NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 1, 2025

Recaps of Monday’s games, the three stars of the week are revealed, and the latest on Matthew Tkachuk, Tomas Hertl and more (no foolin’) in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPPING MONDAY’S GAMES

NHL.COM: The Calgary Flames kept their playoff hopes alive by nipping the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on a shootout goal by Yegor Sharangovich. Cale Makar and Logan O’Connor gave Colorado a 2-0 lead but Calgary got third-period goals from Ryan Lomberg and Adam Klapka to tie the game. With 82 points, the Flames are five points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final Western Conference wild-card berth. The Avalanche sit third in the Central Division with 94 points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon collected an assist for his 80th of the season and 110th point, regaining the lead in the race for the Art Ross Trophy. He also extended his home points streak to 25 games.

New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Jacob Markstrom stopped 27 shots for New Jersey and Jesper Bratt tallied the winning goal in the shootout. The Devils hold third place in the Metropolitan Division with 87 points. Vinnie Hinostroza and Matt Boldy replied for the Wild, who hold the first Western wild-card spot with 88 points.

Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston (NHL Images).

The Dallas Stars picked up their sixth straight win by defeating the Seattle Kraken 3-1. Wyatt Johnston scored for the fifth straight game and Casey DeSmith kicked out 35 shots for the Stars, who sit second in the Western Conference with 102 points. Kaapo Kakko scored for the Kraken.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale snapped a 1-1 tie in the second period to give his club a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators. Rookie Matvei Michkov collected two assists as the Flyers got their third straight win under interim coach Brad Shaw. Zachary L’Heureux scored for the Predators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Michkov has been on fire since Shaw took over behind the bench, tallying four goals and three assists for seven points. Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway returned to action after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury.

HEADLINES

NHL.COM: Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz, and Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck are the league’s three stars for the week ending March 30, 2025.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk had his first on-ice workout on Monday since being sidelined playing for Team USA in February’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. He’ll travel with the club on its final regular-season road trip as he continues working out with the team.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tkachuk could be ready to return for the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs on April 19.

NHL.COM: Speaking of the Panthers, defenseman Niko Mikkola was fined $5,000.00 by the department of player safety for unsportsmanlike conduct during Sunday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl will be unavailable for his club’s next four games with an upper-body injury. He’s been sidelined since March 23. Meanwhile, backup goaltender Ilya Samsonov is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Washington Capitals signed top prospect Ryan Leonard to an entry-level contract. He could make his NHL debut on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Leonard is among several prospects signing entry-level deals with their NHL teams as the NCAA hockey season winds down. Others include Gabe Perreault signing with the New York Rangers, Matthew Wood joining the Nashville Predators, Jimmy Snuggerud moving on to the St. Louis Blues, and Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel signing with the Chicago Blackhawks.

TRIBLIVE.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward Emil Bemstrom on waivers.

NHL.COM: On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings will honor long-time play-by-play announcer Nick Nickson with a pregame ceremony. Nickson is retiring after this season following 44 years of calling Kings games on radio and television. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.

SPORTRAC: The NHL has agreed with Rogers Communication on a 12-year, USD $7.7 billion contract extension ($11 billion Cdn) beginning in 2026-27. The current 12-year, $5.2 billion deal expires at the end of next season. The league board of governors is expected to vote on the deal this week.

The league and Rogers declined to comment.