NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 14, 2024

by | Jan 14, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 14, 2024

The Oilers and Kraken maintain their win streaks while the Jets’ and Panthers’ streaks come to an end and the final 12 players are announced for the All-Star Game. Details and more from a busy Saturday in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: The Edmonton Oilers set a franchise record with their 10th consecutive win by nipping the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 on an overtime power-play goal by Evan Bouchard. Leon Draisaitl tied the game in the third period for the Oilers (23-15-1) as they hold the final Western Conference wild-card berth with 47 points. Sam Montembeault stopped 39 shots and Cole Caufield scored for the 17-18-7 Canadiens.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens called up Joshua Roy from their AHL affiliate in Laval to replace sidelined winger Josh Anderson.

Seattle Kraken winger Jared McCann scored twice and added an assist as his club won their franchise-record ninth straight contest by downing the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-4, extending their points streak to 13 games. Joey Daccord made 30 saves for his eighth straight win while Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and two assists for the 19-14-9 Kraken, who sit just behind the Oilers with 47 points. Ivan Provorov tallied twice for the 13-21-9 Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets made rookie defenseman David Jiricek a healthy scratch from this contest.

The Winnipeg Jets’ eight-game win streak came to an end as they fell 2-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers. Samuel Ersson made 35 saves for the shutout while Cam Atkinson scored twice to snap his goalless streak that stretched back to Nov. 11. With a record of 23-14-6, the Flyers sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 52 points. Connor Hellebuyck turned aside 34 shots for the 28-10-4 Jets, as they slipped into second place in the overall standings with 60 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers played without Jamie Drysdale (illness) and Sean Couturier (“minor injury”) while Jets center Mark Scheifele sat out with a lower-body injury.

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko made 26 saves to blank the Buffalo Sabres 1-0. Sam Lafferty netted the only goal for the 29-11-3 Canucks for their fifth straight win as they vaulted over the Jets into first overall with 61 points. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 22 shots for the 18-21-4 Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson left the game in the second period after taking an elbow in the face from Canucks blueliner Filip Hronek.

A 36-save performance by Nico Daws carried the New Jersey Devils over the Florida Panthers 4-1, snapping the latter’s nine-game win streak. Jesper Bratt scored what proved to be the game-winner for the 22-15-3 Devils (47 points) as they sit one point out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Sam Reinhart extended his goal streak to six games for the Panthers (27-13-2) as they sit second in the Eastern Conference with 56 points.

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (NHL Images).

An overtime goal by Charlie McAvoy gave the Boston Bruins a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues. McAvoy and Brad Marchand each had two goals for the 25-8-9 Bruins, who sit first overall in the Eastern Conference with 59 points. Jordan Binnington stopped 31 shots for the 21-18-2 Blues, who are three points out of the final Western wild-card spot with 44 points.

Third-period goals by Nic Dowd and T.J. Oshie lifted the Washington Capitals over the New York Rangers 3-2, leaving the latter winless in their last four games (0-3-1). Charlie Lindgren made 25 saves for the 20-14-6 Capitals (46 points) as they sit two points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Adam Fox tallied both goals for the Rangers (26-13-2) as they hold first place in the Metropolitan Division with 54 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin missed this game with a lower-body injury.

The Carolina Hurricanes extended their points streak to eight games by defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on an overtime tally by Brett Pesce, who finished the game with two goals. Antti Raanta made 38 saves for the 24-13-5 Hurricanes (53) as they sit one point back of the Rangers in the Metro Division. Bryan Rust had a goal and an assist for the Penguins (20-15-6) as they sit two points out of the final Eastern wild-card spot with 46 points.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored two goals to lead his club to a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, extending the latter’s winless skid to eight games (0-4-4). Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist while Alex Lyon stopped 33 shots for the 21-16-5 Red Wings (47 points), who are one point out of the final Eastern wild-card berth. Quinton Byfield scored two goals for the 20-11-8 Kings, who remain third in the Pacific Division with 48 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kings head coach Todd McLellan is facing the heat from the club’s fans as they chanted for him to be fired. They could get their wish if the Kings don’t soon reverse their current slide.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos tallied twice to beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-1. Nikita Kucherov collected three assists to remain the league’s scoring leader with 72 points as his club improved to 22-17-5 and sit in the first Eastern wild-card spot with 49 points. Lukas Dostol turned aside 36 shots for the 14-27-1 Ducks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak missed this game with an upper-body injury.

