NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 27, 2020

by | Feb 27, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 27, 2020

Marc-Andre Fleury records his 61st shutout, Jay Bouwmeester won’t return to action this season, Jake Muzzin sidelined for a month, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury kicked out 29 shots to shut out the Edmonton Oilers 3-0. With 61 career shutouts, Fleury moves into a tie with Turk Broda for 17th on the all-time list. Oilers winger Andreas Athanasiou left the game with a lower-body injury, but coach Dave Tippett doesn’t think it’s serious. The Golden Knights (78 points) are on a seven-game winning streak, widening their lead to four points over the Oilers and Canucks for first place in the Pacific Division.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his 61st career shutout in a 3-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers (Photo via NHL Images).

J.T. Compher’s third-period goal lifted the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. The Avalanche (81 points) have won four straight games and sit three points behind the first-place St. Louis Blues in the overall Western Conference standings. The Sabres (66 points) remains eight behind the third-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division.

The Los Angeles Kings edged the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1, extending the latter’s losing skid to four games. Kings goaltender Calvin Petersen made 35 saves, while Patrick Marleau was held scoreless in his first game with the Penguins (80 points), who remain four back of the first-place Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division.

HEADLINES

STLTODAY.COM: Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester expressed his appreciation to the medical people who save his life after suffering a cardiac incident on the bench during a recent game. While his condition is improving, Bouwmeester said he’s done playing hockey for this season. He also admitted his playing career remains uncertain after having an ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) surgically implanted in his chest to monitor and control his heartbeat.

TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin will be sidelined for the next four weeks with a broken hand.

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens defenseman Victor Mete is done for the season as he recovers from a fractured foot.

VANCOUVER SUN: Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom underwent surgery to repair a minor meniscus tear in one of his knees. He’ll be reevaluated in two weeks, though there’s speculation he could be sidelined up to four weeks.

NHL.COM: New Jersey Devils forward John Hayden was fined over $2,000.00 by the department of player safety for cross-checking Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi on Tuesday.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 19, 2020

by | Feb 19, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 19, 2020

Sidney Crosby has a four-point game, an update on Jay Bouwmeester, the Senators honor Chris Phillips, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

GAME RECAPS

NHL.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby picked up four points in a 5-2 victory over the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs. Bryan Rust collected three points as the Penguins (80 points) moved into first place in the Metropolitan Division. Auston Matthews tallied his league-leading 43rd goal of the season for the Leafs (70 points), who cling to third place in the Atlantic Division. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was a late scratch due to illness. Earlier in the day, the Penguins also revealed forward Zach Aston-Reese is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby led his club to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Not to take anything away from the Penguins’ dominant performance, but that was a pathetic effort by the Leafs in a must-win game. They’ve dropped six of their last nine and remain in danger of slipping out of a playoff spot.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington made 17 saves to shut out the New Jersey Devils 3-0, snapping his club’s five-game losing skid. It was their first victory since Jay Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac incident last week in Anaheim. Bouwmeester released a statement yesterday indicating he’s on the road to recovery. With 76 points, the Blues hold a two-point lead over the Dallas Stars for first place in the Western Conference. Devils’ Will Butcher and Nick Merkley left the game with injuries.

The Ottawa Senators honored former defenseman Chris Phillips by retiring his number and thumping the Buffalo Sabres 7-4. They tallied four goals in a 3:29 span in the first period and sealed the two with two third-period goals. Jean-Gabriel Pageau led the way with two goals and two assists while Artem Anisimov also scored twice. Brandon Montour scored twice for the Sabres, who remain eight points behind the Leafs in the Atlantic.

Travis Konecny had a three-point performance as the Philadelphia Flyers rolled to a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, leaving the latter winless in their last six games. The Flyers (73 points) vaulted over the New York Islanders and the Blue Jackets into third in the Metropolitan Division.

Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho scored to extend his points streak to 10 games in a 4-1 win over Nashville Predators. The Hurricanes (72 points) hold the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Predators (65 points) remain three points out of a Western Conference wild-card berth.

Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers each had three points as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Los Angeles Kings 6-3. With 67 points, the Jets are one point out of a Western Conference wild-card spot.

The Montreal Canadiens blew a 3-1 lead to fall 4-3 to the lowly Detroit Red Wings, who swept their four-game regular-season series. Andreas Athanasiou scored twice for the Wings, handing the Habs their fifth straight defeat.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: And with that, we can close the book on the Canadiens’ playoff hopes for 2020. Earlier in the day, they traded defenseman Marco Scandella to the St. Louis Blues for two draft picks. More moves are likely in store leading up to the Feb. 24 trade deadline. The Wings, meanwhile, won 15 games thus far this season. Four of those came against the Canadiens.

HEADLINES

SPORTSNET: Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen received some good news when an MRI on his upper-body injury revealed no requirement for surgery. He’s expected to return before the end of the regular season.

TSN: Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser will be sidelined eight weeks with a rib cartilage fracture.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks already made a significant move to address Boeser’s absence by acquiring Tyler Toffoli earlier this week. They might not be done dealing.

CBC.CA: A shoulder injury will sidelined Edmonton Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom for the next two-to-three weeks.

SPORTSNET: The New York Rangers acquired minor-league winger Julien Gauthier from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for minor-league defenseman Joey Keane.










Will the Montreal Canadiens’ Current NHL Prospects Crop Pan Out?

by | Jan 27, 2020

Will the Montreal Canadiens’ Current NHL Prospects Crop Pan Out?