NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 23, 2024

by | Mar 23, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 23, 2024

A high-scoring tilt between the Capitals and Hurricanes highlights Friday’s action, Tom Wilson is suspended again, and the latest on the Golden Knights’ Jonathan Marchessault in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

NHL.COM: A shootout goal by Dylan Strome gave the Washington Capitals a 7-6 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Sonny Milano tallied his first NHL hat trick, Strome collected three assists and Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist for the 34-25-9 Capitals (77 points), who moved within one point of the Detroit Red Wings for the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

Washington Capitals forward Sonny Milano (NHL Images).

Sebastian Aho had a hat trick for the 44-20-7 Hurricanes (including his 30th goal of the season) and Jake Guentzel had three assists. With 95 points, the Hurricanes are one point behind the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers and two back of the league-leading Boston Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals played without winger Tom Wilson as he’s serving a six-game suspension for high-sticking Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor. This is the sixth suspension in his 11-season NHL career. He’s also been fined three times.

During the first period, the Capitals honored Evgeny Kuznetsov with a video tribute as he received a standing ovation from the fans. He was shipped to the Hurricanes before the March trade deadline after 11 seasons with the Capitals.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist to help his club defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-1. Mikko Rantanen scored twice and collected an assist for the Avalanche (45-20-5) as they picked up their eighth straight win and took over first place in the Central Division with 95 points. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 45 shots for the 23-35-12 Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon extended his home points streak to 33 games and 17 games overall. He’s in second place in the scoring race with 119 points, three back of Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov.

Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn scored two goals in a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jason Robertson had two assists for the 43-19-9 Stars, who’ve won three straight and sit second in the Central with 95 points. Michael Bunting had a goal and an assist for the 30-30-9 Penguins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ageless wonder Joe Pavelski tallied his 25th goal of the season for the Stars. The 39-year-old winger has reached that milestone 12 times, the third-most among American-born scorers. Keith Tkachuk and Mike Modano are the leaders with 13 seasons.

The Arizona Coyotes nipped the Seattle Kraken 2-1. Dylan Guenther scored in overtime after Clayton Keller tied the game late in the third for the 29-36-5 Coyotes. Ryker Evans scored his first NHL goal for the 28-28-13 Kraken.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Jonathan Marchessault is enjoying a career-best season in his contract year. He’s in the final season of a six-year, $30-million contract and has a single-season high of 38 goals, just five short of the franchise record.

Marchessault’s agent, Pat Brisson, said he’s had several discussions with Golden Knights management during the season. However, he doesn’t expect anything to happen until after this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Winner of the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy, Marchessault is an original Golden Knights and their most reliable scorer throughout his tenure in Vegas. The 33-year-old will draw plenty of interest in the free-agent market, though his age could make suitors reluctant to sign him longer than four years.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: St. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy will be suiting up for his 1,000th career NHL regular-season game on Saturday afternoon against the Minnesota Wild.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leddy will be joining an exclusive club. Of the roughly 7,500 players to appear in at least one game in the NHL’s long history, he will become the 391st to have played 1,000 games.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 14, 2024

by | Mar 14, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 14, 2024

The Oilers’ Zach Hyman tallies his fourth hat trick of the season, the Avalanche stage a three-goal comeback against the Canucks, an update on Flyers center Ryan Johansen, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman collected his fourth hat trick of the season in a 7-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists while Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists to extend his home points streak to 26 games for the 40-21-3 Oilers, who sit second in the Pacific Division with 83 points. Ivan Miroshnichenko and Connor McMichael replied for the 30-25-9 Capitals (69 points), who remain three points behind the New York Islanders for the final Eastern Conference wildcard berth.

Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hyman (46 goals) became the first Oiler to score four hat tricks in a season since Wayne Gretzky in 1986-87. Meanwhile, McDavid (106 points) moved within one point of Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov for second place in the scoring race. Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon leads all scorers this season with 115 points.