Five unanswered goals rallied the Colorado Avalanche to a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Jonathan Drouin and Ross Colton each had a goal and an assist for the 28-12-3 Avalanche (59 points) as they sit one point behind the first-place Jets in the Central Division. Martin Jones stopped 28 shots for the 21-11-8 Leafs as they sit third in the Atlantic Division with 50 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson returned to action after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury.

The Dallas Stars netted three unanswered third-period goals in a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Goalie Jake Oettinger picked up the win for Dallas after Scott Wedgewood left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury. With a record of 25-12-2, the Stars are third in the Central Division with 55 points. Petr Mrazek stopped 27 shots for the 12-29-2 Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones returned to the lineup after missing 15 games with a shoulder injury.

Arizona Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram made 38 saves for his fifth shutout of the season in a 6-0 win over the Minnesota Wild. Nick Bjugstad had a hat trick as the Coyotes (21-18-2) moved to within three points of a Western wild-card spot with 44 points. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson and winger Kirill Kaprizov returned to action for the 17-20-5 Wild after missing several games with injuries.

The Nashville Predators defeated the New York Islanders 3-1 on late goals by Alexandre Carrier and Juuso Parssinen. Juuse Saros stopped 24 shots for the 24-18-1 Predators as they hold the first Western wild-card berth with 49 points. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Islanders (19-13-10) as they cling to the final Eastern wild-card spot with 48 points.

Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 31 saves while Blake Coleman had a goal and an assist to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1. Chandler Stephenson had the only goal for the Golden Knights (24-14-5) as they sit second in the Pacific Division with 53 points. The Flames improved to 20-18-5 (45 points) to move within two points of the final Western wild-card berth.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Golden Knights center Jack Eichel missed this contest with an undisclosed injury.

The Ottawa Senators ended a five-game losing skid with a 5-4 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Vladimir Tarasenko tallied the game-winner with five seconds remaining in the third period while Artem Zub picked up three assists for the 15-23-0 Senators. MacKenzie Blackwood kicked out 36 shots while Mario Ferraro had three assists for the 10-30-3 Sharks, who’ve lost 13 of their last 14 games.

DAILY FACEOFF: Toronto Maple Leafs William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly and Vancouver Canucks Elias Pettersson, JT Miller, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko have been named to the 2024 NHL All-Star Game as voted by the fans. The others included Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, Florida Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, Colorado Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev, Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 16, 2023

by | Nov 16, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 16, 2023

Recaps of Wednesday’s games include comeback wins by the Canucks and Oilers, plus the latest on the Sabres’ Tage Thompson, the Kings’ Pierre-Luc Dubois and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S NHL GAMES

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Quinn Hughes lifted the Vancouver Canucks over the New York Islanders 4-3. Hughes, Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller each had a goal and two assists as the Canucks overcome a 3-1 deficit to move into first overall in the Western Conference with 25 points (12-3-1) to sit one point back of the first overall Boston Bruins. Mathew Barzal collected two assists for the slumping Islanders (5-6-4) as they’ve won just three of their last 10 games.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Vegas Golden Knights have an identical record but the Canucks hold first place in the West with 11 regulation wins.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (NHL Images).

The Canucks are off to an impressive start to this season. A big reason is they’re getting strong performances thus far from Hughes, Boeser, Miller, Elias Pettersson and Thatcher Demko.

Hughes, Pettersson and Miller are tied for the league lead in points with 26, Boeser is tied with Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor for the goal-scoring lead (13), Hughes is the overall assists leader (20) and Demko is among the goaltending leaders with a 2.04 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and two shutouts.

The Canucks got some bad news earlier in the day as they announced defenseman Carson Soucy will be sidelined for up to eight weeks with a leg injury.

The Edmonton Oilers got a natural hat trick from Evander Kane as they overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Seattle Kraken 4-3 on an overtime goal by Kane. Evan Bouchard collected three assists for the 5-9-1 Oilers, who’ve won three straight games. Jared McCann tallied his seventh goal of the season for the Kraken as they slipped to 5-8-4.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kraken winger Jordan Eberle returned to action in this game after being sidelined for a week by a deep cut to one of his legs from a skate blade during practice.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar collected three assists while Valeri Nichushkin scored twice in an 8-2 rout of the Anaheim Ducks. Joel Kiviranta had a goal and two assists for the Avalanche as they improved to 10-5-0 on the season. Sam Carrick and Max Jones replied for the Ducks as they dropped to 9-7-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson missed this game against his former club as he’s listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

The Philadelphia Flyers got a 31-save performance from Carter Hart to upset the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1. Owen Tippett, Travis Konecny and Ryan Poehling scored for the Flyers (8-7-1) while Stefan Noesen replied for the 9-7-0 Hurricanes.

