NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 11, 2024

Recaps of Thursday’s games include milestone games for Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini and the Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin. Get the details on these and other stories in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Macklin Celebrini had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut but his San Jose Sharks blew a three-goal lead to fall 5-4 to the St. Louis Blues. Brayden Schenn tallied the winner in overtime for the Blues after teammates Radek Faksa, Ryan Suter and Justin Faulk scored in the third period. Tyler Toffoli also had a goal and an assist for the Sharks.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The first-overall pick in this year’s draft, Celebrini (18 years, 119 days) became the third-youngest player to notch multiple points in his NHL debut, following Nathan MacKinnon (18 years, 31 days) and Bobby Carpenter (18 years, 67 days).

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin collected two assists, including the 800th of his NHL career, in a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby also picked up two assists, Anthony Beauvillier tallied twice, and Erik Karlsson had a goal and an assist. Alex DeBrincat scored two goals and picked up an assist for the Red Wings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A solid bounce-back effort for Pittsburgh following their 6-0 season-opening loss to the New York Rangers the night before. Penguins netminder Joel Blomqvist picked up his first NHL win with a 29-save performance.

Shaky goaltending and sloppy defensive play continue to be a problem for Detroit, who pulled goalie Ville Husso after he surrendered four goals on 14 shots. Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry left this game in the second period with an upper-body injury.

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar had a natural hat trick to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1. Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper got the win with a 32-save performance. Alex Tuch scored for the Sabres, who’ve dropped their first three games of the season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sabres dominated the first two periods and took a 1-0 lead into the third before the wheels fell off.

The Boston Bruins beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-4 for their first win of the season. Elias Lindholm and Cole Koepke each had a goal and two assists, Mark Kastelic scored twice, and Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves in his season debut for the Bruins. Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher had two goals and rookie defenseman Lane Hutson collected two assists.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Defensive mistakes continue to plague the Canadiens while goalie Cayden Primeau’s weak glove hand remains an issue.

Canadiens prospect Oliver Kapanen made his NHL debut in this game. A loophole in the IIHF transfer agreement with the NHL could enable the Habs to send him to their AHL affiliate in Laval instead of returning him to his Swedish club if he stays on their roster for 60 consecutive days.

Linus Ullmark kicked out 30 shots in his debut with the Ottawa Senators in a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Tim Stutzle netted two goals as Travis Green picked up his first win as head coach of the Senators. Gustav Forsling replied for the Panthers, who also lost captain Aleksander Barkov to a lower-body injury late in the third period as he attempted to prevent Stutzle’s empty-net goal. He’ll be reevaluated on Friday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ullmark looked sharp in this game, especially in the third with the Panthers outshooting the Senators 16-9.

The Toronto Maple Leafs doubled up the New Jersey Devils 4-2. Max Pacioretty scored his first goal with the Leafs while rookie goalie Dennis Hildeby won his NHL debut with a 23-save effort, giving Craig Berube his first win as Leafs coach. Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier replied for the Devils.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leafs stars Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner have been held scoreless through their first two games of this season. Meanwhile, the Devils announced defenseman Santeri Hatakka underwent successful shoulder surgery on Thursday but released no timetable for his return.

Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment scored twice and Logan Stankoven had three assists as their club held on for a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators. Jonathan Marchessault had two assists in his debut with Nashville and Filip Forsberg had a goal and an assist for the Predators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Steven Stamkos and Brady Skjei were held scoreless in their first games with the Predators.

The Utah Hockey Club picked up their second straight win by nipping the New York Islanders 5-4. Dylan Guenther scored twice, including the winner in overtime. Josh Doan tied the game for Utah with less than two minutes remaining in the third period. Anthony Duclair had a goal and an assist and Noah Dobson two assists for the Islanders.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Special teams made the difference for Utah, going two-for-two on the power play and killing off five of six penalties.

Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy had a goal and two assists to lead his club to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Filip Gustavsson turned aside 31 shots for the Wild. Kent Johnson had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Blue Jackets also announced yesterday that captain Boone Jenner underwent shoulder surgery on Wednesday and could be sidelined for six months.

IN OTHER NEWS…

TAMPA BAY TIMES: The Lightning’s home opener on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes has been postponed in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Their season-opener is on Friday against the Hurricanes in Raleigh, NC.

CBS SPORTS: Speaking of the Hurricanes, they moved Jesper Fast (neck) to long-term injury reserve.

TSN: The Winnipeg Jets placed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers. Eric Comrie will back up starter Connor Hellebuyck.

SPORTSNET: The Edmonton Oilers placed forward Raphael Lavoie on waivers. It’s the third time he’s been on waivers this week, starting with the Oilers losing him to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday, only to reclaim him off waivers on Wednesday.

TSN: Donnie Marshall, the last surviving member of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the late-1950s, passed away at age 92.

Playing his first NHL game in 1951-52, Marshall entered his first full season in 1954-55, winning five straight Stanley Cups with the Canadiens from 1955-56 to 1959-60.

He also played for the New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, and Toronto Maple Leafs before retiring at the end of the 1971-72 season. He finished with 265 goals and 324 assists for 589 points in 1,176 regular-season games and 23 points in 94 playoff contests.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Marshall’s family, friends and former teammates.