Speaking of MacKinnon and the Avalanche, he had a goal and an assist as his club overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on an overtime goal by Valeri Nichushkin. Mikko Rantanen also had a goal and an assist and Cale Makar collected two assists for the Avalanche (42-20-5), who moved into first place in the Central Division with 89 points. J.T. Miller and Nikita Zadorov each had a goal and an assist for the Canucks (42-17-8) as they hold second place in the overall standings with 92 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avalanche have the same number of points as the Dallas Stars but they hold first place in the division with two more wins.

The Nashville Predators extended their points streak to 13 games by doubling up the Winnipeg Jets 4-2. Roman Josi and Gustav Nyquist each had two points and Jason Zucker scored his first goal since joining the Predators at the trade deadline. With a record of 38-25-4, the Predators hold the first Western Conference wildcard spot with 80 points. Alex Iafallo and Mason Appleton scored for the Jets (41-19-5) as they slipped to third place in the Central Division with 87 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Jets center Mark Scheifele missed this game due to illness.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington kicked out 40 shots in a 3-1 upset of the Los Angeles Kings. Alexey Toropchenko, Jake Neighbours and Brandon Saad scored for the Blues (34-29-3). Adrian Kempe had the only goal for the 33-21-11 Kings as they hold third place in the Pacific Division with 77 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This season has been Binnington’s best since his 2019-20 sophomore campaign. He’s kept his temper in check and is more focused on his game.

HEADLINES

THE ATHLETIC: Kevin Kurz reports Philadelphia Flyers center Ryan Johansen is undergoing testing to determine the severity of an apparent hip injury. The Flyers were unaware of Johansen’s condition when they acquired him last week from the Colorado Avalanche. The 31-year-old center appeared in all 63 of the Avalanche’s games before he was traded.

There was speculation the Flyers could buy out the final season of Johansen’s contract. He carries an average annual value of $8 million, with half of it retained by the Nashville Predators as part of the condition of trading him to the Avs last summer.

The severity of Johansen’s injury could prevent any potential plan to buy him out this summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A player cannot be bought out if he’s receiving treatment during the buyout period in June for an injury that occurred during the season.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Tempers flared between Red Wings teammates Ben Chiarot and Lucas Raymond during practice on Wednesday. Both players got into a scuffle and had to be separated by their teammates.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blame the Red Wings’ six-game losing skid that threatens to derail their playoff hopes for this season. Wings forward Patrick Kane believes this might be a positive development that helps get the club back on track.

SPORTSNET: New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler will be out for an extended period. He suffered a concussion when he was elbowed by New York Rangers center Matt Rempe, who received a four-game suspension.

NHL.COM: Pat Maroon remains week-to-week after the Boston Bruins acquired him last week from the Minnesota Wild. He underwent back surgery on Feb. 7 with a recovery timeline of four-to-six weeks.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of the Bruins, Andrew Peeke will debut with the club after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last week. Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (illness) will not be traveling with the team to Montreal for Thursday’s game against the Canadiens.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs signed forward Bobby McMann to a two-year contract worth an average annual value of $1.35 million.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 13, 2024

by | Mar 13, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 13, 2024

The Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard matches two franchise records, the Panthers and Rangers expand their leads in their respective divisions, and former player Anson Carter heads a group that wants to bring a franchise to Atlanta. Details on these and other stories in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Chicago Blackhawks rookie star Connor Bedard had a goal and four assists in a 7-2 rout of the Anaheim Ducks. Bedard matched the single-game franchise records for assists and points (five) by a rookie. Nick Foligno and Philipp Kurashev each had four points for the 18-43-5 Blackhawks. Brett Leason tallied twice for the 23-39-3 Ducks.

Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bedard also became the fifth 18-year-old player in league history to have a five-point game, joining Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Ilya Kovalchuk (2002), Dale Hawerchuk (1982) and Jack Hamilton (1943). The young Blackhawks star has eight points in his last two games and 10 in his last four. He leads this season’s rookie class with 51 points (13 more than Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber) and 20 goals (three more than the Wild’s Marco Rossi).