HEADLINES

TSN: Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson is expected to miss at least a month with an injured left wrist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres will look to Casey Mittelstadt and Dylan Cozens to step up and fill the void during Thompson’s absence.

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Pierre-Luc Dubois is drawing criticism for his “uninvolved, hesitant” play this season. He was acquired from the Kings during an offseason trade with the Winnipeg Jets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The article points out that when Dubois is playing his best within the Kings’ well-defined system he’s difficult to stop. However, they haven’t seen enough of that version of the 25-year-old center thus far. He has four goals and eight points in 14 games.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Arizona Coyotes are shedding their losing reputation this season. They’re playing as a team, believe in themselves and play hard to the very end of every game.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I said at the start of this season not to sleep on the Coyotes. They’ve got a rising star in Clayton Keller, a reliable offensive presence in a healthy Nick Schmaltz, a promising rookie in Logan Cooley, a confident goal scorer in Lawson Crouse, a solid playmaker in Matias Maccelli and a defense bolstered by the offseason addition of Sean Durzi. They could be in the playoff hunt throughout 2023-24.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Winnipeg Jets defenseman Rasmus Kupari will be sidelined for four to six weeks with an injured shoulder.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Columbus Blue Jackets placed forward Emil Bemstrom on waivers.










Oilers Fire Head Coach Jay Woodcroft

by | Nov 12, 2023

Oilers Fire Head Coach Jay Woodcroft

EDMONTON JOURNAL: The Oilers have fired head coach Jay Woodcroft and defense coach Dave Manson.

Woodcroft is being replaced by Kris Knoblauch and will be joined by assistant coach Paul Coffey.

Former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft (NHL.com).

Knoblauch joins the Oilers from the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack, the farm team of the New York Rangers. He also coached Oilers captain Connor McDavid when the two were with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hired by the Oilers in February 2022, Woodcroft coached them to the Western Conference Final that year. He guided them to a 109-point campaign in 2022-23, marking the fifth-best regular-season performance in franchise history.

Despite being upset by the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, the Oilers began this season considered a Stanley Cup contender. Instead, they’ve lurched to a 3-9-1 start that threatens to derail their season.

One would’ve thought the Oilers would’ve replaced Woodcroft with Knoblauch on Thursday following their loss to the bottom-feeding San Jose Sharks. Instead, it comes after they snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-1 win last night over the Seattle Kraken.

Knoblauch’s connection to McDavid is fueling speculation that the Oilers captain had a hand in deciding Woodcroft’s replacement. It’ll be interesting to see how he addresses their porous goaltending, shaky defense and a popgun offense, especially if McDavid remains hampered by an upper-body injury that sidelined him for two games last month.

For those keeping score, Knoblauch becomes the Oilers’ eighth head coach since 2013. As per Hockey-Reference.com, the others were Ralph Krueger (2013), Dallas Eakins (2014 to 2015), Todd Nelson (2015), Todd McLellan (2016 to 2019), Ken Hitchcock (2019), Dave Tippett (2020 to 2022) and Woodcroft.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 3, 2023

by | Oct 3, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 3, 2023

The Ducks finally re-sign Trevor Zegras, notable injury and waiver updates, and recaps of Monday’s preseason action in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

HEADLINES

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: The contract standoff between the Anaheim Ducks and center Trevor Zegras ended Monday with an agreement on a three-year contract worth an average annual value of $5.75 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The dollars were the sticking point in negotiations resulting in Zegras missing nearly two weeks of training camp and preseason play. It was reported the Ducks offered between $3 million and $4 million annually.

Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras (NHL Images).

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek ended up paying more but it’s still a team-friendly amount. This deal also sets an artificial cap ceiling for Verbeek to wield when he goes into contract talks with promising youngsters such as Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson.

As The Athletic’s Eric Stephens and Pierre LeBrun observed, this contract gives Zegras a runway to elevate his game and establish himself as a true franchise player for the Ducks. If he does, he’ll be poised to command a much more lucrative deal as he’ll have arbitration rights when this contract expires in 2026.

