NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 8, 2025
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 8, 2025
The Jets set a franchise record for wins while ending the Blues’ franchise-record win streak, Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov reaches a significant milestone, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF MONDAY’S GAMES
NHL.COM: The Winnipeg Jets collected their franchise-record 53rd single-season victory by beating the St. Louis Blues 3-1, ending the latter’s franchise-record win streak at 12 games. Morgan Barron, Alex Iafallo and Adam Lowry scored for the Jets (110 points), opening a three-point lead over the Washington Capitals for first place in the overall standings. Pavel Buchnevich replied for the Blues, who hold the first Western Conference wild-card berth with 93 points.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (NHL Images).
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists in his club’s 5-1 win over the New York Rangers. Brayden Point scored twice and set up another and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 38 saves as the Lightning (96 points) sit two points behind the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers (79 points) remain six points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: With 115 points, Kucherov is tied for first place in the scoring race with Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon. He also collected his 80th assist, joining Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr as the only players in NHL history to accomplish that feat in at least three consecutive seasons.
The Calgary Flames kept their playoff hopes alive by nipping the San Jose Sharks 3-2. Dustin Wolf stopped 29 shots while Adam Klapka, Jonathan Huberdeau and Matt Coronato scored for the Flames, who sit four points behind the Minnesota Wild for the final Western wild card with 87 points. Sharks rookie Will Smith scored twice and teammate Macklin Celebrini set the rookie franchise record for assists with 36.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: San Jose winger Tyler Toffoli missed this game as he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The Sharks also announced defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin’s upper-body injury will sideline him for the remainder of the regular season.
Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal kicked out 45 shots in a 3-2 upset win over the injury-depleted Edmonton Oilers. Cutter Gauthier tallied twice for the Ducks. Adam Henrique and Jeff Skinner replied for the Oilers (93 points), who remain four points behind the Los Angeles Kings in third place in the Pacific Division.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oilers forward Trent Frederic’s return from an ankle injury was short-lived. He missed this game after aggravating that injury during Saturday’s loss to the Kings.
Speaking of the Kings, they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Seattle Kraken. Matty Beniers and Brandon Montour scored and Joey Daccord turned aside 28 shots for the win. Quinton Byfield tallied his 20th of the season for the Kings.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was given time off from this game as he rests his surgically repaired ankle. Teammate Adrian Kempe left this game in the third period to attend to a personal matter. Forward Tanner Jeannot missed this contest with an undisclosed injury and is listed as week-to-week.
HEADLINES
NHL.COM: Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, and St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas are the league’s three stars for the week ending April 6, 2025.
FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: The Panthers have a growing list of injured players. Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Niko Sturm, Dmitry Kulikov and Gustav Forsling are sidelined, and the club could rest some of them for several games to ensure they’ll be fully healthy for the coming playoffs.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Panthers have already clinched a playoff berth so they have the luxury of giving some of these players an extra game or two to rest up over their remaining five games in the schedule.
It’s given rise to a silly conspiracy theory that they’re sandbagging the rest of the season to drop further in the standings, ensuring they draw the Toronto Maple Leafs as their first-round opponent.
If the playoffs started now, the Panthers would face the Lightning in the opening round. The theory suggests they prefer meeting the Leafs because they’re an easier opponent.
COLORADO HOCKEY NOW: Speaking of playoff-bound teams with injury-ravaged rosters, the Avalanche hope to have sidelined defenseman Josh Manson and Samuel Girard and forwards Martin Necas and Jonathan Drouin back in the lineup later this week.
DAILY FACEOFF: Utah Hockey Club blueliner John Marino is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
TSN: The NHL and NHL Players’ Association continue their collective bargaining agreement negotiations this week in New York City. CBA talks between the two sides began last week. The current agreement expires in September 2026.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: League commissioner Gary Bettman hopes to get a new CBA in place as soon as possible, perhaps by the 2025 NHL Draft in late June. The recent relationship between the NHL and NHLPA lacks the rancor and mistrust that hampered previous CBA negotiations.
THE ATHLETIC: Meredith Gaudreau gave birth to her and late husband Johnny Gaudreau’s third child (a boy named Carter Michael Gaudreau) on April 1. Carter’s middle name is the same as his father’s.
Johnny and his brother Matthew were killed by an alleged drunk driver last August. The alleged driver faces charges including reckless vehicular homicide, aggravated manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My thoughts go out to the Gaudreau family. Here’s hoping Carter has a long and happy life.
TSN: Long-time NHL goaltender and broadcaster Greg Millen died on Monday at age 67. The cause of death was not revealed.
Millen spent 14 seasons as an NHL goaltender from 1978-79 to 1991-92 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. He played in 604 games, making 582 starts with a 3.88 goals-against average and a save percentage of .873.
Following his playing career, Millen went on to a long broadcasting career mostly with CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL on Sportsnet.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Millen’s family, friends, teammates and broadcasting colleagues.