The league-leading Florida Panthers scored three unanswered third-period goals to nip the Dallas Stars 4-3, snapping the latter’s five-game win streak. Aleksander Barkov scored twice while Sam Reinhart tallied his 46th goal of the season for the 45-17-4 Panthers (94 points), who opened a three-point lead over the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins atop the overall standings. Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston each had a goal and an assist for the Stars (40-18-9), who sit in first place in the Central Division with 89 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers played without forward Evan Rodrigues due to a lower-body injury.

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin made 28 saves for his second straight shutout to blank the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0. Adam Fox scored for the 43-18-4 Rangers (90 points) to open a six-point lead over the second-place Hurricanes atop the Metropolitan Division. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 23 shots for the 39-20-6 Hurricanes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before the game, Rangers rookie center Matt Rempe received a four-game suspension by the NHL department of player safety for elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head on Monday.

The Colorado Avalanche moved closer to the Central-leading Stars with a 6-2 victory over the slumping Calgary Flames. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist to extend his points streak to 13 games while Mikko Rantanen has two goals and two assists for the 41-20-5 Avalanche (87 points) as they’re two points back of the Stars. Dan Vladar made 29 saves for the 31-29-5 Flames, who have lost three straight games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon leads all scorers with a career-high 113 points. Three key Flames players were absent from this game. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, forward Andrei Kuzmenko was a late scratch with an upper-body injury, and winger Andrew Mangiapane was sidelined with an illness.

Speaking of slumping teams, the Detroit Red Wings suffered a 7-3 upset at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres. Defenseman Bowen Byram scored twice and Zach Benson had a goal and two assists for the 31-30-5 Sabres (67 points), who moved to within five points of the New York Islanders for the final Eastern Conference wildcard berth. Lucas Raymond had a goal and an assist for the 33-26-3 Red Wings (72 points), who lost their sixth straight game and slipped out of that wildcard spot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: When this month started, the Wings held the first Eastern wildcard berth with 72 points with a seven-point lead over the ninth-overall Washington Capitals and the 10th-overall Islanders. The Isles now have the same number of points as the Wings but they hold that wildcard spot with a game in hand.

Jack Eichel’s 200th career goal came in overtime to lift the Vegas Golden Knights over the Seattle Kraken 5-4. Eichel also had two assists while Jonathan Marchessault tallied twice for the Golden Knights (35-23-7), who hold the final Western Conference wildcard spot with 77 points. Philipp Grubauer stopped 29 shots for the 28-24-12 Kraken.

Philadelphia Flyers winger Owen Tippett snapped a 2-2 tie as his club defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-2. Travis Konecny and Morgan Frost each had two points for the Flyers (34-24-8), who hold third place in the Metropolitan Division with 76 points. Filip Zadina scored both goals for the 16-41-7 Sharks.

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Cayden Primeau kicked out 41 shots for his second shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Brendan Gallagher, Juraj Slafkovsky and Joshua Roy were the goalscorers for the 25-30-10 Canadiens. Elvis Merzlikins gave up three goals on four shots and was replaced by Daniil Tarasov as the Blue Jackets sank to 22-33-10.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov left this game in the first period with an upper-body injury.

A two-goal performance by Kirill Kaprizov gave the Minnesota Wild a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Kaprizov also collected an assist for the 32-27-7 Wild. Nick Bjugstad replied for the 26-35-5 Coyotes.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek left the game with an undisclosed injury in the third period. Meanwhile, the Coyotes played without forward Barrett Hayton as he could be out longer than day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The Ottawa Senators snapped a seven-game skid as they downed the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on an overtime goal by Drake Batherson. Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves and Jake Sanderson also scored for the 26-33-4 Senators. Michael Bunting replied for the 28-27-9 Penguins.

HEADLINES

SPORTSNET: Former NHL player-turned-broadcaster Anson Carter is heading a group that made a formal request to the league to begin the process of adding an expansion franchise to Atlanta.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Three times the charm after two previous teams (Flames and Thrashers) were relocated from Atlanta. Meanwhile, potential ownership groups in Salt Lake City and Houston have also expressed interest in bringing NHL franchises to their cities.