Verbeek’s next order of business is signing restricted free agent Jamie Drysdale. With Zegras under contract, perhaps a new deal for the 21-year-old defenseman will be announced before the end of this week.

THE MERCURY NEWS: San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn said Logan Couture (lower-body injury) is improving but he remains questionable for the club’s season opener next week. The 34-year-old center isn’t expected to resume skating until the end of this week at the earliest.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers center Filip Chytil remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. He remains day-to-day but head coach Peter Laviolette isn’t sure if Chytil will be ready for their season opener.

TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is listed as week-to-week with a “significant lower-body injury”, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe.

NHL.COM: Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said defenseman Josh Manson (oblique) is expected to be ready for opening night. However, goaltender Pavel Francouz remains sidelined and won’t be in the lineup for the start of the season.

PRESEASON GAMES RECAP

NHL.COM: Ottawa Senators goaltender Joonas Korpisalo turned in a 40-save performance to shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, NS.

New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt tallied a hat trick and collected an assist as his club held off the New York Islanders 6-5. Mathew Barzal had two goals and an assist for the Islanders.

The Philadelphia Flyers picked up a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins. Flyers winger Cam Atkinson picked up his first goal of the preseason.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug got an assist in his first game of this preseason in a 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jackets goalie Jet Greaves turned aside 36 shots for the win.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Krug was returning from a foot injury suffered before the start of training camp.

The Montreal Canadiens overcame a 4-2 deficit to nip the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4. Josh Anderson sent the game into overtime where Nick Suzuki netted the game winner. John Tavares scored twice for the Leafs.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens forwards Joel Armia and Alex Newhook and defenseman Gustav Lindstrom all missed this game with upper-body injuries. They’re listed as day-to-day.

Calgary Flames forward Matt Coronato scored the winning goal and picked up two assists in a 5-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. David Gustafsson tallied twice for the Jets.

Connor McDavid scored the go-ahead goal and Xavier Bourgault tallied twice as the Edmonton Oilers downed the Seattle Kraken 4-1. Former Oiler Kailer Yamamoto replied for the Kraken.

IN OTHER NEWS…

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins claimed forward Jansen Harkins off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets.

DAILY FACEOFF: The Nashville Predators claimed forward Samuel Fagemo off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Victor Mete, Florida Panthers blueliner Lucas Carlsson and Arizona Coyotes forward Jan Jenik were the notables among 29 players placed on waivers on Monday.

THE SCORE: The Senators placed defensemen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jacob Larsson along with forwards Egor Sokolov and Matthew Highmore on waivers. Bernard-Docker was chosen 26th overall by the Senators in the 2018 draft.

MLIVE.COM: The Detroit Red Wings could start the season with three goaltenders to avoid the risk of losing Alex Lyon to waivers. Ville Husso and free-agent signing James Reimer are expected to be the Wings’ goalie tandem.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 30, 2023

by | Apr 30, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 30, 2023

The Maple Leafs win their first playoff series in 19 years, the Oilers eliminate the Kings and the Rangers force Game 7 with the Devils. Details and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: For the first time since 2004, the Toronto Maple Leafs advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. John Tavares’ overtime goal gave the Leafs a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning to win their first-round series four games to two. Toronto center Auston Matthews opened the scoring in the second period but Lightning captain tied it in the third period to force overtime. Ilya Samsonov kicked out 31 shots for the win.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs await the winner of the Boston Bruins-Florida Panthers series. Game 7 of that matchup goes this evening at 6:30 pm ET in Boston.

This was a well-deserved and long-overdue series victory for the Maple Leafs. Samsonov was solid in goal for most of this series while star players like Tavares and Matthews rose to the occasion in nearly every game. The players brought in by management at the trade deadline gave them a deep roster that the Lightning ultimately couldn’t match despite their experienced core.

I’ve seen some fans of other clubs mocking Leafs supporters on social media for their enthusiastic celebration of their team finally winning a playoff round after 19 years. I’m not a Leafs fan but I have relatives and friends who’ve stood by this club for years, even decades, and I’m happy for them. It takes a special kind of devotion to stick by a team that has frustrated them for so long. If I were in their shoes, I’d be in a party-hearty mood too.

