NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 31, 2020

by | Jul 31, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 31, 2020

​Recaps of the final day of exhibition games, including updates on Tyler Seguin, Brad Marchand, John Carlson, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: First-period goals by Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski, and Gustav Nyquist powered the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins. Nyquist finished with two points while teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand collected two assists.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask gave up three goals on 20 shots before being replaced by Jaroslav Halak. Teammate Brad Marchand left the game in the third period with an apparent lower-body injury following a hit on Werenski. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy will provide an update today.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Bruins appeared rusty in this contest, but they’ll have plenty of time to sharpen their play during the seeding round-robin before the opening round of the playoffs. The Jackets, meanwhile, showed how much better they can be when they have a mostly healthy roster, something they didn’t have for long stretches in the regular season.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (NHL Images).

Reilly Smith scored two goals and Marc-Andre Fleury went the distance with a 22-save performance to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Alex Tuch’s highlight-reel goal put the game out of reach. Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz left the game in the second period following a heavy check from Vegas winger Ryan Reaves.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Reaves’ arm made contact with Schmaltz’s head during that hit. No word yet if the league’s department of player discipline will be looking at this. It’s interesting that Robin Lehner didn’t split the goalie duties with Fleury. Perhaps he’ll get the start in the Golden Knights’ first game in the round-robin on Monday. 

Viktor Arvidsson scored twice while Juuse Saros and Pekka Rinne combined for a 26-save shutout as the Nashville Predators blanked the Dallas Stars 2-0. Stars center Tyler Seguin was scratched from the lineup (unfit to play), while forward Andrew Cogliano left the game in the second period favoring his left leg following a collision with Predators defenseman Yannick Weber.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Seguin is expected to be ready for the round-robin starting Aug. 3 against the Golden Knights. No update was provided on Cogliano’s status.

IN OTHER NEWS…

NBC SPORTS WASHINGTON: Capitals defenseman John Carlson didn’t practice yesterday after missing the final half of the third period of Wednesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carlson crashed awkwardly into the boards and was removed from the game as a precautionary measure. Head coach Todd Reirden expects the blueliner will return to practice on Saturday.

CBS SPORTS: Toronto Maple Leafs forward Andreas Johnsson took part in special teams’ practice yesterday. He’s still recovering from a knee injury suffered during the regular season. Johnsson isn’t expected in the lineup when the Leafs face off against the Blues Jackets on Sunday in Game 1 of their qualifying-round series.

THE AHL.COM: American Hockey League president and CEO Scott Howson announced a revised start date of Dec. 4 for their 2020-21 season. Details of their full schedule have yet to be determined.










Would The Real Boston Bruins Please Step Forward?

by | Feb 17, 2020

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NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 14, 2020

by | Jan 14, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – January 14, 2020

Milestone nights for Alex Ovechkin, Zdeno Chara and Carey Price, Artemi Panarin has a five-point performance, Leafs’ Morgan Rielly sidelined, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin scored twice to surpass Teemu Selanne for 11th place (686 goals) on the all-time NHL goal list in a 2-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Ilya Samsonov made 23 saves for the shutout.

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin takes over sole possession of 11th place on the NHL all-time goal-scoring list (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin needs just five goals to surpass Mario Lemieux and move into the top-10. With nine more goals, he’ll pass Steve Yzerman and Mark Messier to move into eighth place.

The Philadelphia Flyers rallied from a 5-2 deficit to upset the Boston Bruins 6-5 on Travis Konecny’s shootout goal. The game ended when Bruins winger Brad Marchand grazed the puck at center ice as he overskated it, resulting in a failed shootout attempt and sealing the Flyers’ victory. Travis Sanheim scored twice for the Flyers and Sean Couturier had a three-point game. David Krejci scored twice for the Bruins. Zdeno Chara became just the sixth player to play 1,000 games with the Bruins.

New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin matched his career-high of five points in a single game to lead his club over the New York Islanders 6-2. Panarin scored twice and set up three others while teammate Jesper Fast had a three-point game.

Carey Price picked up his 46th career shutout as the Montreal Canadiens blanked the Calgary Flames 2-0. Jordan Weal and Ryan Poehling were the goal scorers. Price tied Ken Dryden for the third-most shutouts in franchise history.

The St. Louis Blues picked up their fourth straight win and their ninth consecutive home victory by downing the Anaheim Ducks 4-1. Brayden Schenn collected two assists. The Blues hold a nine-point lead over the Dallas Stars for first place in the Western Conference.

HEADLINES

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, New York Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo, and Calgary Flames goaltender Cam Talbot are the NHL’s three stars for the week ending Jan. 12.