While the league continues to play coy over the possibility of expanding into new markets, it seems inevitable that it will grow by at least another two teams before the end of this decade. One of those cities could become the next home of the Arizona Coyotes if their current owner’s efforts to build a new arena in the Phoenix area fall through.

NHL.COM: Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He is expected to return before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin next month.

TSN: The Canucks also placed winger Dakota Joshua (injured hand) on long-term injury reserve.

THE TENNESSEAN: Nashville Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro is out for two to three weeks with an upper-body injury.

THE SCORE: The Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils will open the 2024-25 season on Oct. 4 and 5 in Prague, Czechia. The following month, the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers will face off in Tampere, Finland on Nov. 1 and 2. These games are part of the NHL’s 2024 Global Series.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 12, 2024

by | Mar 12, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 12, 2024

Recaps of Monday’s games, the three stars of the week are revealed, and injury updates on Thatcher Demko, Gabriel Landeskog, Aaron Ekblad and Josh Norris. Get the details on these and other stories in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for his fourth shutout of the season to blank the Washington Capitals 3-0. Neal Pionk, Alex Iafallo and Kyle Connor were the goalscorers for the 41-18-5 Jets, as they sit in second place in the Central Division with 87 points. Charlie Lindgren made 26 stops for the 30-24-9 Capitals as they remain three points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 69 points.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hellebuyck also reached the 30-win plateau for the fifth time in his NHL career. Capitals forward T.J. Oshie returned to action after missing seven games with an upper-body injury. However, teammate Tom Wilson missed this game with an upper-body injury.

Speaking of that final Eastern wild-card spot, the New York Islanders slipped out of it after a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Adrian Kempe, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore scored for the Kings (33-20-11) as they sit third in the Pacific Division with 77 points. Ilya Sorokin turned aside 22 shots for the 29-21-14 Islanders, who sit behind the Detroit Red Wings with 72 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE The Islanders and Red Wings have the same number of points, but the Wings hold the wild-card berth with more wins (33).

New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad scored his first even-strength goal in 30 games as his club downed the New Jersey Devils 3-1. Jonathan Quick made 19 saves for the 42-18-4 Rangers (88 points) as they hold first place in the Metropolitan Division and sit fifth in the overall standings. Simon Nemec scored for the Devils (31-30-4), who remain six points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot with 66 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zibanejad became the fifth player in Rangers history to score at least 20 goals in seven straight seasons, joining Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield and Andy Bathgate. Meanwhile, Rangers forward Matt Rempe could face supplemental discipline after being ejected during the second period for elbowing Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the head.

The St. Louis Blues upset the Boston Bruins 5-1 with Kasperi Kapanen scoring a goal and collecting two assists. Joel Hofer kicked out 36 shots for the 33-29-3 Blues (69 points) as they moved to within six points of the final Western Conference wild-card berth. David Pastrnak tallied his 41st goal of the season for the Bruins (38-14-15) as they remain one point behind the first-overall Florida Panthers with 91 points.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha, and Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending March 10, 2024.

THE PROVINCE: Speaking of Demko, he’ll be sidelined for two to three weeks after suffering a knee injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll be interesting to see how well the Canucks handle the loss of their starting goaltender over that period. A healthy Demko is a crucial part of their Stanley Cup aspirations.

TSN: Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said team captain Gabriel Landeskog could return to action with what he called the “playoff timeframe.” The 31-year-old winger has been sidelined by a knee injury since the end of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Bednar stressed that Landeskog won’t be rushing his timetable to return.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That timeframe could be the start of the playoffs next month or the Stanley Cup Final in June if the Avalanche get that far.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators center Josh Norris will miss the rest of the regular season after undergoing a third surgery on his left shoulder following an injury on Feb. 27. He’s expected to be recovered in time for training camp in September.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a significant setback for Norris. Whether the 24-year-old center will be able to continue his playing career or be as effective as he once was remains to be seen.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will be sidelined for at least two weeks with a knee injury. Head coach Paul Maurice said the blueliner didn’t suffer any long-term damage.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: Flyers center Ryan Johansen is believed to be battling an injury or ailment that has prevented him from playing for their AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. Johansen also hopes to reconcile with Flyers coach John Tortorella as the two clashed when they were with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

ESPN.COM: The Carolina Hurricanes signed forward Brendan Lemieux to a one-year, $775K contract extension.