As for the Lightning, this could be the end of perhaps the most dominating run of any NHL team in the salary-cap era. As The Tampa Bay Times’ John Romano observed, the Lightning won more games and scored more goals than any other NHL club over the last nine years. They won 50 more postseason games than any other team, went to six Conference Finals and four Stanley Cup Finals, winning two championships.

The cost of maintaining a Cup contender under the salary cap, however, also depleted their roster over the past three seasons. Players departed via free agency or cost-cutting trades as cap dollars went to retain their core players. Even though many of those players accepted hometown discounts, it was still expensive to keep guys like Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brayden Point in the fold.

That core of talent is still solid enough to keep the Lightning competitive as a playoff contender over the next several years. Higher increases in the salary cap after next season could help them replenish their roster. Nevertheless, their championship window appears to have finally slammed shut.

The Edmonton Oilers also advanced to the second round by defeating the Los Angeles Kings 5-4 on a tie-breaking goal by Kailer Yamamoto late in the third period to win their series four games to two. Klim Kostin scored twice and collected an assist while Stuart Skinner stopped 40 shots for the Oilers, who go on to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. Kevin Fiala had a goal and two assists for the Kings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This series didn’t go the full seven games like last year’s between these two teams but it was still closely contested and very exciting. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the Oilers and Kings meeting in the postseason over the next several years.

Not to take anything away from the Oilers’ well-earned series victory but I wonder if the outcome would’ve been the same had Fiala played in every game in this series. Sidelined by injury for the first three games, he had six points for the Kings in their final three games, giving their offense a noticeable boost.

The New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-2 to force a seventh and deciding game in their first-round series on Monday night in New Jersey. Chris Kreider led the way with a goal and two assists while Mika Zibanejad and Vladimir Tarasenko each had a goal and an assist and Igor Shesterkin made 34 saves. Curtis Lazar and Dawson Mercer replied for the Devils.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s only fitting that these long-time rivals should go to Game 7 in this series. It’s been an interesting back-and-forth between these two clubs with the Rangers dominating the first two games, the Devils bouncing back with three straight wins and the Blueshirts staving off elimination on home ice.

HEADLINES

COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano suffered a fractured neck and is sidelined indefinitely. He suffered the injury during Game 6 of the Avalanche-Kraken series when he was hit from behind by Kraken winger Jordan Eberle and driven head-first into the boards. Eberle receive a two-minute minor penalty and received no supplemental discipline for his actions. Game 7 of the Avalanche-Kraken series goes tonight in Colorado.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Yet another example of how much of a joke the NHL’s so-called “department of player safety” has become in the eyes of the fans and pundits.

Eberle isn’t a dirty player and has never done anything like this before. Nevertheless, it was a dangerous hit that deserved at least a five-minute major and a match penalty. Even if we give the on-ice officials the benefit of the doubt with their initial call (something that’s becoming increasingly difficult to do in every series of this round), the department of player safety should’ve reviewed this and handed down the proper discipline.

And yet, nothing. Not a peep.

Cogliano’s postseason is probably over even if the Avs reach the Stanley Cup Final. Eberle, meanwhile, gets away with a dangerous hit and continues to play. The league’s officiating loses more respect while the department tasked with protecting the players loses more credibility.

What a farce.

Speaking of the Avalanche, The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando reports Josh Manson and Darren Helm remain sidelined for Game 7.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Matthew Tkachuk has played a major role in the Panthers’ rallying to force Game 7 against the Boston Bruins. He scored the overtime goal in Game 5 and led the way in Game 6 with two goals and an assist.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tkachuk was Florida’s leading scorer during the regular season with 109 points. He’s also their leader in this series with five goals and 10 points in six games. Love him or hate him, Tkachuk’s aggressive style has paid dividends for the Panthers.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said Saturday that the decision on who starts in goal for them in Game 7 against the Panthers will be made on Sunday morning. There’s speculation Jeremy Swayman could get the call after starter Linus Ullmark struggled in his last two games.

THE ATHLETIC: Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said he intends to honor the final season of his contract. The 38-year-old hinted next season might be his last. “I’ve got one more year and that might be it,” he said.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Age is catching up with Fleury, who lost the starter’s job to Filip Gustavsson during the Wild’s first-round series against the Dallas Stars.