TAMPA BAY TIMES: Speaking of Vasilevskiy, he will replace Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game. Rask has opted to skip the All-Star Game to spend time with his family and rest up for the second half of the season. He’ll serve a one-game suspension following the All-Star break.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was named captain of the Metropolitan Division in the upcoming All-Star Game.

USA TODAY: This year’s All-Star Game will also feature a three-on-three game between Canadian and American members of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly will be sidelined eight weeks with a fractured foot. The Leafs have recalled defenseman Rasmus Sandin.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rielly is the Leafs best defenseman. This is a big loss to their blueline corps.

EDMONTON JOURNAL: Oilers winger Zack Kassian received a two-game suspension for his altercation on Saturday with the Calgary Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk.

THE DETROIT NEWS: Red Wings goaltender Jonathan Bernier will be sidelined at least five games with an undisclosed injury.

WGR 550: Buffalo will continue hosting the NHL Draft Combine through 2022.

 










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by | Jan 2, 2020

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by | Dec 22, 2019

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NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 30, 2019

by | Nov 30, 2019

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 30, 2019

Bill Peters resigns as Flames head coach, game recaps, injury updates and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

CALGARY SUN: Bill Peters resigned yesterday as head coach of the Flames. The club had been investigating allegations of racism and abuse against Peters by former players earlier in his coaching career.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I don’t think anyone’s surprised over Peters’ departure in the wake of the allegations against him. If he hadn’t resigned, he likely would’ve been fired by the Flames. Perhaps his downfall will eradicate such behavior, leading to an overdue change in hockey culture that aligns with today’s changing society. Time will tell. Hockey, and especially the NHL, tends to be conservative and resistant to change.

NHL.COM: David Krejci’s overtime goal gave the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers. The Bruins have won six straight games, extended their points streak to 10 games, and are unbeaten in regulation at home (10-0-4). Bruins winger Brad Marchand wasn’t pleased about a concussion spotter pulling from the first half of the third period after running into a raised elbow by Rangers blueliner Jacob Trouba late in the second period. “Maybe next time he’ll pull his head out of his butt and watch the game. I skated into his elbow, but [I was] fine,” said Marchand, who later tweeted an apology for his remarks.

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had a four-point performance in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks (Photo via NHL Images).

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon scored and set up three others in a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Teammate J.T. Compher had a three-point night. Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane scored to extend his points streak to 10 games, but teammate Duncan Keith was sidelined with a groin injury.

A four-goal third period powered the Minnesota Wild to a 7-2 drubbing of the Ottawa Senators. Luke Kunin, Ryan Hartman, Eric Staal, and Jason Zucker were the scorers in the final frame. The Wild have overcome their poor start to this season, moving to .500 on the season (26 points in 26 games) and within three points of a wild-card berth in the Western Conference.

Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel scored twice and set up another to lead up club over the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4. John Tavares tallied twice for the Leafs, who dropped their first game under new coach Sheldon Keefe after winning three straight.

Dmity Orlov’s overtime goal gave the Washington Capitals a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Caps overcame a 3-1 deficit on goals by Jakub Vrana and Alex Ovechkin to force the extra period. Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov collected three assists. Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos returned to the lineup from a lower-body injury, but defenseman Braydon Coburn left the game with a lower-body injury.

The Vegas Golden Knights edged the Arizona Coyotes 2-1 on a shootout goal by Alex Tuch, who also scored in regulation. Goaltender Malcolm Subban made 35 saves for the win. The Golden Knights were playing without starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, whose father passed away Wednesday in Quebec.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Fleury and his family.

Gustav Nyquist’s hat trick carried the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. Nick Foligno also scored twice for the Jackets, who’ve won five of their last seven contests.

Ryan O’Reilly scored the game-winner as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Dallas Stars 3-1. O’Reilly and David Perron each collected two points on the night. Earlier in the day, the Stars placed Joel Hanley on waivers.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck kicked out 24 shots to shut out the Anaheim Ducks 3-0. Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine each collected two assists. Jets defenseman Dmitry Kulikov left the game with an upper-body injury.

Erik Karlsson picked up two assists and Martin Jones made 33 saves as the San Jose Sharks downed the Los Angeles Kings 4-1. Sharks forward Noah Gregor tallied his first career NHL goal.

The Philadelphia Flyers picked up their third straight win by crushing the Detroit Red Wings 6-1. Jakub Voracek had three assists for the Flyers. The Wings have dropped eight straight contests. Wing blueliner Mike Green returned to the lineup from an upper-body injury while goaltender Jimmy Howard was placed on injured reserve.

Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne turned aside 31 shots to blank the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0.

SPORTSNET: Montreal Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin revealed he suffered a torn tendon in his left wrist during a Nov. 15 game against the Washington Capitals. He underwent surgery on Nov. 18 and is currently sidelined for eight weeks.