SPORTSNET: The Arizona Land Department’s Board of Appeals will meet on Thursday to discuss a Phoenix site where the Coyotes hope to build a new arena.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 7, 2024

by | Mar 7, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 7, 2024

The Avalanche’s Cale Makar nets a hat trick, the Leafs’ Auston Matthews gets closer to 60 goals, the latest notable contract signings and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar tallied his first career NHL hat trick as his club crushed the Detroit Red Wings 7-2. Nathan MacKinnon extended his season-opening home points streak to 31 games with a goal and three assists while Mikko Rantanen collected four assists for the 39-20-5 Avalanche, who sit third in the Central Division with 83 points. Robby Fabbri and David Perron replied for the Red Wings (33-23-6) as they continue to hold the first Eastern Conference wildcard berth with 72 points.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Makar became the fourth defenseman in Avalanche history to score a hat trick and the first to do so since Sandis Ozolinsh in 1999-2000.

MacKinnon has 109 points on the season, putting him into first place in the NHL scoring race with a four-point lead over Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov. The Avalanche center is just two points away from equally last season’s career-best 111-point performance.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews netted his league-leading 54th goal of the season as he scored in overtime in a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres. William Nylander tallied his 34th goal of the season for the Leafs (36-18-8) as they sit in third place in the Atlantic Division with 80 points. Victor Olofsson replied for the 29-29-5 Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Matthews’ goal-scoring pace has slowed a bit with two goals in his last seven games. Nevertheless, he continues to close in on his second 60-goal season. Nylander, meanwhile, continues to lead the Leafs in points with 84.

The Anaheim Ducks nipped the Ottawa Senators 2-1. Goaltender Lukas Dostal stopped 29 shots while Ryan Strome and Alex Killorn scored for the 23-36-3 Ducks. Mark Kastelic replied for the 25-32-3 Senators.

HEADLINES

SPECTOR’S NOTE: You can see yesterday’s list of notable trades by following this link.

PHILLY HOCKEY NOW: The Flyers signed Nick Seeler to a four-year, $10.8 million contract extension. The 30-year-old defenseman was slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The average annual value of his new contract is $2.7 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Seeler is in the final season of a two-year, $1.55 million contract. His play this season recently garnered praise from Flyers head coach John Tortorella.

TSN: The Flyers placed forward Ryan Johansen on waivers after acquiring him from the Colorado Avalanche as part of the return in yesterday’s Sean Walker trade. If he clears he’s expected to be sent to the Flyers’ AHL affiliate.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Johansen’s play has declined since reaching 63 points in 2021-22. He has 23 points in 63 games this season.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Washington Capitals signed Rasmus Sandin to a five-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $4.6 million. He has 20 points in 52 games this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The aging Capitals are in the process of retooling their roster with younger players. They acquired the 24-year-old Sandin from the Maple Leafs last season and expect him to be a key part of their blueline in the coming years.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Flames forward Martin Pospisil received a three-game suspension from the league’s department of player safety for boarding Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn on Monday.

TSN: Speaking of the Flames, they signed Daniil Miromanov to a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $1.25 million. They acquired the 26-year-old defenseman last night from the Vegas Golden Knights as part of the return in the Noah Hanifin trade.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 5, 2024

by | Mar 5, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 5, 2024

Recaps of Monday’s games feature the Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon moving into a tie for the league scoring lead, the Devils fire head coach Lindy Ruff, the three stars of the week are revealed, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals and collected two assists in a 5-0 romp over the Chicago Blackhawks. Justus Annunen collected his second straight shutout over the Blackhawks with a 37-save performance for the 38-20-5 Avalanche, who sit third in the Central Division with 81 points. Petr Mrazek stopped 32 shots for the 15-42-5 Blackhawks, who are winless in their last seven games (0-5-2).