WINNIPEG SUN: Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor were among several Jets who took issue with head coach Rick Bowness’ scathing public criticism of their performance following their first-round elimination by the Vegas Golden Knights.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wheeler said he didn’t agree with how Bowness handled himself after that game, preferring the coach directed those comments to them behind close doors. If you asked most Jets fans, however, they probably agreed with Bowness questioning the players’ lack of pride and pushback in their series against Vegas and over the final two months of the regular season.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 29, 2023

by | Apr 29, 2023

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 29, 2023

The Hurricanes and Stars advance to the second round, the Panthers and Avalanche avoid elimination to force Game 7 in their respective series, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: An overtime goal by Paul Stastny lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers to win their best-of-seven first-round series four games to two. Sebastian Aho scored the tying goal for the Hurricanes while Frederik Andersen made 33 saves in his 2023 playoff debut. Ilya Sorokin stopped 39 shots and Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Islanders.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Islanders made this game a tight-checking low-scoring contest but they were undone by a lack of scoring punch that dogged them throughout this series and during the regular season. Addressing that issue should be their offseason priority.

Andersen played well after an illness sidelined him from most of this series. He and his teammates await the winner of the New Jersey Devils-New York Rangers series.

Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (NHL Images)

The Dallas Stars defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-1 to take their first-round series four games to two. Jake Oettinger turned aside 23 shots, Roope Hintz scored his playoff-leading 12th point while Mason Marchment and Max Domi each had a goal and an assist for the Stars. Frederick Gaudreau replied for the Wild.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Dallas dominated most of this series led by a new generation of Stars like Hintz, Oettinger, Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen along with a resurgent Tyler Seguin.

This was a disappointing series for the Wild. Leading goal-scorers Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy had just one goal between them while their defense at times struggled to contain the Stars’ scorers. With a salary-cap crunch coming for next season, management will find it difficult to improve their roster.

There will be a seventh and deciding game between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers as the latter tied the series with a 7-5 victory in Game 6. Eetu Luostarinen broke a 5-5 tie with 5:38 remaining in the third period. Matthew Tkachuk led the way for the Panthers with two goals and an assist. David Pastrnak scored twice for the Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The series returns to Boston for Game 7 on Sunday as the Panthers battled back from being down three games to one to force this winner-take-all situation. They also had to do with winger Ryan Lomberg sidelined for this game with an upper-body injury.

Game 6 was an entertaining throwback to 1980s high-scoring hockey with the two clubs combining for seven goals in the third period. One team would score and the other would quickly reply to tie the game. It was punch and counterpunch that was only really settled by Sam Bennett’s empty-netter in the dying seconds of the third.

Boston fans and pundits are calling for Bruins coach Jim Montgomery to replace starting goalie Linus Ullmark with Jeremy Swayman for Game 7 as the former has struggled over the last two games. Ullmark hasn’t been helped by his teammates as the vaunted Bruins defense has grown porous of late. If they don’t regain their form in Game 7 it might not matter if Swayman is the starter for that contest.

The Colorado Avalanche forced a Game 7 with a series-tying 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Artturi Lehkonen tallied twice, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist and Alexandar Georgiev made 22 saves for the Avalanche. Vince Dunn replied for the Kraken. Game 7 goes Sunday in Colorado.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Avalanche got the win with defenseman Josh Manson sidelined from this game with a lower-body injury. It’s not known yet if he’ll return to the lineup for Game 7.

Few observers expected this series to go the distance, let alone that the Avalanche would be the club facing a do-or-die situation in Game 6 to force a seventh-and-deciding contest. No matter the outcome of Game 7, the Kraken should be commended for how they’ve held their own in this series against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

HEADLINES

NEW YORK POST: Vladimir Tarasenko ranks seventh among Rangers forwards in overall ice time and power-play ice time. Larry Brooks believes it’s imperative for head coach Gerard Gallant to give the sniper more playing time if the Rangers hope to avoid elimination by the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of their first-round series tonight.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak will be sidelined for Game 6 tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Cernak hasn’t played since being hit in the head in Game 1 by Leafs winger Michael Bunting, who received a three-game suspension. Toronto leads the series three games to two.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Mattias Ekholm is enjoying the role of mentoring young Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bouchard’s performance has improved since being paired with Ekholm after the latter was acquired from the Nashville Predators before the trade deadline.

SPORTSNET: Actor Ryan Reynolds and the Remington Group led by real-estate mogul Christopher Bratty are said to be preparing to bid more than $1 billion for the Ottawa Senators. The deadline for the second and final round of bids is May 15.