyler Seguin tallied the game-winner for the Stars (78 points), who sit one point behind the Colorado Avalanche for second place in the Central Division.

Buffalo Sabres winger Kyle Okposo scored both goals in his club’s 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. The win moves the Sabres (66 points) within six points of the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic division. With 69 points, the Jets remain one point out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Anders Lee scored twice to lead the New York Islanders over the San Jose Sharks 4-1. The Isles (76 points) hold the first wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

CBS SPORTS: Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce could be sidelined long-term because of an upper-body injury suffered during Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

THE SCORE: Speaking of the Hurricanes, they intend to honor David Ayres, the emergecy goalie who backstopped them over the Leafs.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes recalled goaltender Darcy Kuemper from his AHL conditioning stint.

SPORTSNET: The Maple Leafs placed forward Dmytro Timashov on waivers.