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: MacKinnon extended his season-opening home points streak to 30 games and tied Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov for the scoring lead with 105 points.

The Florida Panthers picked up their fifth straight win by doubling up on the New York Rangers 4-2. Sam Reinhart tallied twice, Aleksander Barkov picked up two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 26 shots for the Panthers (42-16-4) as they remain atop the overall standings with 88 points. Will Cuylle and Chris Kreider replied for the 40-18-4 Rangers, who lead the Metropolitan Division with 84 points but slipped to fourth in the overall standings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Reinhart took over sole possession of second place in the goal-scoring race with 44 goals.

Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha scored two goals and David Pastrnak had three assists in a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jeremy Swayman kicked out 32 shots for the Bruins (36-13-14) as they moved into second place in the overall standings with 86 points. John Tavares scored for the 35-18-8 Leafs, who hold third place in the Atlantic Division with 78 points.

The Columbus Blue Jackets upset the Vegas Golden Knights 6-3 as Alex Nylander tallied his first career NHL hat trick. Daniil Tarasov made 37 saves for the 21-30-10 Blue Jackets. Vegas center Jack Eichel was held scoreless in his first game since being sidelined on Jan. 11 with a knee injury. The Golden Knights (33-22-7) remain in third place in the Pacific Division with 73 points but have just two wins (2-7-1) in their last 10 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: As the Golden Knights activated Eichel off long-term injury reserve they placed captain Mark Stone (upper body) on LTIR. That leaves them with roughly $7.3 million in salary-cap flexibility to put toward adding to their roster by Friday’s trade deadline.

A shootout goal by Pavel Buchnevich lifted the St. Louis Blues over the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1. Jordan Binnington stopped 40 shots for the 32-26-3 Blues (67 points) as they kept their playoff hopes alive by moving within five points of the final Western Conference wild-card berth. Scott Laughton scored for the Flyers (32-23-8) to remain in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 72 points.

The Seattle Kraken snapped the Calgary Flames’ five-game win streak with a 4-2 victory. Philipp Grubauer made 35 saves while Jared McCann had a goal and an assist for the Kraken (27-23-11). Andrei Kuzmenko tallied both goals for the 30-26-5 Flames. Both teams have 65 points and sit seven points out of the final Western wild-card spot.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames forward Martin Pospisil faces supplemental discipline following his ejection from this game for hitting Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn from behind.

Before this game, the Kraken announced they scratched center Alex Wennberg from this game for trade-related reasons. The Rangers and Avalanche are among the clubs rumored to be interested in Wennberg, who could be on the move before Friday’s trade deadline.

HEADLINES

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils yesterday fired head coach Lindy Ruff. Associate coach Travis Green has taken over on an interim basis.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Devils management had to do something to shake things up. Their playoff hopes are fading and they’re struggling to land a reliable starting netminder in the trade market.

Ruff had difficulty finding solutions to the Devils’ problems this season but I don’t consider him solely to blame. They probably wouldn’t be in their current predicament if they had better goaltending and a healthier roster. It’ll be interesting to see if Green has better luck finding a solution than his predecessor.

NHL.COM: Defensemen dominate the league’s three stars for the week ending March 3. Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi was the first star, followed by the Florida Panthers’ Brandon Montour and the Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin will be sidelined for the next two weeks with a lower-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: How well the Wings adjust to Larkin’s absence could determine whether they clinch their first playoff berth since 2016. They hold the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 72 points.

THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators signed forward Tommy Novak to a three-year, $10.5-million contract extension. His annual average value is $3.5 million. The 26-year-old center was slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Novak drew some interest in the trade market amid speculation about whether the Predators would re-sign him. This isn’t a sign-and-trade scenario as the Preds want to keep Novak in the fold.

SPORTSNET: The Carolina Hurricanes signed former Anaheim Ducks winger Max Comtois to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K at the NHL level. The 25-year-old has 28 points in 45 games this season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is an affordable depth addition by the Hurricanes as they prepare to bolster their roster for the playoffs. It’s unlikely that this is the only move they’ll have in store before Friday’s trade deadline.