NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 21, 2026

by | Mar 21, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – March 21, 2026

The Avalanche are the first club to reach 100 points and clinch a playoff spot this season, the Hurricanes regain sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING FRIDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: The Colorado Avalanche are the first team to reach the 100-point plateau and to clinch a playoff berth after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Martin Necas had a goal and two assists, and Nathan MacKinnon collected three assists for the 45-13-10 Avalanche. Wyatt Kaiser replied for the 26-31-12 Blackhawks.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With 114 points, MacKinnon is tied with Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov for second place in the scoring race. Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid leads the pack with 115 points. Blackhawks defenseman Louis Crevier and forward Andrew Mangiapane missed this game with unspecified injuries.

An overtime goal by Alexander Nikishin lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, giving them sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with 94 points. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis each collected two points for the Hurricanes (44-19-6). John Tavares and William Nylander each scored their 24th goals of the season for the 29-28-13 Maple Leafs.

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-1. Alex Killorn had a goal and two assists, Ryan Poehling scored and picked up an assist, and Lukas Dostal stopped 29 shots for the 38-27-4 Ducks, who hold first place in the Pacific Division with 80 points. Dylan Guenther scored his 34th goal of the season for the Mammoth (36-28-6), who hold the first Eastern Conference wild-card berth with 78 points.

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson made 30 saves in a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. Ryan Leonard and Aliaksei Protas scored for the Capitals (35-27-8). Jack Allen turned aside 26 shots, and Jesper Bratt scored for the 35-32-2 Devils.

The Calgary Flames downed the Florida Panthers 4-1. Victor Olofsson scored his first goal with the Flames since being acquired at the trade deadline, and Blake Coleman picked up two assists for the 28-34-7 Flames. A.J. Greer scored for the Panthers (34-32-3) before receiving a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for interference after hitting Flames forward Connor Zary from behind in the third period. Zary left the game with an upper-body injury.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There was no postgame update on Zary’s condition. Greer could face supplemental discipline for his actions.

Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola left the game after injuring his left leg. Panthers forwards Anton Lundell and Mackie Samoskevich miss this game with undisclosed injuries. They are considered day-to-day.

Flames forward Ryan Strome didn’t pick up any points in this game, but he’s had a positive effect on the lineup since his acquisition from the Anaheim Ducks before the March 6 trade deadline. The 32-year-old center saw limited playing time with the Ducks, putting up nine points in 33 games. He has five points in eight games with the Flames.

IN OTHER NEWS…

DAILY FACEOFF: San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli is expected to miss some time with a lower-body injury.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers forward Trent Frederic has been sidelined with an unspecified injury. There is no timeline for his return.

CBS SPORTS: Los Angeles Kings forward Joel Armia has been activated from injured reserve.

TSN: The Vancouver Canucks signed defenseman Victor Mancini to a two-year, $1 million contract extension.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 27, 2025

by | Oct 27, 2025

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 27, 2025

The Devils and Mammoth keep winning, Sharks center Macklin Celebrini continues his offensive tear, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF SUNDAY’S NHL GAMES

NHL.COM: New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes scored twice, including the winning goal in overtime, to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3. Simon Nemec collected three assists as the Devils have won eight straight games (8-1-0), sitting atop the Eastern Conference with 16 points. Valeri Nichushkin, Nathan MacKinnon, and Brock Nelson replied for the 5-1-4 Avalanche, who are winless in their last four (0-1-3).

New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hughes is tied for the league lead in goals (eight) with Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets and Shane Pinto of the Ottawa Senators. Devils defenseman Brett Pesce left the game with an upper-body injury and won’t travel with the club for their upcoming four-game road trip.

The Utah Mammoth nipped the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 to pick up their seventh straight victory. Dylan Guenther snapped a 2-2 tie, and Vitek Vanecek stopped 28 shots for the Mammoth (8-2-0), who are in first place in the Western Conference with 16 points. Dylan DeMelo and Mark Scheifele tallied for the Jets, who are 6-3-0 on the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Mammoth are off to a red-hot start. After several years rebuilding their roster, they appear to be having a breakout performance this season.

An overtime goal by Macklin Celebrini lifted the San Jose Sharks to a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Wild. Celebrini also collected two assists, linemate William Eklund scored twice and set up another, and rookie Michael Misa scored his first NHL goal for the 2-5-2 Sharks. Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber each had three assists for the struggling Wild (3-5-2), who have dropped six of their last seven games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Celebrini has 10 points in his last four games. The 19-year-old sophomore center sits third among NHL scorers with 15 points. Meanwhile, Sharks forward Adam Gaudette left this game with an upper-body injury, while Marcus Foligno of the Wild missed this contest with an upper-body injury.

Vancouver Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood tallied twice, including the winner in overtime, to down the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Brock Boeser had a goal and two assists and Thatcher Demko made 26 saves for the Canucks, who snapped a three-game losing skid and improved to 5-5-0. Leon Draisaitl scored two goals for the 4-4-2 Oilers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canucks captain Quinn Hughes missed this game with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. Teammate Victor Mancini left the game in the second period with an undisclosed injury.

The Calgary Flames ended an eight-game losing skid with a 5-1 win over the New York Rangers. Blake Coleman scored twice, Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist, and Dustin Wolf stopped 30 shots for the 2-7-1 Flames. Rangers rookie Noah Laba scored his first NHL goal as his club slipped to 3-5-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Rangers were without Vincent Trocheck and Matt Rempe. Both forwards missed this road trip due to injuries.

Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala scored the go-ahead goal in a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Alex Laferriere and Joel Armia also scored for the 4-3-3 Kings. Connor Bedard tallied for the Blackhawks, who slipped to 4-3-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kings forward Warren Foegele left the game in the first period with an apparent shoulder injury. Blackhawks winger Tyler Bertuzzi missed this game with an undisclosed injury.

The Dallas Stars overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Nashville Predators 3-2. Oskar Back, Wyatt Johnston, and Miro Heiskanen were the goal scorers as the Stars improved their record to 5-3-1. Jonathan Marchessault and Spencer Stastney scored for the 4-4-2 Predators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars center Roope Hintz missed this contest with an undisclosed injury.

An overtime goal by Nikita Kucherov lifted the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1. Brandon Hagel also scored for the 3-4-2 Lightning. William Karlsson replied for the Golden Knights, who are 5-1-3 on the season.

IN OTHER NEWS…

DAILY FACEOFF: The Washington Capitals have relieved goaltending coach Mitch Love of his duties. This move comes after the NHL suspended him for the remainder of the season following its investigation into alleged domestic abuse.

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins winger Rickard Rakell will miss the next eight weeks following surgery on his left hand on Sunday. Rakell suffered the injury during Saturday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: The Bruins placed defenseman Hampus Lindholm on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. He’s already missed seven games this season.